Resident Advisor Selection

The Resident Advisor role is a student leadership position that involves living and working in a residence hall on campus. RA’s are responsible for building communities on their floors, providing resources to residents, developing programs for their floor, doing some administrative work, attending team meetings, and being on duty for their hall. The RA’s are supervised by a full-time professional staff member known as a Resident Director (RD). They serve on a team ranging from four to twelve RA’s, depending on the hall. RAs, on average, work approximately 20 hours a week.

Our student leader training process takes place at the start of each academic year and provides you with the information to challenge and teach you how to connect with the residential community. Training is required for student leaders, so you should plan accordingly. If you are unavailable for training, you will not be eligible to serve as a Resident Advisor.

Training topics will include:

• Community Building/Engagement
• Communication/Listening Skills
• Confrontation/Assertiveness Skills
• Crisis Response Skills
• Counseling/Conflict Mediation
• Leadership Styles
• Ethical Decision Making/Problem Solving
• Time Management/Self-Care and more

The Resident Advisor role is dynamic, in that it requires a lot of critical thinking, and students who are Resident Advisors can count on serving in a variety of different ways. For specific questions you can reach us at raselection@spelman.edu. In general, the RA role is focused in six topics:

Developing Resident Relationships—The RA will build meaningful relationships with individual residents within their floor and hall communities. Throughout the year, the RA will serve as resource gatherers, referral agents and peer counselors. The RA will employ effective listening skills while getting to know residents beyond the superficial level and helping connect residents within the residence hall communities. Our goal is to help residents learn life-management skills, to help them feel a sense of belonging, to have the confidence in their intellectual capacities, to clarify their attitudes and values, and ultimately, to assume responsibility for themselves as adults.

Building Inclusive Communities—The RA will work to create a safe, comfortable and inclusive environment where residents, guests and community members can study and have their basic needs met. Furthermore, the RA will be responsible for promoting a sense of belonging by establishing the foundations for a community.

Practicing Ethical Leadership—The RA will represent themselves and the department honestly and ethically. This includes maintaining privacy, respecting information that needs to be kept confidential, reporting information that must be shared to appropriate people, ensuring responsible use of resources, access and equipment, and making ethical decisions around College policies and state/federal laws.

Ensuring Safety and Security—The RA will help to maintain the safety and security of residents and residence hall facilities through fulfilling regular duty assignments as well as through their regular presence in their residence hall community. The RA will enforce the College's housing and residence life policies fairly and consistently, as well as respond to crises and notify appropriate personnel. The RA will assist in connecting residents with appropriate support.

Completing Administrative Tasks—The RA will assist in the smooth operation of the residence hall, as administrative tasks are important to the overall operation of the hall and connection with students. The RA will complete administrative tasks in a thorough, accurate and timely manner as directed by their supervisor and/or other housing staff.

Active Team Player—The RA will function as a member of an RA team and the department. The RA will be a contributing member of a team by respecting and supporting others and working effectively within a group. The RA will be expected to support members of a diverse team that includes other areas of housing as well as campus partners.

The Office of Housing and Residence Life seeks candidates who enjoy working in a community setting and are committed to fostering a living-learning community. Applicants must:

• Be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours at Spelman College.
• Have a minimum cumulative and semester GPA of 2.75 or higher to apply for and retain the role.
• Have a clean student conduct record.

Employment opportunities in addition to the RA role must not interfere with RA responsibilities and require supervisor approval prior to starting.

Compensation for the Resident Advisor role is as follows:

• Guaranteed housing
• RAs receive a free single room

The nature of the RA role is such that its responsibilities are determined not so much by a time clock or a calendar, but by the needs of residents. Some periods, such as training, opening and closing, will require more time than average, but other responsibilities will arise that cannot always be anticipated and scheduled. Key time commitments include:

Duty—The RA will work approximately one duty night a week and one duty weekend a month. Duty entails staying in the hall between 5 p.m. and 8:59 a.m. on the date you are on duty; being accessible via phone; walking the building to do security checks; and responding to any issue, incident or needs that arise. In addition, the RA is expected to share duty responsibilities over break time when the halls remain open (Thanksgiving, spring break, fall break, MLK weekend, Easter, etc.).

Openings, Closings, and Breaks — The RA plays a fundamental role in getting the halls ready to open and in closing them down for breaks and at the end of the school year. As such, RAs arrive early and depart late during fall break, Thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break, and stay later at the end of the year when the buildings close.

RA Training—In the fall, mandatory RA training begins approximately two weeks before classes begin and continues through the beginning of the fall semester. The training schedule often runs all day and includes evening responsibilities for prepping the hall.

Regular Meetings—Meetings include mandatory weekly team meetings (Tuesdays, 7 - 9 p.m.) and weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with hall supervisors.

Due to the competitive nature of the role, Residence Life cannot place every RA candidate who is deemed hirable. Due to this, we maintain an alternate list of candidates who may be selected at any time during the year should a vacancy occur.

Only if you are interested in living on campus, regardless of the outcome of being selected as a Resident Advisor. All candidates must submit a housing application.

No. Resident Advisors are hired for the role in both on-campus residence halls and off-campus Spelman-sponsored housing. During the application process, you can express your interest in halls; however, placements are not limited to this interest alone.

No. The Resident Advisor role is a yearlong commitment. There is a reappointment process that takes place each year, should you be interested in returning to the role.

Yes! Students who are abroad during the current Fall and/or Spring semesters are eligible to apply for an RA position for the upcoming academic year.

Yes. The RA role is a one-year position. Anyone interested in serving again must apply, interview, and be rehired as an RA.

No. Information sessions are mandatory for consideration in the 2026-2027 selection process. There are 15 interest sessions being held from October 13 to November 14 across campus. Information session dates and locations are at the top of this page.

Unfortunately, no. Due to the size and scope of the Residence Life program, Resident Advisors are required to attend team meetings and training during the timelines outlined in the selection process. Information covered in Tuesday night team meetings and August training is imperative to the success of RAs, the Residence Life program, and the student residential experience.

Candidates are encouraged to consult with their academic programs about required classes, as some programs have prerequisites that may preclude candidates from serving in the RA role. If a candidate is selected and has a conflict that prevents them from attending Tuesday night team meetings or the August training, the candidate may be asked to resign their role.