Resident Assistant at Siena College Residential Life
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Support
Recognize students experiencing personal, social, and/or academic concerns and make appropriate
referrals to college and/or community resources.
Assist students in resolving conflicts, both proactively and reactively.
Inform and update the Residence Director of any floor/building occurrences and of any students with
concerns (during 1 on 1s, weekly reports, community mapping, Incident Reports, in person, or by
contacting the RD on call in emergency situations).
Initiate and maintain regular contact with floor residents throughout the year in order to develop
meaningful positive relationships and a strong residential community.
Promote and demonstrate respect for all students, inclusive of all races, ages, ethnicities, genders,
sexual orientations, religions, abilities, etc.
2. Community Development and Leadership
Create a positive community atmosphere by creating door tags for all his/her residents, and
creating/updating the bulletin boards on a monthly basis (each RD will discuss his/her expectations
of RA bulletin boards).
Know the names of all his/her residents within the first 4 weeks of each semester and strive to learn
the names of all residents of the building.
Be aware of floor population, in terms of current students, students checking in/out/moving, etc.
Office of Residential Life
515 Loudon Road
Loudonville, NY 12211
518-783-2919
housing@siena.edu
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Work with students to develop floor environments that provide a reasonable degree of quiet and
order to allow for study and sleep.
Complete programs as directed by the Office of Residential Life. Some programming areas include:
Spirituality, Academic, Wellness, Social, Cross-Cultural Awareness, and Service.
Encourage student participation in College and residence hall/hall council sponsored programs.
Inform students of behavioral regulations established in Siena Life and the Housing License and
Meal Plan Information Form. Promote students’ understanding of their responsibility for living
within these guidelines and as members of the Siena community.
Appropriately confront students and document behavior that may violate policies and procedures.
Documentation should be submitted online via conduct software within 2 hours of the conclusion of
an incident. Follow up with student(s) and/or the Residence Director as necessary.
Attend Student Conduct Review Board hearings as necessary.
Conduct floor meetings and door-to-door conversations as needed throughout the year to address
community concerns.
In situations where the entire community is impacted (i.e. property damage, safety, hate/bias-related
incidents, power outages, campus wide emergencies) the RA staff may be called upon to join the
Professional Staff in going door to door to raise awareness and call residents to action, as well as
staff the office outside of regular duty hours.
Support programs and projects by RHA and the Residence Hall Council: meetings, programs, and
other events.
Call all new/transfer students during RA Training to welcome to the Siena Community and answer
any questions they may have about Siena College.
Assist new students in their adjustment by supporting and assisting with Fall Orientation and
Opening Week activities.
Complete and update community maps frequently.
3. Administrative Duties
Promptly and accurately complete, by established deadlines, all assigned administrative duties as
required by the Residence Director. This includes (but is not limited to): forms, logs, and weekly
reports.
Be responsible for all keys issued (as well as those keys that RAs have access to). RAs are
entrusted with various keys, including RA office and key box keys, as well as master keys, for their
residence. Loaning of keys to non-RAs, failure to keep keys in designated key boxes, use of keys
for any purpose other than job related, loss of keys, or failure to document key usage, may subject
the RA to discharge from his/her position and/or reimbursement for any costs incurred. Lost keys
must be reported to the RD within 24 hours.
Be responsible with RA SAINT Card. RAs are given special access that is not to be shared with
anyone else (this includes proper use of the emergency exits). RAs that resign or are terminated
must exchange their SAINT Card for a general student SAINT Card.
Set up RA phone line/voicemail for use when on duty and forwarding the duty phone. If RAs are
using their personal cell phone, an appropriate voicemail message is expected.
Check Siena e-mail EVERY DAY and respond to all messages within 24 hours. The Siena College
e-mail account will be the official means of communication to RAs.
RAs are expected to access the Resident Assistant secure website regularly for Residential Life
updates/announcements.
Implement specific procedures for opening and closing the residence halls/townhouses, as stated by
the Residence Director. This includes assisting/staffing student check-in (issue keys, distribute
information, RCR’s, assist other staffs as necessary, etc) as well as end of the semester/year student
check-out (collect keys, RCR’s, assist other staffs as necessary, etc).
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Check rooms during vacation closings and staff office on vacation openings. Plan to be the last to
leave and the first to return.
Assist with various Residential Life Operations: Housing Census (Fall and Spring), ACUHO-EBI
surveys, Resident Surveys, RA Selection, Housing Selection, and other projects as required.
Responsible for helping to evacuate building when a fire alarm is activated. This includes
responsibilities under the direction of an RD and/or Public Safety: crowd control, redirecting
students, checking rooms after the fire department has determined there is no fire/emergency,
helping with lock-outs, and in some cases, helping with “fire watch” until the alarm system is
reactivated.
Post information/notices on the floor within accordance of the posting policy.
Attend and participate in all staff meetings, in-services, and training programs. Staff meetings and
in-services are held on Tuesday evenings between 7 and 10 PM. RAs may not schedule classes
during this time.
Cooperate with and demonstrate support for maintenance and custodial personnel. RAs should
submit work orders in a timely fashion, as they become aware of maintenance/housekeeping
concerns in student rooms and in common areas.
Alert Residence Directors to maintenance and/or housekeeping concerns.
4. Other
The Resident Assistant will assume other professional responsibilities and duties as assigned by the
Residence Director and/or the Office of Residential Life.
All RAs are expected to register for the Siena Alert system by going to
http://www.siena.edu/sienaalert and following the instructions as noted. Due to RAs being among
the first responders, this will assist Residential Life in disseminating information quickly and
accurately in the case of an emergency.
August 2014 - Present
Resistant Assistant at Siena College Residential Life
THE RESIDENT ASSISTANT IS EXPECTED TO:
Support the goals, expectations, and mission statement of Siena College, the Division of Student Affairs,
and the Office of Residential Life and perform duties accordingly.
Use the teachings of St. Francis and Catholic Social Teaching in his/her daily role as a Resident Assistant
through role modeling, educating residents, programming, and community development.
Be available and visible on his/her floor on a daily basis.
Work collaboratively with others, including Residential Life staff, housekeeping, maintenance, public
safety, and other college departments to provide a safe and healthy living community.
Hold the position primary with academic requirements, finding an appropriate balance between the two.
Function as a positive role model at all times, whether on or off duty, in or out of the residence halls and
whether on or off-campus.
Follow the policies and procedures regarding student behavior as stated in Siena Life and the Housing
License and Meal Plan Information Form.
Act in accordance with and adhere to the Resident Assistant Code of Ethics.
Accept challenges of personal growth and utilize feedback to improve performance.
Plan programming to further the College, Division of Student Affairs, and Residential Life Missions.
August 2014 - Present