Resident Assistant (RA) Employment

A resident assistant (RA) is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls, builds a community through programming, acts as a mentor, is a familiar first resource for students with academic or institutional questions, and enforces residential policies. Above all, a resident assistant must be an example that upholds professional and personal accountability.

 

The 2024-2025 RA application is closed.  The next application will be for the 2025-2026 academic year and will be available in late August/early September 2024.

Application Processing Timeline

December 2023
Application Screening (grades, conduct, housing, and application content)

January 26, 2024
Candidate Status Notification (candidates will be updated about their status within the process.  Options include: Invited for an interview, invited to be a backup candidate or no longer being considered for the position due to application screening.)

February 5, 2024 – February 16, 2024

Individual new RA Interviews (Storrs)

February 5, 2024 – February 16, 2024

Individual new RA Interviews and Group Process (Stamford)

March 4, 2024
Candidate Status Notification by end of the day (candidates hired, an alternate, or no longer eligible)

Housing Timeline Reminders

To be eligible for the RA position, all candidates MUST follow the same timeline for housing as all other UConn students.

February 9, 2024
The 2024-2025 Housing Application is due – ALL RA Candidates MUST APPLY for housing by this date

March 31, 2024
The deadline to cancel fall 2024 housing to avoid cancellation fees

Campus Changing

Changing from Storrs to Stamford:

  • You must continue to be eligible to live on-campus (must complete the online housing application and be approved for Campus Change by the February 9, 2024 due date).
  • You will complete the 2024-2025 Stamford RA application. (If you are waiting to hear back about your campus change application, we recommend applying to both, Storrs and Stamford campuses)
  • You will be invited to interview at the Stamford campus

Changing from Stamford to Storrs:

  • You must be living on campus at Stamford for Fall 2024
  • You must continue to be eligible to live on-campus (must complete the online housing application and be approved for Campus Change by the February 9, 2024 due date).
  • You will complete the 2024-2025 Storrs RA application
  • You will be invited to interview at the Storrs campus
  • You will not participate in the Stamford group interview process. (If you are waiting to hear back about your campus change application, we recommend applying to both, Storrs, and Stamford campuses)

Position Screening Criteria

Qualified applicants will be screened on these criteria:

Housing Criteria

  • All candidates must have lived on-campus for 1 or more full semesters at either the Stamford or Storrs campus by end of the fall 2023 semester.
  • In addition, candidates must submit their on-campus housing application for 2024-2025 by February 9, 2024. If you have not applied for housing or are placed on the waiting list, you will not be considered eligible to be an RA for 2024-2025.  You MUST be guaranteed for housing for fall 2024.
  • Applicants not currently living on campus during the fall 2023 semester will likely be placed on the waiting list upon applying for housing for the 2024-2025 academic year.  This means that you will not be eligible to be hired as a Resident Assistant for the 2024-2025 academic year.
  • Students who anticipate campus-changing for fall 2024 must also be sure to follow the appropriate steps in the process. In addition, students who are approved to campus change must be granted housing for the campus to which they are changing.
  • Students who fulfill all housing requirements may live on campus for up to 8 semesters: including time as a RA. If you have lived on campus for 7 or more semesters at the end of the fall 2023 semester, you will not be eligible to be a RA for the 2024-2025 academic year.
  • Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.

Academic Status

Academic Status:

  • Candidates MUST earn at least sophomore status by the time of employment (fall 2024) and be a full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate student enrolled at the Storrs or Stamford campus for the entire employment period.
  • Graduate students are not eligible to apply to be Resident Assistants.
  • Grades will be screened after the close of grades at the end of the fall 2023 semester.  All candidates must have and maintain a 2.50 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) when grades close at the end of the fall 2023 semester, and throughout the process. Incomplete/missing grades must be completed by the date on the University’s Academic Calendar for spring 2024.  Applicants who are placed on Scholastic Probation/Subject to Dismissal at the end of December 2023 will be ineligible to continue in the RA selection process.

Community Membership Status

  • Uphold the University's Responsibilities of Community Life: The Student Code and the On-Campus Housing Contract. All students with a student conduct history will be subject to review. Students who are on University Probation during the semesters of application review or interviews are not eligible to interview. Students who were found responsible for any incidents in the current academic year or during the application and interviewing process will not be eligible to interview or continue in the process.

Employment Period

  • Resident Assistants hired for the 2024-2025 academic year MUST be available to move in on Sunday, August 11, 2024, and attend RA training from Monday, August 12, 2024, and work through opening weekend (August 22, 2024 – August 25, 2024). It should be noted that RAs cannot serve as Wow leaders during the RA Training period.
  • The employment period is both semesters of the academic year. Candidates who have applied for--but will not know whether they are accepted to--education abroad or other semester long University programs may still apply since the RA application due date typically proceeds the notification of acceptance to semester-long University programs.

Interest in RA Position for Honors, Learning Communities, and/or Special Interest Communities

 

Candidates interested in Learning Communities (LCs)Honors, or Special Interest Communities (Gender Inclusive, Husky Village, Substance Free, Veterans and Wellness) will:

  • Must meet all criteria noted under Position Qualifications, Position Screening Criteria, Student Academic Status, Community Membership, and Employment Period.
  • The application will allow the student to indicate their interest in one or more of these communities.
  • If a candidate is invited to interview, the candidate will have another opportunity to indicate interest.
  • Must have successfully completed the interview process and deemed eligible to be a Resident Assistant.
  • Priority consideration is also given to those candidates who have already lived in the community as a student.

***New for 2024-2025: This year, there will not be a second-round interview for candidates interested in Learning Communities, Honors or Special Interest communities. The interview process will only require one interview for all candidates.

y lived in the community as a student.

RA Position Benefits:

Resident Assistants who work for the Department of Residential Life:

  • Earn a housing waiver for their RA room
  • Earn a stipend of $5,600, paid biweekly, for the 2024-2025 academic year
  • Can earn additional pay for working on-duty during break periods
  • Develop skills in leadership, working with people from diverse backgrounds, critical thinking, time management, communication, crisis management, working in/on teams, and relationship-building

Not included with the RA position benefits:

  • Tuition and fees are not waived
  • RAs placed in suites or traditional housing MUST pay for a meal plan; meal plans are optional for RAs placed in campus apartments
  • No academic credits are earned for the RA position

Contact

Reach out to Beth Helinski, Assistant Director for Residential Student Staff Engagement, for any questions.
beth.helinski@uconn.edu

Candidate Qualifications and Screening Criteria

RA Position Description

Position Summary

The Resident Assistant (RA) is a peer educator who facilitates the personal, interpersonal, and intellectual growth of students. The RA plays a key role in developing an inclusive living community that fosters diverse learning. A Resident Assistant is always conscientious, honest, courteous, and professional. The RA respects persons of all backgrounds, including but not limited to abilities, age, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and spirituality. A Resident Assistant is an outstanding role model for other students and is knowledgeable of, enforces, and personally abides by all university policies and procedures, as well as federal and state laws. The Resident Assistant position requires approximately 20 hours per week. The Resident Assistant meaningfully contributes to the mission and goals of the University of Connecticut and Department of Residential Life. The Resident Assistant is responsible for an area of approximately 30-75 resident students on average. The specific scope of responsibilities varies depending on the assignment. The RA is a member of a staff team and is directly supervised by a Residence Hall Director, or Assistant Residence Hall Director.

Storrs RA Position Qualifications

Qualified applicants for the Resident Assistant position will show evidence of:

  1. An understanding of the needs of and interest in working with resident students.
  2. An understanding of, sensitivity to, and desire to live and work with a diverse student population.
  3. A desire to serve as a resource and provide assistance to students.
  4. Experience communicating and building relationships one-on-one and with groups.
  5. A desire and ability to work as part of a highly functioning team.
  6. Personal, interpersonal, and intellectual growth that has prepared the candidate for the competencies and responsibilities of this position.

Position Screening Criteria

  • If you applied for the 2021-2022 RA position and are a current alternate candidate, you DO NOT need to fill out application for the 2nd RA search.
  • If you applied for the 2021-2022 RA position previously and you turned down the position/alternate status, failed to reply to the offer for the position/alternate status, you are not eligible to apply and will not be considered for an interview.

Qualified applicants will be screened on these criteria:

Housing Criteria:

  • Due to COVID-19: While it is preferred that students currently live on-campus, we know that difficult, often complex, decisions had to be made for fall 2020. Therefore, all candidates must have lived on-campus for 1 or more full semesters at either the Stamford or Storrs campus. That semester does not have to be fall 2020 or spring 2021.
  • In addition, candidates must submit their on-campus housing application for fall 2021-spring 2022 by the date indicated when the application is released. If you have not applied for housing or are currently on the waiting list, you will not be considered eligible to be an RA for 2021-2022.  You MUST be guaranteed for housing for fall 2021.
  • Students who anticipate campus-changing for fall 2021 must also be sure to follow the appropriate steps in the process. In addition, students who are approved to campus change must be granted housing for the campus to which they are changing.
  • Students who fulfill all housing requirement may live on campus for up to 8 semesters; including time as an RA. This means that students who apply cannot have already live on campus for more than 6 semesters at the end of the spring 2021 semester.

Student Academic Status:

  • Earn at least sophomore status by the time of employment (fall 2021) and be a full-time, degree-seeking student enrolled at the Storrs or Stamford campus for the entire employment period.
  • Maintain a 2.50 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) at the time of application, and throughout the process. Incomplete/missing grades must be completed by the date on the University's Academic Calendar for spring 2021. Students on Scholastic Probation/Subject to Dismissal may be ineligible to continue in the process.

Community Membership Status:

  • Uphold the University's Responsibilities of Community Life: The Student Code and the On-Campus Housing Contract. All students with a student conduct history will be subject to review. Students who are on University Probation during the semesters of application review or interviews are not eligible to interview. Students who were found responsible for any incidents in the current academic year or during the application and interviewing process will not be eligible to interview or continue on in the process.

Employment Period:

  • The dates of employment will be noted in the offer letter. Candidates must be available for fall 2021 and spring 2022.
  • The employment period is both semesters of the academic year. Candidates who have applied for--but will not know whether they are accepted to--education abroad or other semester long University programs may still apply since the RA application due date typically proceeds the notification of acceptance to semester-long University programs.

Interest in RA Position for Honors, Learning Communities, and/or Special Interest Communities:

  • Candidates who are interested in Learning Communities (LCs)Honors, or Special Interest Communities (Gender Inclusive, Husky Village, and Veterans) will also need to meet the criteria noted below.
  • Must meet all criteria noted under Position Qualifications, Position Screening Criteria, Student Academic Status, Community Membership, and Employment Period.
  • The application will allow the student to indicate their interest in one or more of these communities.
  • If a candidate is invited to interview, the candidate will have another opportunity to indicate interest.
  • Must have successfully completed the interview process.
  • Priority consideration is also given to those candidates who have already lived in the community as a student.

Stamford RA Position Requirements

All candidates must meet the following requirements

  • Be enrolled as a UConn Stamford student.
  • Have sophomore academic standing by the fall 2021 semester.
  • Have a 2.50 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) when grades are checked at the end of the fall 2021 semester.
  • Be a member of the community in good standing: cannot be on University Probation (not academic-related). Any other findings of responsibility/being in violation will be reviewed and may make the candidate ineligible to continue in the process; especially if the incident(s) occurred during the fall 2021 semester

Stamford RA Screening Criteria for All Applications

Round 1 Screening: Candidates must successfully meet all criteria in order to move to Round 2 Screening:

  • Grades:Candidates must have a 2.50 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) when grades are checked after finals in December 2020. The CGPA must be exact; we will not ‘round up’ (example: 2.48 doesn’t meet the requirement). Candidates on Scholastic Probation (as determined by the semester grade point average (SGPA)) may also be ineligible.
  • Candidates at Stamford who plan to campus change to Storrs for fall 2021 must meet all requirements and meet all deadlines for the campus change process.
  • All candidates must submit the Online Housing Application by the February 28, 2021 due date.

Conduct Status: Uphold the university’s Responsibilities of Community Life: The Student Code and the On-Campus Housing Contract. All students with a student conduct history will be subject to review. Students who are on University Probation at during the semesters of application review or interviews are not eligible to interview. Students who were found responsible for any incidents in the current academic year or during the application and interviewing process will not be eligible to interview or continue on in the process

Round 2 Screening:

  • A team of Residential Life staff will review the responses to all application questions.
  • Each application will be scored using a rubric.
  • Candidates will receive one of the following decisions based on the Rubric: Invited to 1stRound of Interviews, Back-Up Round (Eligible for Interviews if additional interviews are needed), No Longer Eligible for Consideration. Candidates will be notified of their status after Round 2 Screening in late February 2021.

Round 3 Screening:

  • Qualified candidates will be asked to attend a group interview process on March 12, 2021. The group interview will be mandatory for a candidate to be considered.

Candidate Information

  • Updates
  • If you applied for the 2021-2022 RA position and are a current alternate candidate, you DO NOT need to fill out application for the 2nd RA search.
  • If you applied for the 2021-2022 RA position previously and you turned down the position/alternate status, failed to reply to the offer for the position/alternate status, you are not eligible to apply and will not be considered for an interview.

    Submitting the Storrs RA Application for 2021-2022

    • Applications for the 2nd process will be available starting April 27, 2021
    • Applications close at 11:59pm on Friday, May 14 2021. Late applications will not be accepted.
    • The application is located on eRezLife (https://uconn.erezlife.com)

    How to Submit Your Application

    Original RA Process Timeline

    • Applications available October 12, 2020
    • Applications due December 1, 2020
    • Application Screening (refer to information on the left side of this page): December 2020 - mid-January 2021
    • Candidate Status Notification regarding whether the candidate will be invited to interview: January 21, 2020 via email
    • Interviews: February 4, 2021 - February 18, 2021
    • LCs/Honors/Special Interest Interviews: February 22, 2021 - February 26, 2021
    • RA Selection: March 9, 2021
    • Candidate Status Notification regarding whether the candidate is hired, an alternate, or no longer eligible: March 11, 2021 and March 12, 2021 by email
    • Acceptances due March 19, 2021

    2nd Process Timeline for Candidates Applying April/May 2021

    • Applications available April 27, 2021
    • Applications due May 14, 2021 by 11:59pm
    • Application Screening (refer to information on the left side of this page): May 17, 2021-May 28, 2021
    • Candidate Status Notification: An update about status will be sent out to all candidates by the end of the day on June 4, 2021 via email
    • Interviews: are slated to occur in mid to late June, but that may change depending on the number of vacancies
    • RA Offers: As needed to fill positions on an ongoing basis, depending on vacancies

    The RA application is located on eResLife (https://uconn.erezlife.com)

    Information Video and Powerpoint

    • [Link to Informational video]
    • [PDF Powerpoint of Informational video]
    • [Informational Video for Returning RA Applicants]
    • [PDF of How To Submit Application]

    Submitting the Stamford RA Application Process for 2021-2022

    • Applications will be available starting Monday, February 1, 2021
    • Applications close at 12:00pm (noon) on Wednesday, February 19, 2021. Late applications will not be accepted.
    • Applications must have an attached resume to be considered.
    • The application is located on eRezLife (https://uconn.erezlife.com)

    Stamford RA Information Sessions

    • Applicants are highly encouraged to participate in at least one Information Session
    • Thursday, February 4 at 12:00pm (noon)--available on Zoom
    • Friday, February 5 at 12:00pm (noon)--available on Zoom
    • Monday, February 8 at 12:00pm (noon)--available on Zoom
    • Tuesday, February 9 at 1:00pm--available on Zoom

    Zoom Meeting Information

    Zoom Meeting ID: 506 532 3218

    Passcode: MeetnGreet

    Stamford RA Interviews

    • Interviews* will be held from March 1, 2021 to March 3, 2021. Candidates will sign up for only 1 interview.
    • Interviews will be approximately 30-50 minutes and the interview location will be provided when the interview is scheduled.

    *When choosing the interview date/time, candidates must also leave the same day/time available for the following week in the event that UConn closes due to inclement weather.

    Stamford RA Selection

    • All candidates who attended the initial interview will be notified of their status on March 16, 2021.
    • Candidates who are offered a position must respond by March 19, 2021 before 4:00 PM
    • Candidates who are designated as Alternates must also respond whether or not they are still interested by March 19 before 4:00 PM

    Stamford RA Applicants Who Are Campus Changing

    If you are campus changing from Storrs to Stamford:

    • Requirements:
      • You must be living on campus at Storrs for Fall 2021
      • You must continue to be eligible to live on-campus (must complete the online housing application by the February 28, 2021 due date).
    • You will complete the 2021 Storrs RA application on https://uconn.erezlife.com
    • You will be invited to interview at the Storrs campus
    • If you get invited to the group process at Stamford, you will need to attend the group interview process at the Stamford campus on March 12, 2021

    If you are campus changing from Stamford to Storrs:

    • Requirements:
      • You must be living on campus at Stamford for Fall 2021
      • You must continue to be eligible to live on-campus (must complete the online housing application by the February 28, 2021 due date).
    • You will complete the 2021 Stamford RA application on https://uconn.erezlife.com
    • You will be invited to interview at the Stamford campus
    • You will not participate in the Stamford group interview process

    Tips from Past UConn Stamford RAs

    Role of the RA

    Position Compensation

    • RAs will receive a housing waiver for their RA room. The waiver is not an exact match for the RA’s assignment. Instead, it is an average of all room rates.
    • Storrs RAs will also receive a cash stipend of $4,510.00 for the academic year. The stipend is paid out biweekly.
    • Stamford RAs will also receive a cash stipend of $4,160.00 for the academic year. The stipend is paid out biweekly.
    • RAs who are on-duty during break periods will be paid separately for the actual days worked.
    • Tuition and fees are not waived
    • No academic credit may be earned for the RA position.

    Position Benefits: (These are only some of the benefits!)

    • Multi-faceted leadership skills
    • Experience working with people from differing backgrounds; understanding the need to be open to those whose identities may be different than one’s own
    • Critical thinking skills
    • Strong time management skills
    • Written and oral communication skills
    • Honesty and integrity
    • Crisis management experience
    • Understanding the nature of working in/on teams.
    • Relationship-building skills, as well as helping others build relationships

    The Residential Learning Model (RLM) on the Storrs Campus

    • The Residential Learning Model, also known as the RLM, is an intentional way of promoting learning in college and university residence life programs. It is a very specific approach to structuring learning outcomes.
    • The philosophy of the RLM maintains that programming is only one way to connect and engage students.
    • Our primary goal is to ensure that we are helping our students connect to UConn, to other students, staff, and campus resources. Additionally, we want them to be engaged in the campus community.
    • The Department of Residential Life believes that end result of students living on campus, being connected and engaged will be that our students will grow personally, interpersonally, and intellectually. RAs play a major role with their residents in achieving these goals with their residents.

    Stamford Campus Residential Programming Model

    • The Residential Programming Model puts student learning at the forefront of the residential student experience at the University of Connecticut at Stamford. Resident Assistants support the residential community by providing educational programming and meaningful conversations. Furthermore, RAs conduct passive programming and use campus resources to provide residents with the opportunity to engage in their community at UConn Stamford.
    • The Department of Residential Life believes that the end result of students living on campus, being connected, and engaged with each other will be that our students will grow personally, interpersonally, and intellectually. RAs play a major role with their residents in achieving these goals with their residents.