Resident Advisor Duties and Responsibilities

Active Engagement with Students

• Promote and sustain organic leadership by maintaining positive peer-leader relationships and supporting the goals of your residents.
• Be committed to student success.
• Be available to and get to know your residents.
• Have conversations with the residents on your floor throughout the year, paying special attention to when they join the community.
• Develop opportunities for individuals to contribute to the floor community.
• Be accessible to residents at various times throughout the day, including most nights and some weekends.
• Assist students as they develop interpersonal skills and individual responsibility.
• Encourage student participation in Hall / Community Council, university sponsored programs, student organizations, and other activities.
• Work as a member of the staff team to support out-of-class learning opportunities.

Community Development

• Help residents make connections to one another and to the floor and building community.
• Encourage understanding and acceptance, and promote inclusive communities.
• Develop communities focused on learning and the academic success of each student.
• Help to develop a community identity on both individual and building levels.
• Assist in the development of community standards and roommate expectations.
• Encourage university involvement, civic engagement, and social responsibility.
• Encourage residents to respect and maintain the facility.
• Discuss and address students' concerns and problems, both individually and in groups.
• Initiate discussions about individual and group dynamics before issues manifest.
• When appropriate, refer students to the support services available on campus such as: Academic Services, Student Services building, Student Health Service, Counseling Center, and others.
  
  

  Living Learning Community Development

  • Communicate regularly with the LLC program director and their supervisor to provide activities and initiatives that support the curricular goals of the LLC.
  • Support the success of the LLC by providing educational opportunities that support the needs of students residing within the LLC.
  • Encourage in-building LLC resident interactions with University faculty and LLC academic partners.
  • Motivate residents of the LLC to embrace their LLC involvement as part of their overall, collegiate learning experience.

Counseling and Behavior Management

• Conflict Resolution
  • Help develop an atmosphere in which students have concern and respect for the rights of others.
  • Empower and educate students to resolve and mediate low-level conflicts on their own.
  • Mediate conflicts amongst residents as they arise.
  • Notify supervisor immediately of any conflict that may escalate
• Policy Enforcement
  • Understand and uphold all university and residence hall rules, regulations, and policies.
  • Utilize an educational approach to address students about policies, as well as the impacts of their behavior.
  • Address all policy violations immediately and consistently.
  • Maintain consistency and fairness when dealing with all students in the building.
  • Document student concerns and notify supervisor in a timely fashion.
  • Seek support and guidance from supervisor during and after difficult situations
  • Follow up with residents after a confrontation.
• Crisis Response
  • Understand and maintain familiarity with crisis protocols.
  • Respond to crises as they occur on the floor and in the building.
  • Complete necessary paperwork involved in documenting the crisis.
  • Escalate necessary situations to appropriate supervisor(s) immediately.
  • Follow up with residents regarding any crisis situations.
• Duty
  • Participate in duty rotation between the hours of 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.
  • Conduct building rounds to build relationships with students, confront policy infractions, and note facility concerns.
  • If applicable, share in duty coverage in buildings open over university break periods.

Administrative

• Execute administrative functions of the position so that colleagues and students can maximize their ability to benefit from the living-learning environment created. This includes completing all required paperwork in a timely and accurate manner, promptly posting signs and regularly changing bulletin boards, and identifying and reporting maintenance concerns in common areas.
• Encourage and role model interaction with Housekeeping and Maintenance staff.
• Assist in opening and closing residence halls at the beginning and end of each semester as well as during vacation periods.
• Assume additional responsibilities as assigned by the Graduate Hall Directors, Residential Learning Coordinators, Student Life Coordinator, and other Housing and Residence Life professionals.
• The RA position is a live-in position and as such RAs are encouraged to sleep in their own room each night.

Personal and Professional Development

• Participate in staff selection and recruitment.
• Attend all training and leadership development opportunities.
• Complete the Introduction to Residence Curriculum three-credit course.
• Participate in the VACUHO RA Conference at Virginia Tech as directed by your supervisor.