Student Leader Roles

“The challenge these days, is to be somewhere, to belong to some particular place, invest oneself in it, draw strength and courage from it, to dwell in a community.”

bell hooks
Welcome

This page is dedicated to unpacking the Residence Life Student Staff, including the different student leadership opportunities available through this program, the way these roles come together in support of student residential communities, and the values this team engages in the service of equity, inclusion, and belonging. On this page, you will find abridged position descriptions, links to full PDF descriptions, and insights into what we believe are some of the most valuable and transferrable Residence Life skills. But first, a quick overview of the staff structure!

Student Staff Overview

The Residence Life Staff is made up of three primary roles: Junior Advisors, Community Advisors, and Team Leaders. At their core, these three positions are quite similar. Each role supports and lives in a designated residential area with the students they support. Where these roles diverge is in their fundamental relationships with the residents they support, and in their relationships with each other.

Junior Advisors live in a first-year center and support first-year students. In addition to working with the 10-20 first-years, Junior Advisors are also part of a formal advising structure that includes Academic Advisors and Student Support Advisors. Students in this role are supported in fostering intentional relationships with their first-year residents. The hope is to build the kinds of relationships that can help smooth a first-year student’s transition to communal living, adapt to more rigorous academic requirements, and find balance experiences that are competing for time.

Position Description

JAs help to build residential communities that support students’ personal growth by fostering inclusive living environments grounded in the principles of racial and social justice, ethics of care, health promotion perspectives, and peer-to-peer support. JAs help to build these communities by supporting first-year students as they transition to college.

Every JA is responsible for a small, close-knit community of first-year students known as a first-year center (FYC) where they live and work to holistically support each student by connecting them with on-campus resources, mediating residential conflicts, and recognizing that everyone’s needs are informed by their unique experiences, identities, and expectations.

As part of a formal student advising structure that includes Academic Advisors and Student Support Advisors, Junior Advisors play a critical role in helping students thrive as members of the Bates Community.

  • Support the students that make up your first-year center (FYC)
  • Be available to your first-year residents as a peer advisor
  • Connect residents with campus resources and extracurricular opportunities
  • Foster socially just and inclusive living environments
  • Facilitate engagement opportunities for residents (i.e. programs)
  • Mediate residential conflicts with humility and empathy
  • Uphold College-wide community standards and rules
  • Uphold community standards unique to your FYC
  • Act as a steward of the physical spaces of your FYC
  • Serve as liaison between your FYC and administrative offices including Residence Life and Health Education, Campus Life, and Health Services
  • Maintain collaborative relationships with Custodial Services, Campus Safety, and Environmental Health & Safety to address instances of residential damage, messiness, and community disruption
  • Attend weekly All-Staff meetings (Tuesdays @ 12:00pm)
  • Attend all pre-term training and onboarding sessions
  1. Submit employment forms in a timely manner
  2. Complete required summer readings and assessments
  3. Attend all required training sessions, including:
    • Pre-orientation staff training in August
    • Pre-winter semester training in January
  4. Attend weekly staff meetings (Tuesdays @ 12:00pm)
  5. Meet regularly with JA Team and JA Team Leader
  • Must be a rising sophomore, rising junior, or rising senior
  • No prior residential or work experience required
Link to Full Description (PDF)

Community Advisors on the other hand live in houses and halls with upper-class students (sophomores, juniors, seniors) and work to support communities. Although Community Advisors are not part of a formal advising structure, they still do a great deal of community advising, peer mentoring, and resource referral through more informal relationships with their residents. Community Advisors are also trained to have a broader lens for the health and wellness of large communities — from individuals and roommates to larger social dynamics within buildings of 100 residents or more.

Position Description

*Previously known as Residence Coordinator (RC) through 2022

CAs help build residential communities that support students’ personal growth by fostering inclusive living environments grounded in racial and social justice principles, ethics of care, and peer-to-peer support. Acting as informal advisors, CAs work to holistically support their residents in navigating Bates College by connecting them with on-campus resources, mediating residential conflicts, and recognizing that each resident’s needs are informed by their unique set of experiences, identities, and expectations. CAs are also responsible for facilitating limited engagement opportunities for residents, maintaining collaborative relationships with campus partners, and acting as a liaison between their residential community and the rest of the campus.

  • Support the residents of one or more halls or houses
  • Be available to residents as an informal peer advisor
  • Connect residents with campus resources
  • Foster socially just and inclusive living environments
  • Facilitate engagement opportunities for residents
  • Manage and mediate residential conflicts with humility and empathy
  • Uphold College-wide community standards and rules
  • Uphold community standards unique to your residential community
  • Act as a steward of the physical spaces of your residential community
  • Maintain collaborative relationships with Custodial Services, Campus Safety, and Environmental Health & Safety to address instances of residential damage, messiness, and disarray
  • Serve as liaison between your residential community and administrative offices including Residence Life and Health Education, Campus Life, and Health Services
  • Attend weekly All-Staff meetings (Tuesdays @ 12:00pm)
  • Attend all pre-term training and onboarding sessions
  1. Submit employment forms in a timely manner
  2. Complete required summer readings and assessments
  3. Attend all required training sessions, including:
    • Pre-orientation fall staff training
    • Pre-winter semester training
  4. Attend weekly staff meetings
  5. Meet regularly with CA Community and/or CA Team Leader

Must have experience living in an upper-class residence

Link to Full Description (PDF)

Team Leaders are the final role of the Residence Life Staff. In addition to performing the duties of a CA, Team Leaders also support and mentor a small group of either Junior Advisors or Community Advisors. The Junior Advisor teams are typically divided into buildings, while the Community Advisor teams are usually grouped into Halls and Houses. The charge of Team Leaders is to foster a professional community of practice where staff members can collaborate, problem solves, share resources, and find comradery in the highs and lows of Residence Life work.

While all Residence Life Staff members are classified as either Junior Advisors (JAs) or Community Advisors (CAs), returning applicants are also eligible for the expanded role of Team Leader. All Team Leaders are Community Advisors (with all of the responsibilities thereof) who have the additional task of leading a team of Junior Advisors or Community Advisors.

These peer supervisory positions are intended to help Junior Advisors and Community Advisors to utilize their full breadth of insight and experience while building residential communities and supporting residents. These roles serve as peer mentors, advisors, support resources, team and professional community builders, collaborators, problem-solving partners, and accountability partners for members of their teams.

Position Description

In addition to the typical duties of a Community Advisor, a Team Leader also works to support a team of Junior Advisors or Community Advisors. TLs are responsible for fostering a collegial and supportive work environment among fellow staff and students, for encouraging the formation of a professional community, and are required to be visible and accessible in support of members of their residential community.

Duties and Responsibilities (Abridged)

  • Assist in facilitating staff training modules
  • Hold regular team meetings (weekly or bi-weekly)
  • Check-in regularly with individual team members (JAs/CAs) and other residents
  • Be available to provide professional support to JAs/CAs
  • Offer thoughtful professional feedback to JAs/CAs
  • Meet weekly with a professional Residence Life mentor
  • Co-facilitate self-evaluations and reflection meetings with team members

Prerequisite

  • Must have at least 1 year of experience as a Junior Advisor or Community Advisor
Link to Full Description (PDF)