Resident Assistant (2024-2025 Academic Year) - Housing & Residential Engagement

Position Overview

The RA position is a student staff live-in position. Depending upon room availability, the RA may or may not have a roommate. Any additional university position(s) may not exceed five (5) hours per week while serving as an RA. Any additional outside employment must be discussed with a supervisor. RAs will be expected to complete all assigned responsibilities regardless of other position(s).  RAs are hired for the department and are assigned where they are needed.

Hours per Week

20 hours per week.

College/Department Overview

Housing & Residential Engagement Priority

UCO Housing & Residential Engagement’s educational priority is to cultivate independence and encourage connected and cooperative communities within the residence halls. Resident Assistants (RAs) are a fundamental part of advancing this priority.

Residential Curriculum Model (RCM) Learning Goals

We believe that a student’s learning is not limited to the classroom and that students can grow in powerful ways by living on campus. The RCM provides a framework to help RAs facilitate residents’ learning by encouraging active participation in their residential and UCO communities, cultivating an awareness of self, others and world, as well as engaging in critical thinking.

Department Specific Job Functions

Community Participation: RAs will encourage residents to be active participants in their communities by:

• Creating engagement opportunities for residents.
• Facilitating an environment in which residents take ownership of their community.
• RA’s encourage residents to be leaders in their own neighborhood.

Awareness of Self, Others, & World: RAs will support residents in developing awareness by:

• Self – Assisting residents in expressing their own identities.
• Others
  • Cultivating diverse relationships through intentional interactions with their residents and by connecting residents to their peers.
  • Fostering respect in their neighborhood.
• World – Promote inter-cultural competency in their neighborhood.

Critical Thinking: RAs will engage residents in critical thinking by:

• Teaching residents to identify and correctly use needed University services - including Dining, Financial Aid, Counseling & Well-Being, etc.
• Assisting residents in their abilities to make informed and educated decisions.
• Challenging students to reflect on their decisions.

Administrative and Community Engagement Responsibilities: RAs are responsible for various administrative and community engagement responsibilities, including, but not limited to:

• Serving on a weekly on-call rotation.

• Completing paperwork promptly and efficiently including incident reports, maintenance work orders, Environmental Wellness Checks, Sociograms, rounds forms and other relevant documents.
• Performing resident check-ins and checkouts.
• Completing other duties as assigned.

Enrollment Requirements

Fall/Spring Semesters: All student employees must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible to work any UCO student position. Half-time enrollment for fall/spring semesters is considered 5 hours for graduates and 6 hours for undergraduates. International students must be enrolled full-time to be eligible to work as a student employee. Full-time enrollment is 9 credit hours for graduates and 12 credit hours for undergraduates.

Summer Semester: Student employees working regular student positions must be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours to be eligible to work during the summer. Students not enrolled in summer classes must be enrolled in fall classes in order to work during the summer, but they (and the department) will be required to pay FICA taxes. Student employees working FWSP positions must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours (if undergraduate) or 5 credit hours (if graduate) in order to work during the summer in a Federal Work Study Program position.

Enrollment Exception: If the number of credit hours needed to graduate is less than the minimum number of hours required for student employment, the student must obtain a letter from their Academic Advisor (stating the number of hours needed to graduate and anticipated graduation date) and submit it to Human Resources. This pertains to both regular and Federal Work Study Program positions. Contact jobs@uco.edu for more information.

Qualifications/Experience Required

• Must be enrolled as a full time (12 or more credit hours) UCO student at time of application submission and for the semester they begin working.
• Must be in good standing with the University while maintaining at least a 2.75 GPA.
• Must have successfully completed at least one semester as a UCO student upon starting the job.
• Must have a financial balance of less than $1,000.00.
• Must be able to attend RA selection process, which may include RA “Group Process” and individual interviews. (Exceptions will be made with prior notice for classes).
• Must be available for RA training in July/August and in January.
• Must be able to attend regular weekly RA staff meetings (typically Tuesdays @5pm).
• Must be in good conduct standing with the university.

Qualifications/Experience Preferred

• Preference given to applicants who have completed 24+ credit hours upon starting the position.
• Preference given to applicants who have lived on campus at UCO.
• Preference given to applicants who are active in their housing community.

Physical Demands

Reasonable accommodation, in accordance with ADA requirements, may be made upon request to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.