Over 650 regular staff and hundreds of part-time student positions sustain the facilities, services, and programs that support the University's residential communities. We hope you'll join the Housing team!

Munger Resident Advisor Position Description 2024-2025

INTRODUCTION

A Resident Advisor (RA) is one of the live-in student positions that make up ResStaff who work within the residential communities. One of the key responsibilities of a Resident Advisor is community building through intentional engagement with residents while maintaining safety and security for all. Community Building means getting to know residents well individually and collectively. This happens by investing time and energy to engage them through intentional in-person and virtual interactions and activities which help facilitate the development of positive and meaningful relationships. Resident Advisors should also build relationships with other ResStaff and full-time staff members in order to strengthen connections and a sense of belonging throughout the community.

The Munger Graduate Residences is the home of a transdisciplinary program in Michigan Housing at the University of Michigan. In alignment with the Michigan Housing mission to create and sustain diverse learning-centered residential communities, Resident Advisors work to build meaningful relationships with graduate students, professional students, postdocs, and scholars with an emphasis on assisting residents in developing networks across disciplines through formal community building engagement, casual interactions, and service delivery.

TIME COMMITMENT

Resident Advisors are expected to meet the expectations and responsibilities of the position through the time commitments listed below. Michigan Housing recognizes that Resident Advisors have other academic, personal, and professional time commitments as well. A Resident Advisor’s Hall Director is available to discuss strategies to help balance the Resident Advisor responsibilities with other time commitments as needed.  

  • 20-hours-per-week commitment which includes but is not limited to:
    • Building connections with residents.
    • Facilitating interactions and activities for and among residents.
    • One on one or small group meetings with the Hall Director(s).
    • Attendance and participation at weekly Monday night team meetings from 6 PM – 8 PM.
  • In addition to the 20 hours, the Resident Advisor participates in an on-call duty rotation to support the safety and security of community members.
  • Resident Advisors can expect an additional time commitment devoted to both mandatory ResStaff Training in the beginning of June and January and resident move-in and move-out. There may be additional training in August. This differs from the weekly 20-hour commitment note above. 
  • Commit to a twelve month appointment which begins in June. Munger is open throughout the year, including when the University is closed for breaks. Resident Advisors are required to be present during breaks to ensure resident and operational needs are met. 
    • Resident Advisors are permitted a total of 24 days away during the year.  Days will be prorated should a Resident Advisor be offered a position after the initial start date. Resident Advisors are expected to work with their supervisor and colleagues to ensure appropriate coverage for their communities should they need to be away from the community. There will be peak times where time away requests will not be approved such as during large move-ins and mandatory training.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Build connections, both individually and collectively,  in the residential community by planning and implementing intentional in-person and virtual social interactions and educational programming. 
  • Demonstrate consistent availability and accessibility to residents. This includes meeting with and building connections among residents on a regular basis.
  • Assess and respond to the needs of residents through community engagement, connecting them to campus resources and informing the Leadership Team (full-time staff in the community) of residents’ needs.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to multiculturalism by striving to create an understanding and inclusive community where individuals have a sense of belonging.
  • Maintain the Community Living Standards by addressing and documenting violations, while modeling personal behavior that is consistent with the Community Living Standards, Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and all institutional, state and federal laws or guidance.
  • Collaborate with Transdisciplinary Fellows to support the graduate and professional student community.
  • Respond to student concerns and critical incidents with a restorative approach while being supported by full time staff (Leadership Team, Division of Public Safety and Security [DPSS], etc.).
  • Meet on-call responsibilities by serving in an on-call duty rotation as designated by the Hall Director. Duty hours are overnight.
  • Educate residents regarding health and safety practices under the direction of the Hall Director.
  • Participate fully in the delivery of positive and welcoming Move-in and Move-out processes and experiences for Munger residents.
  • Maintain timely communication with full time staff, community members, and other ResStaff and complete administrative responsibilities of the role within expected timeframe.
  • Attend and participate in mandatory one-on-one or small group meetings with supervisor and weekly team meetings which occur on Mondays from 6pm-8pm.
  • Participate in June and January training, in addition to any in-service(s) throughout the semester, to learn critical topics to support residents and build relationships with fellow ResStaff members and full-time staff.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  • Must be enrolled as a full-time graduate or professional student at the University of Michigan
  • Must be in good academic standing.
    • Graduate & Professional Students (Masters/Certificates)
      • Minimum Required GPA (term & cumulative) – 5.0 GPA on a 8.0 scale or 5.5 GPA on a 9.0 scale.
      • Required Credit Enrollment per Semester – 6 Credit Hours.
    • Graduate & Professional Students (Doctoral candidate)
      • Minimum Required GPA (term & cumulative) – 5.0 GPA on a 8.0 scale or 5.5 GPA on a 9.0 scale.
      • Must provide proof of enrollment each semester they are appointed.
  • Must be in good standing with Student Life and the University. This includes upholding all policies and procedures as defined by the University of Michigan Standard Practice Guide, the Michigan Housing Community Living at Michigan, the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibility, and any other applicable University policies and procedures.
  • Housing Student Conflict Resolution, Housing Student Employment Work Record, University Records, and the Office of Student Conflict Resolution records will be checked to determine if an applicant is eligible to be hired for a student position. Final position offers are contingent upon verification of background check.
  • Must comply with all institutional, local, state, and federal laws or guidance.
  • Commit to a twelve month appointment which begins in June. Munger is open throughout the year, including when the University is closed for breaks.
  • Must adhere to all roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the entire duration of the appointment including academic breaks where absence, including academic or personal leave, from these duties must be approved by the Hall Director.
  • Must be available to attend all training including June and January training. There may be additional training in August.  Training begins in early June. Specific dates will be provided towards the end of the Winter semester.
  • If you apply during the 2024-2025 Resident Advisor selection cycle and are not offered a position, you may not apply again until the 2025-2026 Resident Advisor selection process begins. We are unable to make exceptions to this requirement even if the application reopens.
  • Resident Advisors will not be eligible to hold other Residence Education student positions during their RA appointment.

SUPERVISION

Hall Director(s) directly supervise Resident Advisors. Community Center Manager(s) provide functional oversight and guidance to Resident Advisors related to the Community Center. The RA is functionally supervised for transdisciplinary programming by the Program Manager for Graduate Academic Initiatives. The Hall Director(s), Program Manager, and Community Center Manager are full-time staff who are collectively known as the Leadership Team.

COMPENSATION

Room in a 7-person suite and a monthly stipend of $500.

Resident Advisors not returning to the position will be expected to vacate their apartment as it is designated as a ResStaff apartment. Newly hired Resident Advisors are expected to move to the ResStaff designated apartment. 

Please consult with the Office of Financial Aid to determine how the position compensation may impact your award package.