About The RA Application Process

• Must be in "Good Academic Standing" and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher at the application as well as maintain a cumulative and term GPA of 2.5 or higher while employed.
• Have appropriate conduct standing with Stetson University.
• The Resident Assistant position is a commitment for the full academic year. Students with special considerations who may not be able to work the full academic year are encouraged to apply.
• RAs are required to live on campus and be available to work on all staff weekends including but not limited to: opening, closing, school breaks, Hatter Games, and Hatter Day.
• Have obtained 12 credits at Stetson University by the end of the semester prior to beginning employment. (Credits obtained do not include AP or credits obtained while in high school.)
• RAs are limited to work no more than 10 hours per week of paid employment and may not exceed 10 hours per week of outside time commitments (including other employment).
• RAs are unable to hold any leadership or work position that conflicts with the RA position description.

The Resident Assistant responsibilities are determined not so much by a time clock or a calendar but by the needs of the residents you serve. Some periods, such as RA Institute, opening, and closing will require more time than average, but other responsibilities will arise that cannot always be anticipated and scheduled. The RA position is an average commitment of 10 hours a week. Key time commitments include:

• Resident Connections - RAs are required to have monthly one-on-one conversations with each of their residents that are well thought out and guided by a suggested set of questions and prompts that are developmentally appropriate and situated within the context of a resident's experience. Conversations are designed to support residents in navigating conflicts, life decisions, goal setting, and other issues.
• Staff Meetings - RAs are required to be available Wednesday evenings from 9:15 - 11:15 p.m. for staff and departmental meetings.
• RA Institute and Professional Development - Institute is an intensive training period (8 days in fall, 4 days in spring) where incoming and returning RAs learn about the position, expectations, and skills and techniques to help them in the RA position throughout the year. Institute days are scheduled to go from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. depending on the topics of the day. The below dates are tentative and align with the university academic calendar which may result in changes prior to the 2023-24 academic year.
• Fall 2023 Semester: RAs return for Fall Institute on Friday, August 4, 2023, and are released for winter break on Sunday, December 10, 2023.
• Spring 2024 Semester: RAs will return for Spring Institute on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, and are released for the summer break on Sunday, May 5, 2024 (Apartments RAs are released Monday, May 6, 2024).
• Evening and Weekend Duty - RAs will serve on weekly duty nights (4:30 p.m. to 8 a.m.) and duty weekends (4:30 p.m. Friday thru 8 a.m. Monday). Duty entails remaining in the duty area to be accessible, performing rounds of facilities, and responding to any issue, incident or concerns. In addition, the staff is expected to share duty responsibilities over break times when the residential facilities remain open.
• University Events - RAs are expected to be available for their communities on the weekends, including university traditions i.e. Fraternity and Sorority Recruitment, Halloween weekend, and Homecoming.

In the traditional recruitment process, RA applicants typically go through a rigorous two-part selection process which includes an interview with professional staff and current RAs and a full-day RA candidate experience that takes place on a weekend day at the end of January. 

A. Individual Interview

Two required individual interviews will take place from January 17 - January 20. 

B. Group Interview

You will be required to attend the full day to be considered for an RA position. Our goal is that through this process, a candidate is able to learn more about the position and department as well as identify if the RA position is a good fit.

• Candidates will explain the RA position and the duties as well as how the RA role fits within RLL.
• Candidates will be able to summarize the importance of community and the benefits of forming meaningful connections in a residential setting. 
• Candidates will be able to identify different ways to achieve balance in the RA position.
• Candidates will be able to learn the foundations for creating a community event.

The 2023 - 2024 RA Candidate Experience will be hosted on January 21, 2023. 

The following is a tentative workshop schedule:

• • Part One: Connection 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  • Candidate Break 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
  • Part Two: Community 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Interested applicants should consider attending a virtual information session to best prepare for application. Information Sessions are not required to apply but are strongly encouraged.

• • October 17, 2022 - 5 p.m.  - Sage Hall 222
  • October 27, 2022 - 5 p.m.  - LBC 319
  • November 15, 2022 - 3:30 p.m.  - CUB 105
  • December 01, 2022 - 2 p.m.  - Microsoft Teams

This process is designed to allow candidates to apply for the RA position outside of our Traditional Recruitment process (October - December).  Those who participated in the traditional recruitment process and were offered the alternate position will have priority to position vacancies and do not need to reapply. This is a rolling process. 

About the Process

1. Applicants must complete the seasonal recruitment application in full, available on stetson.edu/ulead.
2. Residential Living and Learning staff will review applications on a monthly basis to ensure that candidates meet all position requirements.
3. Residential Living and Learning will contact candidates for interviews on an as-needed basis. 
4. All applications will be kept active through September 15 each year.  Candidates wishing to be considered for the following academic year (2024 - 2025) will need to reapply through the traditional Fall Recruitment process in October. (eg. Application submitted in July 2023, will apply to positions during the August 2023 - May 2024 academic year only)
5. Applications are only accepted through Engage. Please do not submit a printed version of the application. 
6. Decisions are made on an ongoing basis. All candidates who are determined to be hirable will be offered an alternate position at the time of offer. 

The Application

We want to get to know you. To do this the application includes three parts:

1. General Application Questions
2. About You Submission

• • Submission Guidelines: Applicants are asked to attach a resume, short video, art piece, or something else that they feel will help Residential Living & Learning get to know them more as a person. These items must be submitted electronically, paper submissions will not be accepted. 

    3. Three Video Questions

Professional References are not required but encouraged. See the application for details on how your professional reference can submit a reference for you.

The Interview

You will participate in a two-part interview process. Each interview will have a different theme and set of questions to help us get to know you. They will each be a total of 15 minutes with about 13 minutes for six to seven questions and two minutes for you to ask one question to our interviewers. We encourage you to keep your responses one to two minutes in length to ensure we can learn the most about you. Hosting two interviews allows for two different interview teams to get to know you in this part of the process.  

Stetson's Unified Leadership Application provides access to the application for interested applicants.

How many RA positions are there?

We will have 60+ RA positions next year; some will go to returners; some are gender-specific; selecting “available for all buildings” on your application will increase your chances of being selected. The number of RAs we need is also subject to change depending on the needs of our residential population. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

What are the requirements to apply?

A successful candidate must:

• be in "Good Academic Standing" and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher at the application as well as maintain a cumulative and term GPA of 2.5 or higher while employed.
• have appropriate conduct standing with Stetson University.
• be able to make a commitment for the full academic year. Students with special considerations who may not be able to work the full academic year are encouraged to apply.
• be available Wednesday evenings from 9:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. for staff / departmental meetings.
• be able to work no more than 10 hours per week paid employment and may not exceed 10 hours per week of outside time commitments (including other employment).
• not hold any leadership or work position that conflicts with the RA position description.

What is the compensation for the RA position?

The housing cost is covered by a financial aid award from Residential Living and Learning which will be applied to your room charges in that specific amount. It is possible that this award may put you over your need and may reduce certain need-based grants that you may be eligible for. In addition, RA's receive $1,344 paid over 20 payments. These stipends will be covered by either Federal Work-Study or University Employment. Students who are eligible for FWS will receive their stipend from this fund. Stipends are paid over 10 months (August-May). The stipend and room award will be terminated if the position is terminated. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

What is the RA Candidate Experience?

The RA Candidate Experience is a required full-day experience on a Saturday in January, where candidates are able to learn more about the RA position to see if they are a good fit for the position. The day will include learning sessions and experiential activities with other participants learning about different aspects of the RA position and participating in activities to gain a better understanding of what it means to be an RA. Residential Living and Learning professional staff lead the RA experience course. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

What is RA Institute like?

RA Institute is an eight-day, intensive training period where incoming and returning RAs learn about the position, expectations, and skills and techniques to help them in the RA position throughout the year. Institute is also the time you will get to know the team you will be working with throughout the year! Institute days are scheduled to go from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. depending on the topics of the day. August Institute includes an overnight experience away from the campus. All RAs are expected to be completely free during the days designated for August and January Institute and are expected not to plan any outside activities, personal, or other work commitments. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

If I have a conflict, can I miss RA Institute or be late for it?

No. Attending RA Institute in its entirety and fully participating in opening the halls are required to hold the position. RA Institute lasts up until the first day of classes and covers a breadth of information ranging from understanding the resident assistant role, confrontation, community building, and inclusion. The time invested is critical to prepare Resident Assistants on how to serve as positive resources for their residents. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

How are RA placements decided?

The Residential Living and Learning staff puts a lot of time and energy into deciding who will be offered an RA position. Building a strong vibrant community is our overall goal. We do our best to place applicants into building environments where we feel they will thrive and also have a chance to grow and learn from their experience in a particular building. Community needs are a priority when evaluating candidate placement in each area. Candidates' preferences are taken into consideration during the placement process. It is possible to be offered a placement that may not be your preference. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

How often are RAs on duty?

It depends on the RA's area placement and the size of staff. Each RA staff, which typically consists of around 14-21 RAs, is responsible for covering all the duty weekdays (4:30 p.m. – 8:00 a.m. next day) and weekends (all day) associated with their area. Two RAs are on duty for each duty shift and the RAs will evenly split up the weekdays and weekends among themselves. In general, you may have one weeknight you have to cover every other week and then be on duty for one weekend a month. However, this will vary depending on the size of your staff. The department also has what we call All Staff weekends which RAs are required to work. All staff weekends include openings, FOCUS Orientation, closings, and Hatter Day. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

I was offered an "Alternate" position. What does this mean?

If a candidate is not offered an open position at selection time, they may be given the opportunity to accept a spot as an Alternate RA. Alternate RAs are eligible for hire should a position become available throughout the year. An alternate position remains active through mid-January. This is not a guarantee, however. Alternates are selected based on who will best fit the needs of the community and staff vacancy. For more information, we encourage you to attend an Information Session.

Which buildings are alcohol-free?

RLL operates all first-year-only communities as alcohol-free housing (Carson, Hollis, Gordis, Smith, and Nemec Halls). Individuals living in alcohol-free buildings, including Resident Assistants, agree that they will not consume or possess alcohol or other drugs in these communities. Students, regardless of age, may not possess/consume alcohol in these communities. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

Can I have a second job as an RA?

Being an RA is a time-intensive job. It is expected for an RA to spend time getting to know the residents in their community and be available to meet their needs on a consistent basis. In order to maintain appropriate support and community development, RAs are approved to have up to 10 hours per week of outside time commitments, including work. Work is identified as paid employment on or off campus. Returning RAs who wish to have more than 10 hours per week of outside commitments must have prior supervisor approval. The RA position is considered your primary non-academic commitment.  Additionally, international students, per visa requirements, are only able to work a total of 20 hours per week. The RA position requires at least 10 hours per week so international students can only work 10 additional hours due to visa restrictions. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

What about other commitments on campus? Can I go home?

Being an RA is a time-intensive job. The RA position is considered your primary non-academic commitment. RAs are approved to have up to 10 hours per week of outside time commitments, including work. RAs are not able to hold any other leadership or work role on campus that would conflict with the RA responsibilities in any way or cause confusion to residents regarding which role the student is currently holding. Residential Living and Learning holds the right to determine if a position conflicts with the RA role in any way. RAs will be expected to serve on duty some weekends in the semester based on area, as well as be present during all staff weekends when these scenarios are not present you are welcome to travel away from campus. RAs who are away for an extended period of time will be required to gain approval and discuss support for the community with their Residential Life Coordinator. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

If I applied last year but was not offered a position, can I reapply?

Yes. Applicants and alternates who did not obtain a position in the previous year are eligible to apply. We encourage applicants to refresh any materials that they presented previously as the staff will be reviewing prior applications to evaluate growth and readiness. For more information, we encourage you to attend an information session.

What does the Traditional Recruitment Interview process entail?

Step 1: Attend an Information Session

These 45-minute sessions were developed to ensure that before you apply, you have all the necessary information needed to move forward in the interview process. You must attend an information session in order for your application to be considered complete.

Step 2: Apply!

Applications open on October 1 and are due by 11:59 p.m. on December 16.

Step 3: Submit a Professional Reference

All applicants must submit a professional reference no later than 11:59 p.m. on December 16. A reference should be an individual who has knowledge about you and your skills/personality and previous work ethic. The following will serve as an appropriate reference: current or previous supervisors in a work or volunteer position, professors, and/or high school teachers. Please note that your reference must not be another student at Stetson University nor someone whom you consider a relative. Full-time Residential Living and Learning staff are not eligible to serve as a reference for the RA Application. References submitted by any Residential Living and Learning staff member, relative, or friend will not be considered adequate and will not be accepted. An application is not considered completed until the reference is submitted.

Step 4: Interview

If your application is successful, you will be invited via email in late January to sign up for two (2) 15 minutes virtual interview time slots.

All interviews will take place from January 17 - January 20. 

Step 5: Resident Assistant Candidate Experience

If your interview is successful, you will be invited to participate in the RA Candidate Experience, full-day workshop series hosted on Saturday, January 21. You will be required to attend the entire day to be considered for an RA position.

• Part One: Connection 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• Candidate Break 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
• Part Two: Community 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Step 6: Decision Letters

Decision letters will be sent out via Stetson email on Friday, February 17.

Can I choose my building placement as a Resident Assistant?

No. You will be given an opportunity to share your interest in a residential population and community fit to which you feel you would be best suited. When it comes to selecting assignments, the professional staff looks at individual plus team fit so that each RA is able to provide an optimal community experience as well as serve as a strong leader within the community and team they are placed on. Ultimately, the more flexible you are, the more chances you will have to be placed. For more information, we encourage you to attend an Information Session.

If I have been documented through the Community Standards process, can I still apply?

Yes. Residential Living and Learning reviews all applicants' community standards findings. You must be in "Good Conduct Standing" with Stetson University for your application to move forward in the process. For more information, we encourage you to attend an Information Session.

If I will be studying abroad in the spring during RA Candidate Experience, can I still apply?

Yes. Applicants studying abroad in the spring semester during the candidate experience who wish to be considered for an open position in the new academic year will be provided with the ability to complete separate assignments or participate virtually in the candidate experience if applicable. For more information, we encourage you to attend an Information Session or email us at [email protected]