Summer Session RA Position Description

Resident Advisor Position Description

2025 Residential Leadership Position Description: Summer Session Resident Advisor (RA) 

A Summer Session Resident Advisor (RA) (hereinafter referred to as RA) is a live-in student leader who works within the Summer Session residential communities to carry out the mission and values of Cornell University and Housing and Residential Life (HRL) 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 known as Community Hours
    • Community Hours are held Monday through Friday 10 AM EST – 12 PM EST (noon), and 8 PM EST – 10 PM EST.
  • Facilitating activities and interactions amongst residents;
  • One-on-one meetings with their supervisor during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST; and
  • Attending and participating in a weekly team meeting held on Wednesdays, 5:15 PM EST – 6:45 PM EST. 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 residents.
• RAs are to actively participate in RA training and resident Move-in and Move-out.
  • This time commitment varies from the weekly 20-hours commitment during these times.
  • Specifics around training and Move-in and Move-out times and dates will be shared within the Student Leadership Position Agreement.
• Outside work or enrolling in a class are permitted with this position and MUST be approved by the Residence Hall Director for Summer Sessions in advance. Other outside commitments will also need to be discussed and approved by the Residence Hall Director for Summer Session  
• The 2025 Summer Session RA appointment dates will be included in the Student Leadership Position Agreement and are as follows:
  • May 18, 2025, 9:00 AM EST - 5:00 PM EST: Summer Session RA Move-in
  • May 19, 2025 – August 9, 2025: Summer Session RA Dates of Appointment
    • May 19, 2025 – May 23, 2025: Summer Session RA Training
    • August 10, 2025:, Summer Session RA move-out.  RAs have until 12:00 PM EST to vacate the community.
• To ensure resident needs are met, RAs must be present when 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 their supervisor's direction.
  • Summer Session RAs will provide on-call support during any holidays, which includes participating in 7:00 PM – 7:00 PM EST (24-hour) shifts while the University and HRL offices are closed. Holidays include:
    • Memorial Day: May 26, 2025
    • Juneteenth: June 19, 2025
    • Independence Day: July 4, 2025
• Note: These dates are subject to modification in accordance with academic calendar and office hour changes.  The dates above are not all-inclusive and the agreement will include additional important dates within the date of employment (e.g. Move-in, Move-out [Closing], training, holidays and breaks during which RAs need to be present in community fulfilling role responsibilities).  

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 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 reestablished expectations, discussing impact, repairing harm and relationships), while being supported by full-time staff (Residence Hall Director, Area Coordinator, Assistant/Associate Director, Cornell University Policy Department, etc.)
• Meet on-call responsibilities while serving on an overnight on-call rotation on weekdays, a 24-hour on-call rotation on weekends, and a 24 hour on-call rotation on the above holidays.
  • On-call responsibilities include, but are not limited, to:
    • Picking the on-call phone up promptly at the start of each on-call shift;.
    • Keeping track of the dates of your on-call shifts;.
    • Answering phone calls from residents, full-time Housing and Residential Life staff, campus partners, etc.;
    • Community walkthroughs; and
    • Addressing concerns.
    • While on-call, RAs may not be further than 15 minutes from their community 7:00 PM EST – 9:00 PM EST.
    • While on-call, RAs must be in their community 9:00 PM EST – 9:00 AM EST.
    • If serving on-call during the day (due to university closure, holidays, or 24-hour on-call on weekends), RAs may not be further than 15 minutes from their community 8:00 AM EST – 7:00 PM EST.
• Maintain the Community Living Standards, Student Code of Conduct, andHRL 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.
• Attend and participate in mandatory bi-weekly one-on-one in-person meetings with their supervisor and weekly in-person team meetings on Wednesdays from 5:15 PM EST to 6:45 PM EST.
  • 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 training is mandatory.
  • Note: One-on-one meetings occur bi-weekly but can occur more frequently at the discretion of the supervisor.
• Support residential Move-in and Move-out processes at the beginning and end of the summer session.  

Supervision

RAs receive direct supervision from the Summer Sessions Residence Hall Director (RHD), 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

• Applicants must be Academic Year Cornell students.  Applicants who are only attending Cornell for the summer are not eligible for the role.
• Prior to the position start date, Resident Advisor applicants must have completed at least two (2) semesters (not including a summer or winter term) of college or university coursework, post-high school graduation.
• 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.
  • 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 the Spring semester.
  • Applicants who are extended RA offers and fail to meet the GPA requirement at the end of the Spring 20254 semester will no longer be eligible for the position.
  • Transfer students that wish to apply for the role must have completed at least 1 academic semester at Cornell and will be asked to present their official or unofficial transcripts from their previously attended institution(s).
  • 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.)
• Summer Session RA appointments are for one (1) Summer and applicants must be able to commit to the entirety of the appointment dates.
• 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 Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and must comply with all University, local, New York state, 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.
  • Applicants offered a position must clear a background check to maintain the role.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant and RA to notify the HRL 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, removal from the position.
• Applicants within the 2025 Summer Session RA Selection Process who are not offered a position, or an alternate status will be removed from the 2025 Summer Session RA Selection cycle.   
• Applicants within the 2025 Summer Session RA Selection Process who are offered a position or an alternate status which they decline, will be removed from the 2025 Summer Session RA Selection cycle.   

Remuneration

• RA position remuneration includes
  • A single room
  • A stipend distributed semi-monthly throughout the appointment.
    • Stipends are subject to taxation. The remuneration may not be adjusted or allotted in other ways.  
    • Semi-monthly stipend totaling $2,880. The stipend is subject to proration in the instance of late arrival or early departure.   
  • A microfridge (owned by HRL) that remains in the room
  • The remuneration may not be adjusted or allotted in other ways