General Terms and Conditions

 

Requirements

1. Must be a Cal State Fullerton Student with a minimum of 12 completed units. One year of residential/group living experience preferred.
2. Must possess and maintain a cumulative CSUF GPA of 2.5 or greater and maintain a 2.0 semester GPA during the entire employment period. Failure to meet these academic requirements may result in immediate termination.
3. Must maintain a full time course load (12 units) for undergraduate and graduate students must carry a study load of 12 units of course work a semester or nine units of which six are in 500-level courses. Undergraduate students should not be enrolled in more than 16 units per semester and graduate students should not exceed 12 units without permission from their Residential Community Coordinator.
4. Must be in good judicial standing and maintain this standing throughout employment. Failure to do so may result in immediate termination.
5. Must reside in the residence halls/apartments at CSU-Fullerton while employed.
6. Must complete their CPR/First Aid Certification by August 1, 2009.
7. Must adhere to the RA Job Description and accept the conditions and expectations as stated in trainings and Student Staff Behavior Guidelines.

 

Placement

An RA may be assigned, or reassigned, to any residential area at the discretion of the Residential Community Coordinator.

 

Appointment

The RA appointment is usually for the Fall and Spring semesters of a given academic year. An RA must apply each year for employment.

 

Employment Period

1. RAs hired for the Fall & Spring 2009-2010 academic semesters will be selected in Spring Semester prior to their appointment.
2. RAs will be required to attend a Spring Orientation session held on May 14^th at 5pm in the MPR. This date may be subject to change.
3. The employment period for RAs hired to work for the 2009-2010 academic year includes: the Fall and Spring 2009-2010 academic semesters and the following additional dates:

·         2009 Spring Orientation session; (May 14, 2009 at 5pm in MPR)

·         2009 Fall Training (tent. scheduled for Friday, August 7, 2009);

·         2009 Fall Recess (November 23-29, 2009);

·         2009-10 Winter Break and Intercession (December 21- January 22)

·         Spring 2010 Training (tent. scheduled for Friday, January 22-24, 2010);

·         Spring 2010 Recess (March 29 – April 4, 2010);

·         Any check out processes prior to breaks and;

·         Complete end of the year check out responsibilities (May 20 thru 26, 2010)

·         Contract ends May 26, 2010 at 5pm.

 

Other Employment and Extracurricular Activities

 

1.        RA visibility and participation in residential areas is of the utmost importance. Outside activities and employment, excluding most academic commitments, which do not prevent the RA from fulfilling any of the terms of employment, shall not exceed 10 hours per week and are subject to the approval by their Residential Community Coordinator. RAs with outside employment, will be expected to adjust their secondary work schedules to accommodate required Resident Advisor meetings and programs.

2.       RA should not accept any major offices in campus organizations, assistantships, internships, or student teaching opportunities without prior approval from their Residential Community Coordinator.

 

Staff/Administrative Responsibilities

 

Administrative/Communication Expectations

1.        RAs must have and use a phone message system (voice mail or answering machine). Messages should be checked on a daily basis.

 

2.       RAs will have mailboxes in the RA Office located in Phase I. They will be expected to check their mailboxes on a daily basis and post flyers or share information with residents as needed.

 

3.       RAs must have an active e-mail account and will be expected to check it on a daily basis and respond when appropriate.

 

4.      RAs work an average of 10-14 active duty hours per week. These hours include:

·         Staff meetings, floor and/or building meetings

·         Administrative RA Office Hours

·         Duty Office Hours

·         Open House Hours

·         Floor programming, special programs

·         Other administrative functions

 

5.       RAs will also work approximately 25 hours of “on-call” time which includes time spent informally in your room, chatting with residents, studying, etc.

 

6.       RAs will also be responsible for any other administrative duties as assigned by the Director of Housing, Associate Director, or Residential Community Coordinator.

 

Training

1.        RAs hired must participate in Spring Orientation 2009, Fall Training 2009, Winter Training 2010 and monthly in-service training throughout their employment period. (see dates above)

2.       RAs must provide proof of current certification in CPR and First Aid by August 1, 2009. 

3.       RAs will attend & present the Southern RAP Conference, (Date TBA)

 

Meetings

1.        Required to attend weekly staff meetings/in-service training held Thursdays from 4:00pm – 6:00pm. Staff members should adjust their class schedules accordingly. Any exceptions must be approved by the appropriate Residential Community Coordinator.

2.       Must attend regularly scheduled “One on One” contact meeting with their Residential Community Coordinator.

3.       Attend appropriate committee meetings as designated by the Associate Director of Housing and Residential Life in consultation with the Residential Community Coordinator and RA staff.

 

Paperwork

1.        Must complete administrative tasks on a regular basis. Paperwork is expected to be timely and organized. This includes all check-in and check-out paperwork, check requests, newsletters, floor rosters, maintenance requests, incident reports, duty logs, and weekly reports. 

2.       Participate in all required surveys or questionnaires.

 

Community Development and Programming

 

Community Development

1.        Encourage students’ personal, social and academic development. This includes: knowing all members of the living area, spending a significant amount of visible time in the community, accurately assessing the needs of the community, and serving as a campus resource.

2.       Mediate conflict situations when needed (roommate conflicts, community issues, etc).

3.       Provide peer counseling to residents and make referrals when necessary.

4.      Maintain confidentiality and objectivity when working with residents and staff members.

5.       Encourage residents to be responsible for their own behavior, and for the community, by serving as a positive role model. 

6.       Respond to and document all inappropriate student behavior and violations of campus policies and procedures as outlined in the Housing and Residential Life Calendar and Handbook and the CSU-Fullerton Student Handbook.

7.       Develop good communication with Resident Student’s Association delegates and provide support by attending RSA community sponsored functions, and identifying potential floor delegates/committee members.

8.       Develop a strong rapport and working relationship with other Resident Advisors. 

9.       Resident Advisors will be expected to hold regularly scheduled open house hours each week. These hours should be from either 7:00pm – 10:00pm or 8:00pm – 11:00pm and should be clearly posted.

10.    While Resident Advisors may not always be on duty, they are expected to maintain a majority of hours “in residence”. Residential Community Coordinator may choose to provide appropriate guidelines based upon individual circumstances.

11.     Resident Advisors are expected to reside and sleep in their assigned housing space.

12.    RAs should consult with their supervisor regarding weekends away from the residence halls. RAs should expect to stay the majority of weekends in residence.

  

Programming Requirements

1.        RAs are expected to complete the following programming guidelines each semester:

·         1 Community Development program

·         1 Academic Assistance program

·         1 Cultural program

·         1 Personal Growth program

·         1 Community Service program

·         1 Floor Social – within the first week of the semester

*One of the above programs must be developed jointly with RSA.

*One of the programs must be offered on weekends.

*One of the programs must include the involvement of a faculty or staff member on campus.

v  RA’s must keep bulletin boards up to date and change contents once per month.

 

2.       RAs will also be required to serve on one committee as selected during training.

3.       RAs will be expected to work on planning and implementing orientation week events with the Housing Orientation Week Team (HOW).

4.      RAs may be requested to work on Fall Preview Day and Welcome to Fullerton Day assisting with tours and information distribution.

 

Safety and Security

 

1.        Two RAs from each phase will be assigned regular duty nights Sunday through Thursday for the semester. At the beginning of each semester, weekend duty will be scheduled with two RAs from each complex assigned to each weekend.

2.       Duty for Resident Advisors begins 24 hours before the opening of the halls and ends approximately 96 hours after the closing of the halls.

3.       RAs are expected to read and abide by Duty policies as described in the RA Training Manual.

4.      Duty coverage will continue over break periods (Thanksgiving, Winter Break and Spring Break), but may do so with an adjusted schedule.

5.       RAs are issued a set of master keys/key cards for the sole purpose of addressing lockouts and responding to emergencies.

6.       Master keys/cards are not to be lent out to residents or other non-staff members.

7.       Loss of a master key/key card along with pin can result in disciplinary procedures including financial penalties associated with the re-keying of the appropriate complexes and termination.

 

Emergencies and Disasters

1.        Emergencies are unanticipated. RAs are expected to spend the necessary time needed to contact the duty Residential Community Coordinator and help resolve a situation.

2.       In case of fire (alarms), earthquakes, or other disasters, RAs must evacuate their residential area according to the evacuation map, remain on-site and assist University personnel during emergencies.

3.       Must complete First Aid and CPR training prior to August 1, 2009.

 

Policy Enforcement

1.        RAs must encourage students to maintain the cleanliness of community living areas: lounges, balconies, hallways, elevators, etc.

2.       RAs must adhere to, uphold, and enforce the laws of the state of California, the rules and regulations of the CSU-Fullerton as covered in the student handbook, the housing contract and handbook and other applicable university rules, regulations, policies and procedures.

3.       RAs are required to address and document suspected violations of CSU-Fullerton policies (as defined above) or refer violations to appropriate staff.

4.      RAs must not possess or consume or provide to other students, alcohol or illegal drugs at any CSU-Fullerton function. RAs are expected to abide by all state laws regarding alcohol.

5.       RAs must be familiar with, adhere to, and actively support the University’s non-discrimination policy.

 

Miscellaneous

1.        An RA’s exact duties may vary depending on his or her assignment.

2.       An RA may also be assigned other duties or tasks as assigned by their direct supervisor, the Associate Director or the Director of Housing.

3.       RAs will need to complete and turn in a Student License Agreement.

4.      The RA will also be required to pay a security deposit of $100 as specified by the license agreement. All or any part of the deposit not due to the university for damage, loss or unpaid charges will be refunded upon written request following the final check-out from the residence halls.

Remuneration

 

Remuneration for Resident Advisors consists of a monthly food stipend of $255.00 ($2070 for an academic year appointment) and a single bed space in an apartment worth between $4127 and $5547, depending on assignment.

 

Employment Status

 

Failure to meet job requirements may result in disciplinary procedures including withholding of the monthly stipend, written warnings, probation and termination depending on the seriousness of the violation. RAs are considered casual employees and may be reassigned or terminated without cause.