Resident Advisor Position Description

2025-2026 Residential Leadership Position Description: Resident Advisor (RA)

A Resident Advisor (RA) is a live-in student leader who works to carry out the mission and values of Cornell University and Housing and Residential Life (HRL) within a residential community. RAs must commit to enhancing the overall residential experience of students at Cornell University by supporting the HRL Pillars (Belonging at Cornell, Social Responsibility, Academic Empowerment, Culture of Care, and Navigating Transition). RAs accomplish this by building community through intentional engagement, maintaining safety and security, and connecting residents to campus resources. RAs also build relationships with their team and full-time staff members to strengthen a sense of belonging in the community.

Time Commitment

• RAs can expect to be actively involved in the role as an RA for an average of 20 hours per week. The 20-hour per week commitment includes, but is not limited, to:
  • Building connections with residents;
    • This is inclusive of consistent and intentional interactions as well as pre-scheduled weekly structured time with residents for interactions. 
  • Facilitating activities and interactions amongst residents;
  • One-on-one meetings with their supervisor during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM; and
  • Attending and participating in a weekly team meeting held on Wednesdays, 5:15 PM – 6:45 PM. This weekly team meeting is a required part of the position and RAs should not schedule other commitments during this time.
• RAs participate in an on-call rotation to support the safety and security of residents.
• Prior to the start of classes and during the end of each semester, RA are to actively participate in August and January Student Leader training and Cornell University Fall and Spring Move-in and Move-out.
  • This time commitment varies from the weekly 20-hour commitment when the classes begin.
  • Specifics around training and Move-in and Move-out times and dates will be shared within the Student Leadership Position Agreement.
• RAs commit to a one (1) academic year commitment (both Fall and Spring semesters).

The 2025-2026 RA appointment dates will be included in the Student Leadership Position Agreement and are as follows:

• August 7, 2025: RAs move in between 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• August 8, 2025 – December 22, 2025: Dates of appointment
  • August 8, 2025 – August 15, 2025: August Student Leader Training 
  • August 16, 2025 – August 24, 2025: Supporting Cornell University Move-in and welcoming residents. 
  • December 21, 2025 – December 22, 2025: RAs assist with December Move-out (Closing) 
• December 22, 2025 – December 23, 2025: RAs have from 5:00 PM on December 22, 2025, until 12:00 PM on December 23, 2025, to vacate the community.
• January 12, 2026: RAs return to the community between 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• January 13, 2026 – May 20, 2026: Dates of appointment
  • January 13, 2026 – January 16, 2026: January Student Leader Training 
  • January 17, 2026 – January 19, 2026: Supporting Cornell University Move-in and welcoming residents. 
  • May 17, 2026 – May 20, 2026: RAs assist with May Move-out (Closing) 
• May 20, 2026 – May 21, 2026: RAs have between 5 PM on May 20, 2026, until 12:00 PM on May 21, 2026, to move out
• Note: These dates are subject to modification in accordance with academic calendar changes. The dates above are not all-inclusive and the agreement will include additional important dates within the date of appointment (e.g., Move-in, Move-out [Closing], training, holidays and breaks during which RAs need to be in community fulfilling role responsibilities).

To ensure resident needs are met, RAs are required to be present during times that the community remains open within the appointment dates listed above (including University breaks and holidays). RAs will work to create a coverage plan for breaks and holidays at the supervisor's direction.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with residents through intentional social interactions and educational programming.
• Facilitate ongoing individual and group interactions and meetings to build connections, set expectations, and address conflicts and concerns. 
• Maintain consistent availability to residents by being present and accessible within the community.
• Demonstrate a commitment to inclusion and sense of belonging for all residents by supporting educational awareness and fostering a sense of community, ownership, and respect.
• Assess and respond to the needs of residents through facilitating and supporting community engagement, informing the supervisor of needs, and connecting residents to campus resources.
• Respond to resident concerns and critical incidents with a restorative approach (listening,  revisiting and reestablishing expectations, discussing impact, repairing harm and relationships), while being supported by full-time staff (Residence Hall Director, Area Coordinator, Assistant Director, Cornell University Police Department, etc.)
• Meet on-call responsibilities while serving on an overnight on-call rotation.
• Maintain the Community Living Standards, Student Code of Conduct, HRL Housing License, and Cornell University Policies (e.g., University Policy 6.4) through proactive education and addressing and documenting concerns, while role modelling personal behavior consistent with all University, New York State, and federal laws, guidance, and policies.
• Maintain timely communication that is clear, concise, detailed, and aligns with policies and procedures with full-time staff, the RA team, and residents.
• Complete administrative responsibilities of the role within the provided deadlines.
• Demonstrate self-reflection and growth by engaging in and completing biweekly one-on-one documents and semesterly evaluations. 
• Attend and participate in mandatory one-on-one meetings with their supervisor and weekly team meetings on Wednesdays from 5:15 PM to 6:45 PM.
• Attend and participate in August and January Student Leader training (prior to the start of classes) the dates for which are August 8, 2025 – August 15, 2025, and January 13, 2026 – January 16, 2026, respectively. This is in addition to any continued development sessions (occurs during weekly team meeting) throughout the semesters. 
  • During these periods, RAs receive training on critical topics to support residents and build relationships with fellow team members and full-time staff. Attendance and participation in ALL trainings is mandatory.
• Support residential Move-in and Move-out processes at the beginning and end of each semester (Fall and Spring).
• RAs may hold no additional assistantships, fellowships, part-time jobs, or participate in extracurricular activities that would in any way interfere with the primary function of carrying out the responsibilities of an RA and/or the expectations of their building supervisor.  All outside or additional positions must be reported to, discussed with, and approved by the direct supervisor prior to accepting any such activity.  Additionally, RAs are unable to hold specific leadership positions, in addition to the Resident Advisor role, due to conflicting schedules or responsibilities: 
  • RA cannot serve as Resident Language Fellows in Language House. 
  • RAs cannot serve on the Executive Board of the Residence Hall Association (RHA).   
    • Note: RHA was formerly named Residential Student Congress (RSC). 
  • RAs cannot serve as Orientation Leaders. 
  • RAs cannot serve in a West House Campus live-on/in leadership position. 

Supervision

RAs receive direct supervision from a Residence Hall Director or Area Coordinator, a full-time HRL staff member, to support the HRL mission, values, goals, and objectives. RAs also receive indirect supervision from an HRL Assistant and/or Associate Director.

Eligibility Requirements

• Prior to the position start date, Resident Advisor applicants must have completed at least two (2) semesters (not including Winter or Summer semester) of college or university coursework, post-high school graduation.
  • Incoming transfer students will be asked to present their official or unofficial transcript from their previously attended institution(s).
• Applicants and current RAs must maintain a minimum semesterly and cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5. GPA checks are conducted during the selection process and throughout the RA appointment to ensure eligibility requirements are met and maintained.
  • Courses taken as pass/fail or credit/no credit will only be counted towards meeting the semesterly credit requirement (at least 12 credits); they will have no impact on GPA requirements. 
  • Winter and Summer semester will not count towards meeting the GPA requirement. 
  • Applicants who fail to meet the minimum GPA requirement will not be eligible to continue in the selection process.
  • Applicants who are in their first semester at Cornell and do not have a GPA at the time of application, are able to submit an application. GPA requirements will be checked at the end of Fall and Spring semester.
  • Applicants who are extended RA offers and fail to meet the GPA requirement at the end of the Spring semester will no longer be eligible for the position.
  • Incoming transfer students will be asked to present their official or unofficial transcript from the previously attended institution(s).
  • If a current RA fails to meet the minimum GPA requirement, they will have one probationary semester to work towards meeting the GPA eligibility requirement. At the end of the probationary semester, RAs must meet the GPA requirement in order to retain the position.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant and RA to notify the HRL Student Leader Selection Committee at hrl-sl-selection@cornell.edu regarding any special circumstance that may influence the GPA requirement (e.g., incompletes, grade changes, etc.)
• RAs must be a full-time enrolled student, completing at least 12 credits each semester throughout the dates of appointment.
  • Applicants must be actively enrolled as full-time students at Cornell University throughout the selection process which includes, but is not limited to, the time of application, status updates, and appointment. 
• RA appointments are for one (1) academic year and applicants must be able to commit to a full academic year, both Fall and Spring semester.
  • Current RAs intending to apply to the position for a subsequent year must participate in an application and evaluation process annually.
  • RAs may be reassigned by the department to different communities based on the needs of the student population and department.
• Applicants and current RAs must review and commit to the expectations and appointment dates listed in the “Time Commitment” section within this position description.  RAs must attend and participate in ALL August and January Student Leader training and weekly team meetings. 
• Applicants and current RAs are subject to all Cornell University regulations including, but not limited to, the Community Living Standards, Student Code of Conduct, Code of Academic Integrity, HRL Housing License, Cornell University Policies 6.3 and 6.4, the Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students under Cornell University Policy 6.4, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and must comply with all University, New York State, local, and federal policies or guidance.
  • Conduct status will be checked regularly by Housing and Residential Life, Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, and the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant and RA to notify H&RL Student Leader Selection Committee immediately of any changes to their status by emailing hrl-sl-selection@cornell.edu. Should inappropriate, negative, or prohibited conduct arise, appropriate follow-up will be taken, up to and including rescinding of position offer or removal from the position.
  • Applicants and current RAs who are offered a RA position should note that any behavior occurring prior to the start of the position appointment (e.g., summer, winter) or during position appointment dates that potentially violates any of the aforementioned conduct expectations could result in the rescinding of position offer or removal from the position.  
• Applicants who are offered a position and current RAs must successfully clear a background check to maintain the position. 
• Applicants within the 2025-2026 RA Selection Process who are not offered a position or an alternate status will be removed from the 2025-2026 RA Selection cycle. Applicants within the 2024-2025 RA Selection Process who are offered a position or an alternate status and decide to decline or do not meet the deadlines to accept, will be removed from the 2025-2026 RA Selection cycle. These applicants will need to apply during the next cycle: 2026-2027 RA Selection Process, to be considered for an RA position during the academic year (Fall and Spring Semester)
  • Note that the 2025 Summer RA Selection Process is separate from the academic cycle. Applicants can apply to this process regardless of the outcome of the 2025-2026 RA Selection cycle.

Remuneration

RA position remuneration includes a single room, a stipend distributed semi-monthly throughout the semester, and a MicroFridge (owned by HRL) that remains in the room. Stipends are subject to taxation. The remuneration may not be adjusted or allotted in other ways. 

Please consult with the Office of Financial Aid to learn how the position remuneration grant may impact your financial aid package. You should speak with the Office of Financial Aid before accepting the position.

*Only Fall and Spring semesters served as an HRL RA at Cornell University are considered.  Prior RA experience in other departments, such as the West Campus Housing System, or at other institutions, will not be considered when determining semesters as an RA for remuneration purposes.  Additional information and stipulations are included in the leadership agreement which is shared with a position offer.