Resident Assistant

What does an RA do?

• Conversations: Intentional interactions with each resident
• Floor/Community Meetings: Small group or floor gatherings where the RA will facilitate a conversation and some activities for their students.
• Passive activities (includes flyers, posters, bulletin boards): Providing resources directly to your students.
• Campus partnership referrals:  Promote and encourage attendance at events sponsored by various departments.

The RA will be responsible for building a strong community on the floor/building and within the community. Listed below are general community development responsibilities:

• Building Relationships with Each Resident
  • Be visible and approachable within your community.
  • Learn and use residents’ names to create belonging.
  • Engage with residents on a regular basis.
  • Support residents in getting involved in the community and on campus.
  • Promote participation in residential student leadership programs (Area Council/RHA/NRHH).
• Resource Referrals: Direct residents to appropriate supportive campus resources.
• Conflict Mediation: Schedule and facilitate mediations and roommate agreements promptly with residents. Document concerns and refer as instructed by supervisory staff.
• Community Engagements: Facilitate monthly community engagements that create a sense of community and promote belonging.
• Initiatives/Committees: Staff are expected to participate in community or department initiatives such as staff recruitment, staff training, partnership programs, and department or community-specific committees/collateral assignments as directed.
• Area Council/RHA: Promote resident engagement in area councils and the Residence Hall Association. Resident Assistants are encouraged to submit 1 “Of The Month” (OTM) nomination each month.

RAs are responsible for various administrative tasks throughout the year, including, but not limited to:

• Meetings:
  • Staff Meeting: All community staff meeting times will be decided prior to the start of each semester. Academic schedules are the only valid reason that will be factored into this regularly scheduled meeting time. The RA must attend the weekly staff meeting (2 hours), unless given permission by their direct supervisor to be excused.
  • Individual Supervision Meetings: The RA is also required to attend regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings (30 min-1 hr) with their supervisor.
• Incident Report Writing: RAs are expected to submit well written, timely incidents reports as described and instructed by supervisors.
• Facilities: Report maintenance and/or housekeeping issues and assist residents with reporting facilities issues through the work order system.
  • Room Condition Inventories: Assess the condition of rooms prior to move-in, during move-out and throughout the semester for room changes.
  • Health and Safety Inspections: Conduct inspections directed by supervisors and department.
• Communication:
  • Email: The RA is required to use their provided staff (@ucf.edu) email as their primary means of electronic communication for work-related emails. The RA is required to check the "@ucf.edu" email daily. RAs are responsible for responding to communications as directed by their supervisor. Florida has a very broad open records law and e-mails may be subject to public disclosure.
  • Mailbox: Check the assigned RA mailbox in their community office daily.
• Occupancy Checks/Roster Verifications: Assist in verification of resident occupancy checks throughout the semester.
• Other Duties as Assigned: Other tasks, duties, or expectations may be required by the supervisor(s) or department. The responsibilities listed in this document are not exhaustive.

Duty includes, but is not limited to: office hours, rounds (internal and external), lockouts, work orders, and incident response. RAs are expected to serve on duty year-round, including University holidays, closures and academic breaks (i.e., winter recess, spring break, and severe/inclement weather). Supervisors will work with staff to equitably distribute duty shifts throughout the year.

• Weekend Duty: RAs are required to work a predetermined number of 24 hour weekend duty shifts Friday at 4:45 pm to Saturday at 5:00 pm and Saturday at 4:45 pm to Sunday at 5:00 pm. RAs must remain within their community while on duty to respond to incidents as needed.
• Weeknight Duty: RAs are required to work a predetermined number of weeknight duty shifts (Sunday-Thursday), 4:45 pm to 8:00 pm in the community office and 8:00 pm to 8:00 am “on call” (in room to respond to incidents as needed).
• University and Holiday Closure Duty:  RAs must be available to work irregular, university holidays, university breaks, university weather-related closures, special events, and residence hall opening and closing. RAs must be available to work on-campus before and after the regular academic year cycle. RAs may be required to work during university holidays and closures. During holidays, university closures, and severe/inclement weather, RAs will serve on a 24-hour duty shift.

• Alcohol and Other Drugs: If an RA is in possession of, or under the influence of, alcohol, drugs, illegal substances, and/or any prescription medication that was not prescribed to them, they will be immediately released from their position and referred to the Office of Student Conduct/UCF Police Department.
• Confidentiality/Privacy: RAs must keep all personal information about residents, and other sensitive information private in accordance with FERPA. RAs must not share information about residents or incidents with parents, family members, students, or anyone who is not affiliated with the University. If an RA has questions about particular situations, the RA must discuss it with their supervisor before disclosing any information. As responsible employees, RAs are not confidential resources on campus and must report all sexual misconduct and mental health concerns to their supervisor or on-call staff.
• Attire: While working, RAs are required to wear a department-issued polo, appropriate shorts/pants/skirts, name tag, and close-toed shoes.  The RA will be provided with departmental apparel; it is the RA's responsibility to keep it in good condition. This apparel must be returned upon departure from the RA position.
• Electronic Media: All social media and other electronic means of communication are representations of RAs and the overall department. RAs should not share these sites or means of communication with residents if the content of their social media misrepresents the University or department.
• Media: RAs are not authorized to represent or disseminate statements, positions, or policies of UCF DHRL to any media outlet including campus news. This includes engaging in activity on social media, blogging, or speaking with/responding to inquiries from media outlets.  While the RA is free to express their personal opinion, the RA must take reasonable steps to ensure that the expression is recognized by potential recipients as their opinion and not a representation of UCF DHRL.  Reasonable steps include providing a disclaimer that the RA is not authorized to represent UCF DHRL and that any statements made are solely the RA's opinion and not a representation of UCF DHRL.

RAs are required to work all DHRL openings/closings of residential communities during the 2023-2024 year as scheduled by the RA's supervisor.

As a student leader, academics should be the RA’s top priority. Following academics, the RA position should be their top non-academic priority.  The RA’s supervisor will work with them to make reasonable accommodations for their academic commitments. The RA must discuss internship or class commitments that interfere with the responsibilities outlined in this position description with he RA's supervisor.

All DHRL employees are subject to a background check. Hire status is conditional upon successful verification. If verification is not successful, an employment decision will be made by the Assistant Vice President for Housing, Recreation, and Childcare or their designee.

To hold the RA position, one must be a currently enrolled UCF student with full-time student status, which is no less than 12 undergraduate units. Full time student status can be achieved through a combination of enrollment at UCF and Valencia or another college/university with approval from the Assistant Director for Residence Life and Education.  The RA must have the Assistant Director for Residence Life and Education’s approval to drop below the class registration requirement for one semester during their employment period with DHRL. Summer class registration is not required for summer employment if the RA is enrolled in the subsequent Fall semester. Please note that if the RA is not enrolled during the summer semester, tax liabilities and compensation may be impacted.

• Credits: The RA must have completed 24 credit hours by the RA's employment start date. 12 of these credits must be from UCF.

Approval to work by the U.S. government throughout the duration of the RA's employment is required by the University. Any international student hired to be a RA should consult with UCF Global to verify employment eligibility and status. Please notify the Coordinator of Selection and Leadership of international students status so they can provide the required hiring documents.

This is a student leadership position, and demonstrating academic progress is expected. The RA must remain in good academic standing with the university during employment. Grade checks will be conducted by the Coordinator of Selection and Leadership in Summer, Fall, and Spring semesters. Please note, taking courses during the summer is not required to remain eligible for this position, however, grades earned during the summer are calculated into employment eligibility.

All RAs must hold and maintain a minimum 2.50 overall cumulative GPA at the time of job offer and throughout employment. If the RA's semester GPA drops below a 2.50, the RA will be placed on Academic Warning for the following semester of employment. If the RA's overall cumulative GPA drops below 2.50, the RA will be placed on Academic Probation for the next semester of the RA's employment.  Any repeat occurrence of dropping below an overall cumulative 2.50 GPA will result in immediate termination of the RA's contract. RAs will be given two weeks to complete grade changes. RAs placed on Academic Warning or Academic Probation must complete an Academic Improvement Plan with their supervisor.

All RAs must demonstrate the ability to abide by university regulations, state and federal laws. The RA must remain in good conduct standing (as determined by the DHRL) from their offer date and throughout employment to remain qualified for the RA position. Any prior violations/conduct cases will be reviewed during the application process and eligibility will be determined by the the Assistant Director for Residential Conduct and the Associate Director for Residence Life. Violations of any Community Living Guide or Rules of Conduct may result in in a rescinded offer or the termination of the RA position.

Resident Assistants for Living Learning Communities (LLC) work in collaboration with University and outside partners to meet LLC goals and learning objectives. To learn more about the Living Learning Communities at UCF, visit the website here.

SPRING 2024 – NEW RAs

• Offer Letters: November 17, 2023
• Acceptance Due: November 20, 2023
• HR Process: November 27 – December 8, 2023

SUMMER 2024 – NEW RAs

• Candidate Waiting Area Update: December 5, 2023
• Summer Offer Letters: February 12, 2024
• Accept via ucf.erezlife.com: February 21, 2024
• HR Process: March 1 - April 10, 2024
• Summer Training: May 6 – May 10, 2024