Expectations

Colonia de la Paz is a three-story dorm with multiple courtyards and Southwest artifacts. Colonia de la Paz houses over 450 residents in a single or double occupancy style. When it comes to the RA staff, we have 19 Resident Assistants in the community.  When it comes to staffing, Colonia de la Paz has a Master Level Community Director and Bachelor Level Assistant Community Director that supervises, manages, and coordinates all things staff, building operations, and crisis response for the community.

• Beyond personal well-being and academics, this position (RA) must be your top priority

• You must complete all assigned job tasks and requirements with purpose, on-time, and with intentionality

• Respond to emails, texts, and phone calls promptly

• Be on time for all job-related areas such as duty, staff meetings, due dates, etc. Use the practice of early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable

• Use care when handling staff keys – lost keys could result in termination of employment

• Check your mailboxes daily

• When using email for communication, use professional structure and language

• GroupMe communication should never include resident identifying information and should be used for quick informal messages. Please use email when you need to send something about a resident or formal concern

• Communication is key – please communicate directly as a staff and with each other. You are expected to follow the 48-hour rule. If you have a concern, you should address it within 48 hours or forget about it

• Be confident in your role. Residents will seek out staff members with no confidence to get away with stuff. If you are not confident, residents will not follow your instructions

• Staff members should work collaboratively with, or at least support, the efforts of others

• Be friendly with residents, but not their friend

• Be consistent and willing to step up when needed

• No one has all the “right” answers – give everyone an opportunity to contribute to the group and encourage everyone to add to the group

• Be flexible and willing to change and compromise – large staffs must possess this skill

• Admit when you are wrong – we grow from our mistakes – the biggest mistake is making no mistakes

• Policies are not just there for you to enforce; they are there for you to follow and act as a role model

• Take pride in your role and community, this is your home

• You will be held accountable for all behavior within housing, regardless of the dorm you are in, make sound decisions and always think of the circle of impact

• Rumors and gossip will not be tolerated. This includes starting drama and talking poorly about residents and staff members

• Have fun! The more fun you have, the more effort you will want to put into the community, residents, etc.

• Strive to be a positive role model. Your actions, attitudes, and efforts will directly impact your community. You are the moment. 

• What you put into this role is what you will get out of it, including your community’s feel.

• Be available and accessible to all your residents. Be prompt at returning messages from residents. 

• Create a way to have your residents contact you; this could be via email or GroupMe, but never on a social media app like Snapchat or Instagram. Keep all communication as a group professional. A group chat is optional. 

• Encourage your residents to get active within the community such as Hall Council or other organizations. 

• You are required to have 1 resident from your wing to be on Hall Council. 

• Respect the confidentiality of residents and know your limits as a staff member and the role of a mandated reporter

• Be professional when you are interacting with residents and staff

• Be ethical concerning alcohol – you should not be drinking with underage residents and must follow local, state, and federal laws as well as adhere to the University and Housing policies regarding alcohol and drugs. Do not play around and find out – make educated decisions

• Do not respond to incidents under the influence. Let your supervisor know immediately, so they can support

• Participate fully in training sessions, staff meetings, and conversations. Sit close to the front of each training session and engage with the content

• Do not call residents kids or kiddos – even though they act like kids sometimes, they are college students. Refer to them as residents or students.

• Never share confidential information with residents or other staff members, including other RAs, DAs, CDs, etc.

• Be a team player. If another staff member needs help or assistance with something, step up and help. You are a team 100% of the time; support publicly, confront quickly, and always assume the best of each other

• Never be afraid to ask for help if you are confused or unsure about something

• Conflicts between staff must be addressed as quickly as possible – please include your supervisor for support

• Always ask for help, we are not mind readers and can only assist if you ask

• Respect. Period. Please show all staff member respect and expect respect in return

• If you need assistance with routine administrative tasks, or have questions, please take care of these needs during business or office hours

• Be supportive and respectful to the staff. Ultimately, we are all here to assist you in your role

• If a romantic relationship forms on staff or with a resident, you must notify your supervisor immediately for a conversation and discussion about your ability to do your job in the community

• CD and ACD will be available to assist and support each of you in any situation that you feel uncomfortable with and will be more than happy to answer any questions / address any issues. There will always be a CD on Call 24/7 should it be after hours

• Respect and honesty are a must with the CD/ACD. A sense of humor is always a good thing too

• We will be as transparent as possible with staff – some items we might not be able to share details due to confidentiality, but will do our best to share everything we can

• We are not mind readers. We can only help you all if we are aware of the situation. Communication is key and should be very transparent and often. We expect to hear from you almost daily in some capacity

• Your well-being is at the forefront of CD/ACDs mindset – we will never ask you to do something we would not do ourselves

• Understand that we will make decisions based on the information present at the time and may not be able to share details

• We will hold each of you accountable to expectations within LPAZ and across the department. Please ask questions about expectations and requirements proactively. 

• Communication after-hours should be limited to a minimum. Please do not expect a reply from your supervisor after business hours. You may reach out via text or email, but a reply may not come until the next business hours. If an emergency is happening, utilize the Community Director on Call. 

• Chain of Command: Direct Supervisor  Indirect Supervisor. Should you want some more assistance, you may contact Chuck’s supervisor.