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Peer Leader: Residential Life (Interest House Resident Assistant)

Carleton College
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ABOUT THE PEER LEADER PROGRAM:
In a given academic year, hundreds of students are employed as Peer Leaders across the following Carleton departments.


These roles not only allow students the platform to work with staff to create programming, resources, and peer support for the campus community, but also offer students opportunities to think critically about and commit diligently to their own development and skill attainment. 
The Peer Leader Program serves to synthesize the work of these twelve offices into one developmental experience for students’ current and prospective aspirations.

Carleton is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation regarding this position, email disability@carleton.edu or contact Sam Thayer, Accessibility Specialist, sthayer@carleton.edu or 507-222-4464.  

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Residential Life 
Interest House Resident Assistant
The Interest House Resident Assistant applications are open January 25th-February 25th. 

Interest House Resident Assistant Position

The Resident Assistant (RA) position is part of the greater Peer Leader program at Carleton College. The RA position is focused on enhancing the quality of life of residents living in campus housing through regular resident interactions, intentional programming, and monitoring the safety and holistic wellness of community members.  

Additional notes for Resident Assistants in Interest Houses 

Interest Houses provide an opportunity for groups of students to live together for the purpose of exploring a common theme or connection. The group defines goals and objectives, and members of the group agree to work toward achieving the stated goals.

Some Interest Houses are operated in collaboration with another College office. These houses work closely to fulfill not only the mission of the house, but also the values of the office they work with. Some communities may have a program manager that works in tandem with the Resident Assistant to provide programming for the residents. 

Interest House Resident Assistants help build community among the residents of the house and programming internally, while the house collectively provides programs for the community that fulfill the house’s stated goals, objectives, and interests.

Interest Communities and Resident Assistant Opportunities
We seek to find qualified Resident Assistants to live and work within our interest house communities who identify with and value the themes of the communities. House clusters assigned to a specific RA are subjected to change based on staffing structures and interests of qualified candidates.  
 
Current Carleton interest communities include:
 
  • Gender and Sexuality Center sponsored houses currently identified as Gender (Trans* and Gender non-conforming) and QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color).
  • Cultural Houses in collaboration with the Office of Intercultural and International Life including ASIA, Freedom, La Casa Del Sol and Stimson Intercultural.
  • Religious and Faith Houses in collaboration with the Chaplins Office including Jewish Life, Muslim Life and F.I.S.H. Christian Interest.
  • W.H.O.A. (Wellstone House of Activism)
  • SciFi
  • Culinary 
  • CANOE, Carleton Association of Nature and Outdoor Enthusiasts 
  • Sustainable Living (Farm)
 
Resident Assistant Job Description
 
Community Development and Programming
  • Develop individual relationships with residents in assigned community through regular interaction; Know names and information about residents in assigned community.  
  • Assist residents whose behavior may be indicative of personal, social, or academic concerns and report concerning behavior to their Area Director.
  • Serve as a mediator in conflicts between community members and refer to Area Director as needed.
  • Communicate regularly with residents via study breaks, emails, newsletters, group messages, etc. to ensure residents are current with information important to the community.
  • Plan, promote, facilitate, and evaluate programs each term that appeal to the needs and interests of community members while also encouraging the social, emotional, and intellectual development of residents. 
  • Foster a positive living environment by consistently communicating and enforcing community living standards. 
  • Enhance physical residence hall spaces through the creation of door decorations, bulletin boards, flyers and other promotional/instructional signage, etc. to create a welcoming and aesthetically pleasing space for residents.
  • Partner with other offices on campus to meet the needs of assigned community 
  • Manage a programming budget in alignment with the mission and goals of Residential Life.
  • Serve as a role model and abide by all local, state, and federal laws and all policies written in the Carleton College Student Handbook

Administrative
  • Be knowledgeable about departmental and college policies, procedures, and resources
  • Facilitate administrative procedures (check-in, check-out, reports, etc.) as required by Residential Life.
  • Manage a variety of projects and balance multiple tasks/responsibilities
  • Meet deadlines set by the Residential Life Office and Area Directors and communicate proactively when these deadlines cannot be met.
  • Inform supervisor of community happenings including: student behavior, facilities, policies, programming, etc. through Weekly Reports, bi-weekly 1-on-1s, program planners and evaluations, and additional communication as needed.
  • Serve as a team member for Residential Life by supporting all departmental initiatives.
  • Participate in activities involving all RAs, including RA selection, staff meetings, and all training and development activities.

Safety and Well-being 
  • Refer and connect residents with on-campus resources (e.g. Student Health and Counseling, Academic Success Center, etc.) when they are in need of support
  • Serve in an on-duty rotation
  • Enforce college policies including local & federal laws in all residential areas in order to ensure community safety and well-being of residents 
  • Utilize Area Director on-call, Campus Security, and other on-call resources as needed when responding to incidents 
  • Foster and maintain communication with the Area Director for the purpose of reporting policy violations and crisis situations
  • Maintain privacy when presented with personal and/or sensitive information about members of the Carleton community
  • Serve as a responsible employee of Carleton College (reporting Title IX violations to supervisors in a timely manner)
  • Respond to moments of crisis as needed within the community/area one is assigned

Application Materials: 
  • Resume
  • Cover Letter

Your Cover Letter should address the following: 

  • Why do you have an interest in serving as a Resident Assistant for this specific community? 
  • What skills, abilities, and/or experiences do you have that will make you a good fit as a Resident Assistant for this specific type of community? 

You may apply for more than one specific community through one application. If necessary, your cover letter may exceed one page. 

Please indicate in your first paragraph which communities you seek to serve. For example: 

I am pleased to submit my application for the Interest House Resident Assistant position. I am specifically interested in working with the CANOE community or the Cultural Houses. 

If offered a position, students will have to agree to responsibilities outlined in the Resident 

Contact Tanya Hartwig (thartwig@carleton.edu), Associate Director of Residential Life with questions.

Compensation
  • RAs are classified as "salaried, non-exempt," which is different from other student employees. RAs are paid with a combination of salaried and hourly pay. Salaried pay is distributed during the term. 
  • During training/development, openings, and closings RAs are compensated with an hourly wage because these fall outside of the “academic term” work.  
  • The total pay for RAs is expected to be $6,725 or more (academic year salary of $5,220 over 30 weeks for all hours worked during the academic term + plus break earnings for training/opening/closing hours worked at an hourly rate of $11.25). If the student pay rate increases, the RA compensation is also expected to increase.
  • You will be paid via student payroll distributed over the fifteen Term pay dates. Please note these are the amounts for RAs who work all three terms, attend all trainings, and work during all closings and openings.