Resident Assistant

Dominican University•River Forest, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Resident Assistant (RA) is an undergraduate student staff member who lives in one of the four residence halls on Dominican University’s River Forest campus. The role promotes and enhances students’ social, educational, and personal development; supports residence hall facilities and operations; and enforces university policies. RAs serve as positive role models, support the mission and goals of Residence Life, and uphold the Student Handbook and Code of Conduct. RAs build supportive communities by being visible and approachable, connecting residents with university resources, following the Residence Life Programming Model, and helping address roommate agreements and conflicts. They collaborate with other RAs and campus partners, participate in training and departmental processes, complete written reports and semester evaluations, and respond to emergencies and other situations while serving on a rotating on-call schedule. This is a one-academic-year commitment from August through May, with dates pending publication of the 2027–2028 academic calendar. The position averages 20 hours per week and includes training, meetings, office and community hours, weekday and weekend on-call duty, academic-break coverage, and support for residence hall openings and closings. RAs must be on campus during designated blackout periods and may need supervisor approval for significant time away. The RA role takes priority over extracurricular and co-curricular activities except academics; other leadership, employment, and outside activities are limited to 12 hours per week unless additional time is approved. Compensation includes a monthly stipend paid from September through May and a room-and-board package. The position is open to Dominican University undergraduate students for the 2027/28 academic year.

Requirements

Be a current Dominican University undergraduate student and a full-time student throughout the duration of employment.
Be in good standing and not on Academic Notice or Disciplinary Probation.
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 to apply and maintain both a cumulative and term GPA of at least 2.75 during employment.
Hold no more than one executive board or leadership position outside the RA role; discuss and review outside commitments with a Residence Life supervisor.
Commit to the full academic-year term from August through May and meet the role’s time and campus-availability requirements.
Have working knowledge of Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Canva.
Have excellent communication, leadership, time-management, and organizational skills.
Be able to take initiative and work independently of direct supervision.
Be able to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures.
Adhere to applicable university rules and regulations.

Nice To Haves

One semester of on-campus living is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a positive role model on and off campus, including on digital and social media, and uphold the university’s values and Student Handbook and Code of Conduct.
Promote social, educational, and personal development and build supportive, respectful communities that encourage academic and personal growth.
Remain visible, approachable, and regularly available to residents.
Connect residents with Residence Life, Student Affairs, and other university services and opportunities.
Follow the Residence Life Programming Model and meet its program and resident-connection requirements.
Mediate roommate agreements as needed, facilitate conversations about roommate conflicts, and keep supervisors informed.
Communicate and collaborate with fellow RAs, residence life student leaders, and campus partners.
Participate in bi-annual and ongoing training, including required training before the fall and spring semesters.
Assist with RA selection, health and safety inspections, fire drills, room selection, and residence hall openings and closings; complete related paperwork and follow-up on time.
Complete incident reports, program proposals and summaries, resident-connection records, duty logs, and other required written reports accurately, objectively, and on time.
Complete performance evaluations each semester.
Serve on a rotating on-call schedule, respond to emergency and non-emergency situations according to protocols, and provide duty coverage during designated academic breaks and holidays.
Enforce university policies consistently and identify ways to reduce bias when responding to student concerns and crises.
Attend mandatory bi-weekly Residence Life meetings on Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and meet with a supervisor weekly or bi-weekly.
Remain in the residence hall at semester-end for official building or area closings as determined by Residence Life.
Be on campus and in the assigned community during blackout periods and seek supervisor approval for extended or significant absences outside official breaks.
Limit other leadership, employment, and outside activities to 12 hours per week unless additional commitments are approved by a supervisor.
Assume other duties communicated by the Department of Residence Life.