By Sophia Raspanti
Looking to make a positive impact amongst your peers? Working with Carolina Housing as a Resident Advisor (RA) may be a perfect opportunity for you. However, becoming a Resident Advisor is only one way in which you can work amongst your peers and support a welcoming living environment while gaining valuable leadership and teambuilding skills.
Welcome to the ultimate resource for everything relating to Residential Education Student Staff Positions! Read through the guide to learn about the positions, responsibilities, and expectations Carolina Housing offers, and more!
Resident Advisors
Resident Advisor (RA): Student staff that serve as a resource for students in their living community as well as a role model at UNC. RAs are assigned to traditional residence halls, suite style complexes, or apartment buildings where they work to create an inclusive on-campus environment that promotes personal development, citizenship, involvement, and leadership through the practice of Community Immersion.
Resident Advisors are supervised by a Community Director (CD), a professional staff member that oversees RA operations as well as the overall residential community. RAs do not maintain traditional 8am – 5pm, Monday-Friday hours, as work hours vary due to community and departmental needs. This includes nighttime and weekend commitments, as well as an On Call rotation on both week and weekend days.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Resident Advisors (RAs), click here.
The Resident Advisor Interviews will take place in January and successful candidates will be selected, placed, and given offers in late February.
New Resident Advisors will be interviewed January 22nd-24th of 2024. The application can be found here.
Alternative Resident Advisor Roles and Information
Returner RAs: A student staff member who has previously served as a Resident Advisor and is reapplying for the same position.
The timeline for returning RAs is typically the same as for new RAs, but there will be a separate application and interview process for returners. Returning RAs will get most of their information about this process from their current supervisors.
Returning RA interviews will be conducted January 5th, 8th, and 9th of 2024. The application for returning RAs can be found here.
Residential Learning Program RA (RLP RA): A Resident Advisor that serves the student resident community of a residential learning program.
Residential Learning Program Resident Advisors must fill out a separate application form from the traditional RA application. Students that wish to be considered for both traditional RA and RLP RA positions must fill out separate application forms for each position.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Residential Learning Program Resident Advisors (RLP RAs), click here.
RLP RA interviews will be conducted January 22nd to January 24th of 2024. The application can be found here.
Mid-Year RAs: A student staff member that becomes a Resident Advisor on an atypical application timeline, typically in September.
Occasionally, Carolina Housing may find that we need more RAs and have exhausted our waitlist after the school year has begun. If we find that we are in need, applications will open in September, with interviews and acceptances occurring in early October. Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis.
Community Resident Advisors (CRAs): Community Resident Advisors are responsible for many of the same things as a traditional Resident Advisor, with one unique difference. CRAs are selected to serve areas that house primarily graduate students and families like Baity Hill. CRAs provide support to the community and may partner with offices around campus such as The Graduate School, UNC Global, etc.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Community Resident Advisors (CRAs), click here.
Leadership Team
Resident Advisor Mentors (RAMs): advises and oversees Resident Advisors as well as a community of residents within their assigned floor.
The Resident Advisor Mentor works with their supervising Community Director and other Leadership Team members to mentor and lead the students in their community. In order to qualify for the RAM position, students must have held the RA or RAM position with Carolina Housing in the past.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Resident Advisor Mentors (RAMs), click here.
Community Manager (CM): serve as a leader in the department as a whole and in their specific community.
Community Manager supervises office assistant staff members and mentor RA staff members in their roles by helping them to develop positive residential communities. This includes but is not limited to forming appropriate resident relationships, training staff on desk procedures, helping to actualize the spirit of Community Immersion, facilitating training and workshops, and supporting crisis management efforts. Community Managers are expected to actively work with the Leadership Team to develop a positive team dynamic amongst their Office Assistants and Resident Advisor staff.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Community Manager (CM), click here.
Office Assistants
OAs: Work to create an inclusive on-campus housing environment that promotes personal development, citizenship, involvement, and leadership through the practice of Community Immersion. Office Assistants serve as a resource for students in their community and as a role model at UNC Chapel Hill. Common responsibilities of an OA include tasks such as answering resident questions, checking out enhancements, and giving residents replacement keys.
OAs are assigned to traditional residence halls, suite style complexes, or apartment buildings and are supervised by the Community Director (CD) and the Community Manager (CM). Hours of work vary based on the need of the department and community (ex: Halloween, popular sporting events, inclement weather, training, opening, closing, staff selection, unforeseen circumstances, etc.) and includes some evenings and weekends. After providing a schedule of availability, a supervisor will determine the specific work schedule. All leave time must be approved by their supervisor. OAs are required to attend all training activities while employed. OAs are expected to work all residence hall openings and closings, including Fall semester, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Semester, Spring Break and Spring Semester/Commencement closing.
OA's are typically hired on a rolling basis, with the bulk of this process taking place from October to November. However, it is more common to see mid-year need for OA's, so stay up-to-date with emails and social media communication from Carolina Housing to be notified for when the application re opens throughout the year.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Office Assistant (OA), click here.
Summer Positions
Summer Resident Advisor (SRA): Resident Advisors that work with student residents during the summer academic terms.
The Summer RA application will open in February, and offers will be made in March.
Conference Assistant: The Conference Assistant (CA) position works for the Office of Conference Services, a unit within Carolina Housing. The CA is the front-line customer service representative of the University to all summer camps and conference guests. The CAs’ specific duties include guest relations, room set-up, linen distribution, and other tasks as assigned. Conference Assistants also assist with camps & conference check-ins/check-outs, work guest services shifts at the community office, and help ensure that the facilities are in good order by conducting inspections and post-conference assessments.
As a conference assistant, work will be a combination of traditional and non-traditional hours and will include weekends. Additionally, CAs will be in an on-call rotation between the hours of 5:00pm and 9:00am requiring them to live on-campus. CAs will work on average 20 – 25 hours per week.
The recruitment process for this position will typically begin in March, with offers extended in early April.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Conference Assistant, click here.
Summer Orientation Advisor (SOA): Summer Orientation Advisor (SOA) position works for Carolina Housing and is the front line customer service representative to Orientation students staying in campus housing. SOAs are assigned to live in Carmichael Residence hall during the duration of the SOA role. The SOAs assists with group check-ins and check-outs, works customer service shifts at the community office, assists with linen distribution and retrieval, and help ensure that the facilities are in good order. The SOA is also on-call for Orientation students regarding residence hall concerns like lock outs and facility concerns.
The SOA role is not a traditional 8-5/M-F job. Actual hours of work vary based on the
needs of Carolina Housing and includes evenings and some weekends.
SOAs must attend all trainings while employed. SOAs are expected to reside in their
assigned room for a minimum of five nights per week, including 2 weekends per
month, in addition to meeting the needs of Carolina Housing listed above. Any
additional time away from the community must be requested and approved by the
SOA Leadership Team. SOAs are required to serve scheduled weekday and weekend
duty.
The recruitment process for this position will typically begin in March, with offers extended in early April.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Summer Orientation Advisor (SOA), click here.
Other Carolina Housing Student Staff Positions
Package Center Representative (PSR): responsible for receiving and distrubting mail to our residents at Hinton James, Morrison, and Spencer Package Centers.
PSRs use the SCLogic package tracking system. They must maintain accuracy and confidentiality, as well as comply with all Federal Mail Regulations. PSRs interact daily with various delivery carriers, professional staff, and residents while providing excellent customer service. PSRs have the opportunity for advancement. Some common responsibilities include receiving and sorting mail and packages, distributing mail to students, and using the SCLogic package tracking system.
This position is typically hired on a rolling basis, so stay up to date on email and social media communication to know when applications open.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Package Center Representative (PSR), click here.
Residential Computing Consultant (RCC): ResNET employs 50 students across campus dedicated to providing reliable on-site IT support, education and delivering new technologies to the UNC-Chapel Hill residential community. The ResNET staff is committed to enhancing the intellectual environment to support the University’s vision.
Residential Computing Consultants (RCCs) are required to live in specific on-campus ResNET reserved rooms during their tenure. ResNET has specific rooms on campus for RCCs to live. Based on population and support needs, RCCs are strategically placed so that the highest level of customer service is provided to the residents. Candidates will be given an opportunity to submit preferences, but they are not guaranteed their top choices.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations Residential Computing Consultant (RCC), click here.
Marketing Intern: Marketing Interns will help brainstorm ideas, plan content, assist with social media campaigns, feature on our podcast, write blogs and collect photo/video content at campus events. Their content will feature on Carolina Housing social media accounts, as well as our website. Additionally, they will assist with tabling at events throughout the semester.
Marketing Interns are hired as needed at the start of each semester, including summer. Hiring updates will be communicated via email and social media. Marketing interns are limited to two semesters of participation to allow us to provide this opportunity to a variety of students. This is a paid position of approximately 10 hours per week.
To learn more about the specific requirements and expectations of Marketing Intern, click here.
