Department:Housing and Residence

Supervisor: Eddie Szeman

Office Location: Chase Hall 217

Email: eszeman@bates.edu

Hours: 5

Workers: 20

***Residential Community Building*** • Support a community of 50 to 100 upperclass students residents as a community advisor, helping establish and maintain community norms and values. • Act as a peer mentor and role model to help upperclass student residents navigate complex social and diverse College policies related to the unique challenges of cohabitation. • Connect with residents via email introduction prior to arrival and prepare them to play an intentional role in community building by setting expectations and hanging informational signs. • Foster relationships between residents and other members of the Bates community (e.g. first-year students) to help celebrate difference and to encourage a sense of belonging. • Build socially just and inclusive residential communities by facilitating meaningful conversations around roommate agreements, residential norms, community expectations, and mediation strategies. • Live within the residential community and spend meaningful time in common spaces, being prepared to support residents as their needs and your availability dictate during non-business hours. • Maintain personal boundaries appropriate for a paraprofessional worker and an agent of the College. ***Community Intervention & Support*** • Approach residential concerns and interactions with humility, empathy, and an active desire to learn from different perspectives, experiences, and from mistakes. • Manage conflicts and mediations with an inclusive and empathetic approach, helping both sides feel heard and guiding residents through the process of generating realistic strategies and solutions. • Collaborate with the Coordinators/Directors/Deans in the Office of Residence Life and Health Education to resolve persistent or escalating residential issues. • Issue informal warnings, including simple explanations of policies, to residents and guests where violations of Code of Student Conduct or Residential Regulations have occurred. • Refer individuals and/or groups to the Office of Residence Life and Health Education or other student-facing offices where higher-level support or more formal conduct processes are needed. • Work with other members of the Residence Life Staff in investigating and resolving documented dorm damage, significant or persistent mess, and/or instances of community disruption. ***Residential Programming*** • Facilitate the required numbers and types of extracurricular and educational engagement opportunities (programs) to foster relationship building, community connection, and meaningful dialogue around relevant student issues. • Collaborate with other student members of the Residence Life staff to facilitate multi-community and/or crossover engagement opportunities. • Consult with the Coordinators/Directors/Deans of the Office of Residence Life and Health Education to develop ideas and content for engagement opportunities. • Manage a semesterly programming budget as determined by specific residential placements and community size. • Meet with residents regularly to meet the semesterly requirement for Cat Chats (formal or informal one-on-one opportunities to build authentic relationships with residents). • Complete monthly reflections to assess facilitated programs, to report progress toward Cat Chat requirements, and to provide feedback regarding Residence Life staff experiences. ***Personal / Professional Development*** • Participate fully in mandatory staff trainings, including pre-arrival training sessions in August/January and in-semester trainings during the fall and winter terms. • Attend weekly Residence Life staff meetings (Tuesdays from 12:00 – 1:00pm) to discuss ongoing and/or emergent residential issues, encourage team bonding, and foster meaningful interpersonal connections. • Attend one (1) leadership-focused event or complete one (1) leadership-focused course outside of Residence Life training sessions during the academic year. • Attend one (1) bystander intervention, anti-racism, or equity-focused event or training session outside of Residence Life training sessions and Green Dot training sessions during the academic year. • Meet with a professional staff member (Area Director) in the Office of Residence Life and Health Education at least once per semester to attend to personal and professional development needs. ***Collaboration*** • Establish positive and mutually respectful relationships with custodial workers to effectively and collaboratively address safety hazards, cleaning needs, and/or relevant community behaviors. • Assist with First-Year Orientation and arrival programs and events, including hosting regular meals and intentional community meetings during Orientation week. • Support, promote, and attend college-sponsored programming for first-year students with first-year center residents when possible. • Maintain regular communication with designated Area Director. Attend mandatory meetings with designated Area Director throughout the semester. • Participate in team projects that enhance the quality and efficiency of the Office of Residence Life and Health Education.

• There are no experience-based requirements to be a Community Advisor; however, many applicants benefit from prior experience living in mixed-year or upper-class student housing. • Applications must be submitted online via the Residence Life website. https://www.bates.edu/housing/reslife-apply/ • Applications must include two (2) references, including one (1) reference from a current professional staff or faculty member and one (1) reference from a current or former student member of the Residence Life staff. • Applications must include a simple resume and cover letter formatted as a PDF and uploaded to the application.

Community Advisors receive three layers of supervisory support from a Residence Coordinator Team Leader, an Area Director, and the Assistant Director of Residence Life. • Community Advisors are also part of a residential team typically divided into Residential Halls and Residential Houses. Staff members are expected to collaborate with other CAs on their team as opportunity and necessity dictate. • Community Advisors work closely with other offices in Student Affairs, particularly as liaisons to help connect students with relevant resources. • Community Advisors are also expected to maintain collegial and collaborative working relationships with professional Residence Life Coordinators (RLCs), Custodians, and other professionals at the College who work to support students in residences.