Resident Assistant Position Description
Academic Year 2025-2026
Report To: The Office of Student Life Canisius University
Compensation: $750.00 Stipend per academic year
Free Room / Single Room*
12 Meals a week (2 meal trades/week) + $275 Griff Bucks + $50 Griff Choice
Special Qualifications: GPA requirement of 2.5 by time of hiring; Organization skills;
Strong interpersonal and communication skills; Ability to work
within budget; Teamwork orientated; Willingness to develop
leadership skills;
Terms of Employment: Starting date begins mid-August 2025 to mid-May 2026
The Resident Assistant for The Office of Student Life positions
is multi-faceted in meeting the needs of the residential
community. This role requires tentatively 20hrs a week with the
expectation of the participation in weekday, evening,
overnight, and weekend duties as needed.
General Duties and Responsibilities:
Time Commitment Expectations
Attend and actively participate in all RA Training sessions, Staff Development programs, and other meetings as assigned, remote or in-person.
This includes but is not limited to: summer training (which occurs approximately two weeks before resident fall move-in), resident move-ins, fire drills, fire and safety room checks, open house, and residential buildings openings and closings.
Assist with and participate in New Griff Orientation.
Must be able to balance outside time commitments, including employment, clubs and organizations, any major offices or positions, and/ or athletics.
Participate in weekly staff meetings and individual meetings with the Hall Director.
Participate in overnight “on call” duty schedule, which includes duty office hours and rounds of the buildings; Inspects and monitors for safety, proper function, and compliance with policies in all areas of the residence hall facility including floors, laundry rooms, entry areas, emergency exits, stairways, and lounges. Inspection involves extensive walking, including stairs and areas, reporting findings.
Works/supports (a) the Room Selection Process and (b) RA Selection Process (c) Accepted Student Day and/or other campus events as assigned
Community Relations and Engagement:
Develops a positive relationship with residents who live on the floor or building, and make significant quality contact with each resident
Supports academic success and a positive learning environment.
Supports diversity and inclusive excellence in the community.
Creates and maintains passive education and community information bulletin boards as directed
Encourages residents to participate in University and community events and keep floor members informed through floor meetings, postings on bulletin boards and door-to-door interactions.
Engages residents in program planning and is responsible for provision of quality programs, consistent with departmental programming guidelines, each semester
Administrative:
RAs are expected to check school email accounts daily and group chat assigned via Hall Director and respond as necessary
Makes immediate direct contact via telephone with Hall Director or On Call Personnel anytime Public Safety or emergency personnel respond to an incident in the residence hall
Effectively communicates and reports student issues and concerns to appropriate members of the professional staff in a timely manner
Treats information with extreme sensitivity, while understanding that information must be shared with the properly designated administrator(s), including health information.
Write and submit incident reports immediately after an incident in accordance with departmental policy
Complete required paperwork including daily duty logs submitted to building Hall Director and On Call Personnel, and other paperwork as directed
Serves on Student Life committees/workgroups as directed by their Hall Director
RA Role Expectations:
Demonstrates thorough knowledge of, and ability to communicate, interpret, enforce, follow, and/or act on the rules, regulations, protocols, standard operating procedures and information and policies contained in the RA Manual, and information given during pertinent training sessions, staff meetings, and other departmental communication
Supports the policies and protocols of the University and department in word, action, and spirit.
Establishes and maintains harmonious relationships with residents and staff.
Behaves in an ethical manner, including exhibits personal integrity and routinely treating others with respect
Other related duties may be deemed appropriate and assigned by the Hall Directors, Associate Director of Student Life and/or designee.