Resident Assistants

Resident Assistants are a live-in student staff team under the supervision of a Residence Hall Director. RAs (Resident Assistants) serve as a resource and source of support for the on-campus residential community. RAs will assist a community of residents with adapting to campus living and developing a strong sense of belonging with each other and within the College of Charleston. As an RA you are also part of the policy enforcement and community development team. As part of that you serve in and on call rotation and building community through structured and unstructured activities. 

An RA can expect to use varied methods for engaging residents, building both individual relationships and community-wide bonds. RAs will empower residents to develop skills that will benefit their college experience, including interpersonal communication, conflict management, and self-accountability.  

 

**This position requires availability during nights, weekends, holidays, departmental events, Fall and Spring Break, Residence Hall closure due to weather, and for training prior to classes beginning for both the Fall and Spring semesters. ** 

Resident Assistants serve in an On-Call rotation during weekday and weekend nights from 8 pm-7 am while Residence Halls are open.

Qualifications: 

  • Must have and maintain at least a 2.50 GPA /4.0 GPA  
  • Must be and stay in good academic and conduct standing each semester of employment 
  • Students must live on-campus for at least one full semester before being considered for a position.   
  • Register and maintain have a full class load (12 credit hours per semester) 
  • Desire to work with diverse populations of students, staff, faculty, and establish positive rapport.  
  • Live on-campus in your assigned residence hall/placement 
  • Able to be flexible, which requires exceptional time management skills.  
  • Desire to help other students transition to college and make informed decisions. 
  • Desire to serve as a positive role model by demonstrating ethical behavior and good judgement.  

Time Commitment

On-Call

Resident Assistants serve in an On-Call rotation in their assigned residence halls while residence halls are open and residents are in the building.  The purpose of the On-Call rotation is: to aid in the safety & security of residence halls, build community, confront possible violations of the Student Code of Conduct and Residence Hall policies, assist campus officials during incidents, appropriately contact the Residence Hall Director On-Call and Public Safety in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures and Emergency Protocol, and report incidents that happen during the On-Call shifts immediately after they occur. 

Community Hours 

Residence Assistants will hold regular community hours to be a resource to residents and build community within their assigned Residence Hall or Community. These Community hours may be completed in various ways and determined by your staff needs. 

Administrative Work

Resident Assistants are responsible for accurately completing: Roommate Agreements (where applicable), Suitemate Agreements (where applicable), Incident Reports immediately after confronting or witnessing a potential Residence Life Policy or Student Code of Conduct violation, Weekly Reports to their assigned Residence Hall Director, Program Proposal & Evaluation forms,  Community Builder Initiative forms, On-Call Reports, and any other written follow-up as requested by a Residence Life staff member.

Meetings

Resident Assistants are required to attend a Weekly Staff Meeting held by the Residence Hall Director in each assigned area.  This time will be set based on the availability of all Resident Assistants in the assigned area and only academic considerations will be given in terms of determining availability. 

Floor Meetings

Resident Assistants hold Opening and Closing Floor Meetings with their assigned area at the beginning and towards the end of the semester.  Additional Floor Meetings may be scheduled on a needs basis. 

Training

Fall Training: Approximately 7-9 days before classes begin for the Fall Semester (dates announced when available), Resident Assistants are required to be available for all events during Fall RA Training.  This includes evening hours. Training is held from the time that Residents Assistants move into their assigned Residence Hall through Hall Opening. All Resident Assistants are required to assist with Hall Opening.  This includes during times that your Residence Hall does not have assigned move-in times as you will be assisting other buildings. 

Winter/Spring Training: Residents Assistants undergo an abbreviated Training before the Spring semester that commences before Residence Halls open for the Spring Semester.  Resident Assistants are required to be available for all events during Fall RA Training. This training includes evening hours. 

Essential Personnel  
 
Resident Assistants are considered essential personnel and as such are required to assist in the event of an emergency/bad weather/hurricane evacuation. If evacuation is declared, essential personnel will be released after the residence halls close but with enough time for students to get somewhere safely. 

Length of Service 

The length of service for the Resident Assistant position begins when Resident Assistants move-in to their assigned Residence Hall for Fall Training until one day after Residence Halls close after the Spring Semester. The exact dates will be shared if you are offered a position. 

Current Compensation 

Resident Assistants currently receive compensation in the form of a housing discount and at least $9.75 per hour. A timesheet is submitted bi-weekly for compensation.  

Info Sessions 

Residence Life staff will hold Info Sessions regarding what it’s like to be a Resident Assistant, answer questions about the application and recruitment timeline, and answer any other questions you may have about Residence Life! 

  • Thursday, October 26th from 6:00-6:30pm in Rita 154 
  • Monday, October 30th from 1-2 pm, Beaty Center 212 
  • Thursday, November 9th from 6-7 pm, MYBK 115 
  • Wednesday, November 15th from 2-3 pm in Stern 201 

RA Position Description 

Applications

We are currently accepting applications for open positions for the 2024-2025 academic year. If you would like to be considered for an immediate start, as well as, for the ‘24-’25 next academic year, please indicate that in the application when prompted. 

Timeline: 

  • Open: Wednesday, October 18th at Noon. 
  • Closes: Wednesday, January 10th 
  • Interviews will be the week of January 15-19th. 
  • Signing Day on January 26th

 

 24-25 Application Button

 

Position Offers

If offered an RA position:

You must:

  • Complete Step One of the Housing Application process, including payment of the application fee and housing pre-payment. Please refer to the Campus Housing website for the most up to date information on the application process and related costs. 
  • Complete New Student Employee Orientation through the Career Center prior to employment if you have not held an on-campus position. 

You will be given the option to accept or decline your offer. If you do not accept your offer by the date designated in your letter, you will no longer be considered for a position.