Resident Assistant

Davenport University•Grand Rapids, MI

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Resident Assistant (RA) maintains a residential environment that supports residents’ academic success, personal growth, safety, and sense of belonging. The role includes building connections among residents, fostering an inclusive community, planning social and educational programming, enforcing university and housing policies, and assisting with residential-area administration, maintenance, and security. RAs serve on an on-call crisis duty rotation and work with campus partners when responding to incidents. Duties are performed ethically and in keeping with Davenport University’s mission, vision, and values, including diversity, equity, and inclusion. RAs must live on campus in housing assigned by Housing and Residence Life and be available in their residential area a majority of nights. The position requires an irregular schedule that includes nights, weekends, and holidays, as well as participation in staff training, meetings, and programming. RAs support residential-area openings and closings each semester and remain on campus until related duties are complete. Compensation is room and board.

Requirements

Maintain full-time student status at Davenport University: at least 12 undergraduate credits or 6 graduate credits.
Have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 and maintain a semester GPA of at least 2.5 while employed.
Live on campus in a room assigned by Housing and Residence Life.
Maintain good academic, financial, and social standing and not be on academic probation.
Have studied at Davenport University for at least one year, totaling a minimum of 24 semester hours before employment. Transfer students may qualify if they completed at least one full year at a prior institution and currently live on campus at Davenport University.
Be invested in personal and professional development and actively work to improve job skills and grow developmentally.
Meet supervisor expectations and participate in ongoing review and formal end-of-semester evaluation.
Adhere to local, state, and federal laws.
Participate in fall and winter staff training and in-service events unless an exemption is approved in advance and in writing by Housing and Residence Life professional staff.
Be a positive role model with the experience and character to build supportive peer relationships and contribute to imaginative programming.
Demonstrate mature judgment in complex and emotional situations, including discussing concerns with peers and confronting problematic behavior.
Be a team player with a positive attitude, genuine interest in helping others, and flexibility to respond to unexpected situations.
Work an irregular schedule that includes nights, weekends, and holidays.
Perform duties in a business office and residential-area setting; use a personal computer and telephone; travel between locations using own transportation.
Meet the physical demands of prolonged sitting and standing, with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds; no regular lifting is required.

Nice To Haves

Lived in Davenport University Housing for at least one semester before taking the role.

Responsibilities

Promote a safe, secure, comfortable, inclusive residential environment that supports community living and academic success.
Know residents, build connections among them, and foster a welcoming community for people of varied backgrounds and viewpoints.
Create and participate in social programming that helps students connect and form positive relationships; actively plan and participate in departmental programming initiatives.
Facilitate the opening and closing of residential areas each semester, including returning to campus before opening and remaining until closing duties are completed.
Check students in and out of residential areas, particularly during peak periods, and complete required paperwork neatly, fully, and on time.
Perform administrative tasks such as posting signs, managing storage duties, conducting surveys, preparing inventory lists, and submitting maintenance work orders online.
Communicate resident concerns, time-off requests, and workload matters to Housing and Residence Life professional staff and applicable RAs; request approval for nights away from the residential area in writing at least 72 hours in advance.
Check and respond promptly to email, mailbox, and phone or text messages daily, and communicate with supervisors, fellow RAs, and students outside formal meetings.
Attend scheduled training, in-service events, meetings, and one-on-one meetings prepared and on time; meet weekly with residential staff to discuss housing matters and resident concerns.
Complete a self-evaluation at the end of each semester and participate in ongoing review and formal performance evaluations.
Understand, support, communicate, and respectfully enforce the Housing Handbook, Student Code of Conduct, and other university policies and behavioral standards.
Create educational bulletin boards monthly in the assigned area, if applicable.
Confront and document policy violations and other issues that may harm the residential community, including when not on duty.
Serve as the designated on-duty staff member, answer the on-duty phone, respond to issues, conduct multiple building walkthroughs, and spend most of the duty night with residents in the assigned area.
Remain on campus while on duty and assume additional duty responsibilities during special events as needed.
Work scheduled duty rotations, including desk shifts for Cook, Meijer, and South halls. Cook, Meijer, and South RAs serve approximately one duty night every other week and two weekends per semester; Panther Woods and Panther Ridge RAs serve approximately one duty night each week and three weekends per semester.
Work closely with Public Safety and the Wellness Center during incidents requiring emergency response.
Offer students support and referrals to campus resources as needed, and address student concerns privately and confidentially with other staff members.
Serve as a positive role model, comply with applicable university policies, and provide customer service that anticipates and exceeds customer needs.
Understand and abide by applicable external and internal regulations and policies, including NCAA, GLIAC, and national-affiliation requirements relevant to the role.
Demonstrate and promote University Cultural Values and perform other duties as assigned by Center for Campus Life staff.