Resident Assistant Application

Resident Assistant Job Description

Application open: March 13 - March 24, 5 p.m.

Summary: Resident Assistants provide live-in support of the Residence Life program. They enact the procedures for creating and maintaining a Residence Hall community that promotes a productive, harmonious, and safe enjoyable living environment for students while the building is closed for semester break, spring break and after spring semester.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Enforce Residence Hall and North Idaho College regulations in the hall, in the dining facility, and at hall events by providing an example of appropriate behavior, by educating residents about pertinent regulations, and by providing written and verbal reports of violations.
• Implement hall operating procedures such as check-in, fire drills, room inspections, etc; and support hall operations during each hall contract period by arriving prior to hall residents checking in and departing after hall residents have checked out.
• Attend all staff meetings, in-service training programs, and necessary Hall Council or Review Board meetings. Serve as an advisor to standing committees of Hall Council.
• Protect the security and privacy of residents by safeguarding master keys and using them only in the line-of-duty and with great discretion.
• Promote a climate of positive community living and academics in the residence hall by encouraging behavior that respects the rights of others and that supports the pursuit of individual education objectives.
• Maintain a positive, helpful, constructive attitude and work relationship with the supervisor, college staff, residents and the community.
• Deliver mail & packages daily.
• Hang up/ take down program posters.

Marginal Duties:

• Attend and/or support the attendance of campus events
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform those duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these duties.

Education and/or Experience: High school diploma or general education degree (GED) and a minimum of three months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours at NIC, LCSC, U of I.
• Must maintain at least a 2.50 GPA
• A valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain one within thirty days is preferred
• Must have the ability to satisfactorily complete the CPR and first aid training programs provided by NIC.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Language Skills:

• Ability to read and interpret documents and manuals. For example: safety rules and manuals, operating and maintenance instructions, and policy and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write original instructions, reports, other routine correspondence and memorandums.
• Ability to effectively present and speak one-on-one and in small group situations.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to read, write, speak and hear in English.

Mathematical Skills:

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to perform basic mathematical computations.

Reasoning Ability:

• Ability to solve practical problems requiring reasoning to deal with a variety of concrete variable in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret, identify, assess, or diagnose a variety of instructions or information furnished in written, oral , diagram, or schedule form and plan approaches that respond to problems or challenges.
• Ability to adapt or modify existing systems, procedures, or methods to new situations.
• Ability to find alternative solutions by weighing alternatives and developing action plans.
• Ability to multi-task projects and duties.

Computer and Equipment Skills:

• Ability to use a personal computer and associated peripherals and use Microsoft Windows XP or higher, Microsoft Office 7 or higher, relational databases specific to the College, Internet, etc.
• Ability to use telephone, FAX, copy machine, printers, scanning devices, calculator and general office equipment.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use fingers and hands to keyboard or type, and to handle materials and reach with hands and/or arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, with assistance or devices; equipment to aid in lifting. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles or blood borne pathogens and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Additional Requirements

• Attend Mandatory Meeting - Tuesday, April 11, 6 p.m.
• Group Activity - Wednesday, April 12, 6 p.m.
• RA Counsel - Saturday, April 15, 6 p.m.

Application must be received by 9/30 5 p.m. PST.

Application Materials

Scenarios

• Please answer these questions as a part of your SCENARIO ANSWERS document.
• DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THIS DOCUMENT.
• We need it to be anonymous, so the evaluators can give unbiased feedback to your responses.

• Scenario Question #1

  David and Sam came to North Idaho College from Boise. They had been friends since Junior High and were living as roommates while in college. Sam started his freshman year with a full load of classes but began dropping classes about a month into the first semester. By midterm examinations, he was down to one class. Sam was a nice young man. He kept to himself and his only friend in the building was David. Since coming to NIC, Sam had started drinking. In high school Sam would not drink at all; in fact, he was involved with a group that worked to keep students from drinking. Sam's parents were divorced. His father was an alcoholic and had been in and out of treatment programs several times. Sam was not close to his father. His mother was a high school guidance counselor.

  Sam was a very neat and organized person, but recently he had lost interest in keeping things in place. He gave some of his most valued possession to David. In recent weeks his sleeping had become erratic. He frequently missed class and started drinking more frequently. Hardly a night went by when he didn't consume 8 to 10 beers.

  There was one woman who Sam liked, and they had gone out once or twice. She quickly lost interest and began dating someone else in what appeared to be a serious relationship. Sam felt rejected and somewhat angry over losing out to this other student.

  One night David returned from the library and found Sam lying unconscious on the floor of the room. He did not appear to be breathing and could not be awakened. A suicide letter addressed to David was in his shirt pocket and a large, half-empty bottle of aspirin on the sink. A lot of beer cans were strewn about the room. David ran to get the RA.

  What would you do?
  (Please answer on a separate paper. Please use paper that has already been used on one side. Save the Earth!)

  1. What signs did Sam give that may have indicated he was suicidal?
  2. You are the RA that David came to with the above scenario. What is your very next step?
  3. What should you do to help David?
  4. What information and assistance should you give to the medical personnel and campus security?
  5. Should you, as the RA, tell the other students living in the building what happened? If yes, why? If no, why?
  6. As an RA, what are things you need to do on your floor days later? Weeks?

• Scenario Questio #2

  Jim is a second-semester freshman living on the 3rd floor of the residence hall. His RA is Steve. Jim came to North Idaho College to wrestle, but was not quite good enough to make the team. His nickname on the floor was “the Viking.” He got this nickname as the result of his large size, table manners, temper, and ability to consume very large quantities of beer. Jim is not much of a student. This semester he is only enrolled for six hours, having dropped nine hours because he was not doing well academically.

  Steve was on duty Friday night and went to sleep around 2:15am, hoping that all would remain quiet on his floor. About 3:30am, Steve was awakened by a loud noise coming from the room next to his. He got up and saw Jim in the hallway. His right hand appeared to be bloody. When Steve got Jim back into his room, he observed that someone had punched a hole in the living room wall. There was blood in the sink and on the floor.

  What would you do?

  1. If you were Steve, what would you do? Explain the steps you would follow.
  2. Do you believe there is enough evidence to write an incident report about the incident? If you do write it up, Jim might hold it against you and try to get even.
  3. What, if anything, could be done to address the reputation Jim has developed on the floor, which is encouraged by the residents?
  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of approaching Jim about the damage the night it happened?

References

Download the reference form. Put your name in the top blank and give it to three people who know you - ONE MUST BE A FELLOW, CURRENT RESIDENT. These can be instructors, coaches, pastors, or supervisors. These others may not be family members, or Residence Life Staff members. These are due to the Residence Life Manager along with the rest of the application.

Submit with your application Below