2026-2027 Returning Resident Assistant Application

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.

• Administrator: 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. 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 positive, ethical behavior, and complete appropriate documentation and reporting.

• Peer Counselor: Successful applicants will build strong communities; mediate conflict; provide crisis intervention; build relationships with all residents centered in being accessible and approachable.

• Programmer: 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 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

1. 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. 
2. 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. 

Returning RA Applicant Requirements

1. Reflect on your first year as an RA and share what has motivated you to want to return to the role.
2. What do you feel was an unexpected adjustment upon you assuming the RA role? This adjustment could be personal, academic, social or otherwise.
3. What challenges have you faced in serving as an RA and how have you worked to overcome these challenges?
4. After reviewing the mission statement of the Office of Residence Life & Housing, please share how you feel you have embodied this mission in your work as an RA and how you might expand on that commitment next year.
5. Understanding the critical importance of diversity & inclusion within our community, please describe how you have represented a dedication to developing and maintaining a community that honors all members. In what ways do you wish to expand this work next year?

• Returning Applicants– Returning applications will be asked to focus their individual interview on mentorship.  What are some ideas that you have about how you may help all new RAs through their transition?  How will you implement these ideas?  These ideas or initiatives can be implemented through Fall Training, Winter Training, and/or throughout the year. This should be viewed as an opportunity for you to think critically and provide feedback for us to make improvements within our department.  You need to provide a visual aid (i.e. handout, poster, etc.), but please keep in mind that a PowerPoint presentation may not be appropriate.  This visual aid does not need to be turned in until your scheduled interview slot.

Third-Year RA Applicant Requirements

1. Reflect on the last two years serving as an RA and share what has kept you motivated in this role. How do you want your legacy to be remembered following your commencement from Emmanuel College?
2. How have you managed interpersonal relationships with your supervisors, colleagues, and residents? How will you serve as a positive mentor to your younger colleagues in the RA role?
3. How will you plan to remain motivated and committed to the RA role while balancing the academic, social, and personal demands of concluding your time at Emmanuel College and preparing for what is next in your career?
4. After reviewing the mission statement of the Office of Residence Life & Housing, please share how you feel you have contributing to expanding this mission within your work; how do you feel this mission has shaped your experience as an RA and residential student at Emmanuel College?
5. Understanding the critical importance of diversity & inclusion within our community, please describe the way in which serving as an RA has challenged your view on DEI topics and in what ways you have worked to ensure inclusion on campus. What DEI related initiative(s) do you hope to contribute to prior to your graduation?

• Third-Year Presentation: Third-Year RA Applicants should plan to prepare a presentation that will be shared with Professional Staff during your 60-minute individual interview in February 2025. This presentation should demonstrate lessons and experiences from your first two years as an RA as well as tangible goals for your final year as an RA. Please reflect and expand on the questions asked in relation to your cover letter – this should be a starting point, but ensure you are demonstrating your unique approach to the RA role, how it has shaped your experience at Emmanuel College, and what you want to leave behind following your commencement. Think LEGACY.

Group Process and Interview Day

• 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.

Compensation

• Students serving as Returning 2nd or 3rd Year RAs 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 100% of this cost in the form of a scholarship during your second or third 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.