RESIDENT ASSISTANT QUALIFICATIONS AND
POSITION DESCRIPTION 2015-2016
RA Candidates must meet the following Minimum Qualifications (by date of hire):
• Full-time student status, to be maintained throughout the period of employment
• Two semesters, which may include the current semester at the time of application, of
experience living in residence at Acadia University; or, prior experience as an RA at
another institution.
• Cumulative GPA of 2.5 and minimum semester GPA of 2.0
• Standard first aid certification by the start of August 2015 training. A copy of the
Certification will be required at that time.
• Be in good judicial standing (not on probation or have any outstanding sanctions).
• Have registered student status and must be “degree-seeking”.
• Must have valid Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN Number) by April 15th 2015.
• Must have a valid Canadian Bank Account.
Exclusions
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Candidates may not work more than 10 work hours per week outside of the RA position,
including volunteer commitments.
Candidates may not be enrolled in more than 5 classes per semester, without obtaining
special permission.
Students not planning on being at Acadia for both semesters may not be considered at
this time.
Training Requirements
Staff members are required to attend training sessions to develop their skills and knowledge.
Therefore, you will be asked to plan your schedules accordingly to make sure you are present
for each of the below required trainings. Please keep in mind that you will be required to return
to campus early, during the summer and the winter breaks to attend the summer and winter
trainings – summer is usually 2 weeks before the general student population returns and winter
is usually 1 week before the general student population returns.
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Pre-Employment Training - All successful candidates will be expected to attend a preemployment training session that will take place prior to the end of the winter 2015
semester; dates and times to be confirmed.
Summer Training – All staff will participate in the summer training, which will take place
approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of classes in September. Dates to be finalized
on letter of offer.
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Winter Training – All staff will participate in the winter training, which will take place
several days prior to the return of students in January. Dates to be finalized on letter of
offer.
In-Service (on-going) Training- All staff will participate in on going training sessions
throughout the semester. Time, locations and topics will be disclosed each semester.
All-staff Meetings- Staff may be required to attend an “all-staff” meeting, approximately
once per semester. These meetings are intended to share important information about
upcoming procedures and events.
RESIDENT ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION
POSITION PURPOSE: Resident Assistants (RAs) main function is to foster and develop
community with and among students living in residences. RAs are expected to possess a
positive attitude, which embraces the philosophies, mission, policies and procedures of the
department of Residence Life, as well as the university. Staff members are expected to
exercise personal judgment to protect their credibility in the eyes of others; this is critical to their
ability to perform and be successful in the position. Through programming, student support and
advising RAs serve as peer educators and the main points of contact for our students in
residence. Resident Assistants are directly supervised by Senior Resident Assistants (SRA).
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Community Development: (1) Develop a sense of unity among residents through involvement
and developing relationships among residents (2) Responsible for creating a friendly, respectful
and safe environment among residents on the floor/section (3) Establish relationships with all
residents of their section and demonstrates availability and approachability to residents (4) Be
aware of attitudes, possible adjustment problems and behavioural patterns of residents.
Advising/Counselling: (1) Meet with residents who are experiencing concerns (roommate
conflicts, personal issues, etc.) and refers them to the appropriate resource for assistance as
necessary (2) Work with SRA to grow and develop the residence (3) Assist students with the
planning and implementation of community, academic and personal development events.
Student Conduct and Counselling: (1) Address inappropriate behaviour in an objective,
consistent and respectful manner, providing rationale for policies. (2) Follow up with students
who have violated policy and work to address behavioural issues, clarify and communicate
expectations and university policies. (3) At the heart of the staffs’ approach should be a care
and concern for preserving relationship and helping students navigate and negotiate decision
making and behaviour, with the ultimate goal of developing well-rounded students.
Programming: (1) Assess the interests and needs of residents and plan and implement
programming activities and events in accordance to those needs. (2) Responsible for making
resources and opportunities on campus accessible to students; work to involve the students on
campus.
RESIDENT ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION CONTINUED
Duty Responsibilities: (1) Complete duty rounds of the building to ensure the safety and
security of the community as assigned (2) Address behaviour and manage and refer issues (3)
Cover holiday and break periods, including Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Break (4) Covers
weeknight and weekend duty per area.
Staff Development: (1) Participates in staff meetings, training workshops, “in-services”, etc. (2)
Establish effective working relationships and work collaboratively with fellow staff members,
supervisor and others within the department (3) Act as a team player by compromising for the
good of the staff and developing positive working relationships (4) Give and receive
constructive feedback regarding job performance. (5) Takes steps to further one’s own personal
and professional development.
General Administration: (1) Submit complete and timely paperwork (programming reports,
duty reports, incident reports, inspection forms, etc.) (2) Attend staff and other department
engagements as appropriate (3) Maintain open communication with SRA and Residence Life
staff (4) Assist with the opening and closing of the residences at the beginning and end of the
year as well as break periods (5) Complete all tasks and assignments in the specified timeframe
(6) Manage time and balance activities effectively (7) Maintain accurate programming, budget,
and records information.
Other Duties as Assigned: Assignments/Tasks in line with requirements and responsibilities of
the RA position.
Time Commitment: The RA Position takes up approximately 10-15 non-duty hours per week.
This means aside from assigned duty rounds, you can expect to spend approximately 10-15
hours each week on the RA position. This estimation can be more or less depending on what is
happening on your floor or in your residence during a given week. It also depends on how
proactive you are with residents in addressing issues early and building a positive community.
In order to ensure that RAs can effectively balance their academic and position responsibilities,
we heavily weigh candidates’ level of involvement in other campus activities. Those candidates
who demonstrate the ability to effectively balance their level of involvement in outside activities
with their commitment to the RA position will be given preference over those who cannot.
Similarly, students who will be on campus for both the fall and spring semesters will be given
preference over those who will be studying abroad or doing a co-op for one of those semesters.
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Opening/Closing Building-All Staff will participate in opening/closing the buildings at
the start and end of each semester. This will require staff to arrive about two weeks prior
to the building opening and you may be required to stay several days past the official
close of the buildings.
Holiday Duty-All staff members will participate in Holiday Duty Rotations. Holiday Duty
includes: Thanksgiving Break, Fall Reading Week and Winter Reading Week/Spring
Break. Staff should not make travel plans until speaking with their supervisor.
Physical Requirements: Work performed both in and out doors; frequent walking, sitting, standing,
bending, kneeling, twisting, climbing stairs; use of cell phone and computer keyboard is required.
Benefits & Compensation:
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