Residence & Campus Life

Residences & Housing

Become a Resident Assistant

Resident Assistants (RAs) are peer role models responsible for developing a community within a residence. To accomplish this task, RAs specialize in understanding the unique needs of each student in their section, and have an appreciation of diversity and understand that residents’ needs vary. RAs address those diverse needs through personalized interaction with each resident, creating inclusive programming and empowering residents to be engaged citizens within their larger residence community by getting involved in residence events. They also act as an academic resource for students. RAs are aware of campus resources and intentionally involve faculty and staff to provide expertise to help students succeed academically and personally. As an RA, you will further develop your own leadership abilities, experience areas of personal growth and develop professional skills sought after in a professional work setting. Your impact as a resident Assistant will be felt by all of your residents as you are a key part to their time here at Acadia.

How to Apply

To apply for the position as a New Resident Assistant for the 2024-2025 year, please fill and complete the form provided below and fill in all required fields needed for this application. Applications open at 12:00 am on December 1st, 2023, and close on January 14th, 2024, at 11:59 pm

For all staff looking to return for the 2024-2025 year, whether currently or previously employed, applications will close earlier, on January 7th, 2024, at 11:59 pm.

Successful candidates will partake in our interview process during the month of February.

Want to learn more?

If you are interested in applying for the position or have questions regarding the position before making your decision, contact your RA, SRA, or email us at residencelife@acadiau.ca


Qualifications

RA Candidates must meet the following minimum qualifications (by starting date):

  • Full-time, registered, degree-seeking student status, to be maintained throughout the period of employment.
  • One semester, which may include the current semester at the time of application, of experience as a student at Acadia University: or other relevant experience. Experience living in residence is considered an asset, but is not required.
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.5 and minimum semester GPA of 2.0; candidates with a GPA below these levels will still be considered, and must agree to an academic success plan.
  • Standard first aid certification by the start of August training. A copy of the certification will be required at that time.

Training and Requirements

Staff members are required to attend training sessions to develop their skills and knowledge. Therefore, you will be asked to plan your schedules accordingly to make sure you are present for each of the below required trainings. Please keep in mind that you will be required to return to campus early, during the summer and the winter breaks to attend the summer and winter trainings – summer is usually 2 weeks before the general student population returns; and winter is usually 1 week before the general student population returns.

  • Summer Training: All staff will participate in the summer training, which will take place approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of classes in September. Dates to be finalized on letter of offer.
  • Winter Training: All staff will participate in the winter training, which will take place several days prior to the return of students in January. Dates to be finalized on letter of offer.
  • In-Service (on-going) Training: All staff will participate in on-going training sessions throughout the semester. Time, locations and topics will be disclosed each semester.
  • All-staff Meetings: Staff may be required to attend an “all-staff” meeting, as required. These meetings are intended to share important information about upcoming procedures and events.

Job Description

Position Purpose

Resident Assistants (RAs) main function is to foster and develop community with and among students living in residences. RAs are expected to possess a positive attitude, which embraces the philosophies, mission, policies and procedures of the department of Residence Life, as well as the university.  Staff members are expected to exercise personal judgment to protect their credibility in the eyes of others; this is critical to their ability to perform and be successful in the position.  Through programming, student support, and peer advising, RAs serve as peer educators and the main points of contact for our students in residence. Resident Assistants are directly supervised by Senior Resident Assistants (SRA).

Essential Functions

Community Development:

  1. Develop a sense of unity among residents through involvement and developing relationships among residents
  2. Responsible for creating a friendly, respectful and safe environment among residents on the floor/section
  3. Establish relationships with all residents of their section and demonstrates availability and approachability to residents
  4. Be aware of attitudes, possible adjustment problems, and behavioural patterns of residents

Advising:

  1. Meet with residents who are experiencing concerns (roommate conflicts, personal issues, etc.) and refers them to the appropriate resource for assistance as necessary
  2. Work with the SRA to grow and develop the residence
  3. Assist students with the planning and implementation of community, academic and personal development events

Student Conduct:

  1. Address inappropriate behaviour in an objective, consistent and respectful manner, providing rationale for policies
  2. Follow up with students who have violated policy and work to address behavioural issues, clarify and communicate expectations and university policies
  3. At the heart of the staffs’ approach should be a care and concern for preserving relationship and helping students navigate and negotiate decision making and behaviour, with the ultimate goal of developing well-rounded students

Programming:

  1. Assess the interests and needs of residents and plan and implement programming activities and events in accordance to those needs
  2. Responsible for making resources and opportunities on campus accessible to students; work to involve the students on campus

Duty Responsibilities:

  1. Complete duty rounds of the building to ensure the safety and security of the community as assigned
  2. Address behaviour and manage and refer issues
  3. Cover holiday and break periods, including Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Break
  4. Covers weeknight and weekend duty per area

Staff Development:

  1. Participates in staff meetings, training workshops, “in-services”, etc.
  2. Establish effective working relationships and work collaboratively with fellow staff members, supervisor and others within the department
  3. Act as a team player by compromising for the good of the staff and developing positive working relationships
  4. Give and receive constructive feedback regarding job performance
  5. Takes steps to further one’s own personal and professional development

General Administration:

  1. Submit complete and timely paperwork (programming reports, duty reports, incident reports, inspection forms, etc.)
  2. Attend staff and other department engagements as appropriate
  3. Maintain open communication with SRA and Residence Life staff
  4. Assist with the opening and closing of the residences at the beginning and end of the year as well as break periods
  5. Complete all tasks and assignments in the specified timeframe
  6. Manage time and balance activities effectively
  7. Maintain accurate programming, budget, and records information

Other Duties as Assigned:

Assignments/Tasks in line with requirements and responsibilities of the RA position.

Time Commitment:

The RA Position takes up approximately 10-15 non-duty hours per week. This means aside from assigned duty rounds, you can expect to spend approximately 10-15 hours each week on the RA position. This estimation can be more or less depending on what is happening on your floor or in your residence during a given week. It also depends on how proactive you are with residents in addressing issues early and building a positive community.  In order to ensure that RAs can effectively balance their academic and position responsibilities, we heavily weigh candidates’ level of involvement in other campus activities. Those candidates who demonstrate the ability to effectively balance their level of involvement in outside activities with their commitment to the RA position will be given preference over those who cannot. Similarly, students who will be on campus for both the fall and spring semesters will be given preference over those who will be studying abroad or doing a co-op for one of those semesters.

  • Opening/Closing Building – All Staff will participate in opening/closing the buildings at the start and end of each semester. This will require staff to arrive about two weeks prior to the building opening and you may be required to stay several days past the official close of the buildings.
  • Holiday Duty – All staff members will participate in Holiday Duty Rotations. Holiday Duty includes: Thanksgiving Break, Fall Reading Week and Winter Reading Week/Spring Break. Staff should not make travel plans until speaking with their supervisor.

Physical Requirements:

Work performed indoors; frequent walking, sitting, standing, bending, kneeling, twisting, climbing stairs; use of cell phone and computer keyboard is required.

Benefits & Compensation:

The cost of your residence room will be covered, as well as the amount of $1,500 will be put towards your dining hall plan, minus any applicable federal and provincial taxes.

* The following roles are subject to change as circumstances arise. Some aspects of the position may differ from year to year