General Description of Position
At Emmanuel College, the Resident Assistant (RA) position is one of campus leadership and service to others. The Office of Residence Life & Housing selects and trains a diverse group of students to serve as paraprofessional staff in all Emmanuel College-sponsored residential facilities.
Mission Statement
The Office of Residence Life & Housing provides clean, well maintained and properly staffed facilities, which promote a living and learning environment that is safe, just, and developmental. The staff offers students opportunities to explore new experiences, enhance personal growth, explore and building new relationships, and play an active role in celebrating and promoting the ideals of a Catholic community.
Equity Statement
The Office of Residence Life & Housing, representing the ideals of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, seek student applicants of all backgrounds, abilities, and identities to serve as Resident Assistants at Emmanuel College. We commit to selecting, hiring, and training a diverse group of students who are representative of our dynamic shared educational community.
Resident Assistant Roles & Responsibilities
The following areas represent the core responsibilities of the RA position, which the RA Selection Team will be seeking in all applicants for the role. Candidates should ensure they are able to demonstrate and articulate the potential to fulfill these responsibilities as they navigate the selection process. This list is not exhaustive and other duties & responsibilities may be assigned and/or required of students serving as Resident Assistants.
- Administration: Successful applicants will create informative and creative bulletin boards & door decorations; communicate regularly with supervisory team; attend weekly supervision and staff meetings; serve in an active-duty rotation; ensure promptness and accuracy with various administrative tasks.
- Attitude: Successful applicants will approach the RA position with enthusiasm and positivity. Candidates will be committed to the success of all students and demonstrate a genuine investment in all residents at Emmanuel College.
- Community Standards: Successful applicants will serve to enforce college policies in all areas of the college’s property. In doing so, candidates will confront negative behavior, demonstrate situational awareness, model ethical behavior, and complete appropriate documentation and reporting as needed.
- Peer Counseling: Successful applicants will build strong communities; mediate conflict; provide crisis intervention; build relationships with all residents centered in being accessible and approachable.
- Programming: Successful applicants will develop and implement social and educational co-curricular programmatic initiatives. This involves working to deadlines, completing relevant planning documents, demonstrating enthusiasm for co-curricular learning across a number of educational focus areas.
- Team Member: Successful applicants will work cooperatively with all staff members of the Office of Residence Life & Housing. This will involve participation & attendance at various trainings, recruitment events, supporting departmental initiatives, and an overall dedication to representing the college in a positive and enthusiastic light.
Qualifications
- Students must have a minimum 2.50 cumulative grade point average (GPA) at the time of application and must maintain this GPA throughout the term of employment.
- Students must have a clear judicial record with the college and must maintain this status throughout the employment period. A clear judicial record refers to no open conduct violations and no active administrative probationary statuses.
- Students serving as RAs must reside in the assigned residential unit during the entirety of their employment contract. RAs will receive hall & room assignments during the Summer of 2026; hall/room assignments are assigned by Professional Staff to meet the needs of our communities and are non-negotiable.
- Students serving as RAs cannot work more than 20 hours per week outside of the RA role. Students serving as RAs who are entering into additional employment, clinical/practicum placements, internships or other major responsibilities in addition to the role must first discuss with their supervisor and be approved by the Assistant Dean of Students.
- Students serving as RAs cannot actively serve on Student Government Association (SGA) and cannot serve as an Orientation Leader (OL).
- Students serving as RAs cannot carry more than 20 hours of coursework or more than one evening class per semester, unless they receive advance permission from their supervisor. RAs who register for more than 20 hours of coursework may be asked to drop a course should there be cause for concern.
- Students serving as RAs are hired for the complete academic year. This contract begins in mid-August of 2026 and will conclude following spring semester residence hall closure in May of 2027. RAs are not permitted to depart campus during break periods until after the residence halls are closed.
Application Requirements
- Information Session: Prior to applying, you should plan to attend one of the following MANDATORY Information Sessions. Applicants who apply but fail to attend an information session will not be considered for the RA role. Please see below for dates/times/locations of information sessions.
- Info Session 1 Wednesday, November 12, 7pm, St. Julie Hall
- Info Session 2 Tuesday, November 18, 12pm, St. Joseph Hall
- Info Session 3 Tuesday, December 02, 10:30am, Loretto Hall
- Info Session 4 Thursday, December 18, 2pm, Zoom
- Info Session 5 Thursday, January 15, 7:30pm, St. Ann Hall
- Info Session 6 Tuesday, January 20, 12:15pm, EAB 155
- Applicants may attend whichever information session they wish regardless of location.
- Résumé: Please prepare and submit a professional resume. This resume should include education history, work history, campus involvement, leadership roles, community service experience and any other experience you feel relates to the RA position. Resume should be in 12-point font and fill one page.
- Cover Letter: This document is a means for you to introduce yourself, state your interest in the role, and explain skills and unique perspectives you have that are not represented on your resume per the prompts below. Your cover letter MUST address each of the following prompts within it. Please do not use bullet points, but incorporate your responses in the body of your letter.
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- What inspired your desire to apply for and serve as an RA?
- What qualities do you possess that will make you successful as an RA?
- What aspects of serving as an RA do you feel may be challenging for you?
- After reviewing the mission statement of the Office of Residence Life & Housing, please share how you feel you connect to it and might lend yourself to our shared work.
- Please describe how you uphold a commitment to diverse perspectives in your life and in share how your presence on the RA staff will expand our ability to ensure an equitable environment on campus.
- Interview Day and Creative Piece Presentations: All applicants should plan to attend our Interview Day on Saturday, February 21st 2026. In the case of inclement weather and the college closes on this day our snow date is Saturday, March 14th 2026. Applicants will need to prepare a physical, written, or visual representation of who you are and why your unique presence on our RA team should be considered and invested in. Be creative and understand there is no specific example – just represent who you are! You will bring your creative piece to your individual interview on Saturday, February 21st 2026. More information will be shared with applicants prior to that date.
Compensation
Students serving as RAs for the first time receive:
- A single-occupancy living unit in Emmanuel College-sponsored housing. Housing assignments are released after the offer of employment, during the summer of 2026 and are non-negotiable.
- A 225-Block Meal Plan. This meal plan is non-negotiable, and RAs cannot change to another meal plan.
- Your room and meal plan are billed to your account at the rate of a standard double room. Our office will cover 75% of this cost in the form of a scholarship during your first year of employment. This scholarship is considered student financial aid and may affect your final financial aid package. We encourage all students to consult with their SFS counselor prior to accepting any offer of employment as an RA.
- All RA Applications are Due by 11:59pm on Friday, January 23rd, 2026.
