Community Assistant Job Description
The Community Assistant (CA) position partners with Resident Assistants and building leadership to support learning communities and hall operations. Learning community support includes focused programming for the communities in the hall, meeting with students, and working with community collaborators. Hall support includes working at the hall office and front desk, and serving on weekend and break duty rotations. The position requires a self-directed individual who is able to assume a variety of roles as dictated by the changing needs of students and the hall. There is one CA per building with a learning community.
Position requirements
Housing and Residence Life seeks candidates who enjoy working in a team setting and want to shape students’ experience at WMU. Applicants must:
Be enrolled a minimum of 6 credit hours at Western ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ University.
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.6 or higher to apply for and retain the position.
Have lived in on-campus housing for at least two semesters (at any college or university). Note: the current semester counts as one semester, e.g. first-year students are eligible if they live in the residence halls for the fall and spring semesters and want to apply for the following academic year.
Have obtained 16 credits at a college or university by the end of the semester prior to beginning employment (e.g. by the end of spring semester for a fall position). Credits obtained do not include AP or credits obtained while in high school).
The CA position is equivalent to 20 hours per week. Any additional employment may not exceed 10 hours and must be approved by Housing. Outside employment must not interfere with the CA responsibilities.
Applications will not be accepted or interviews scheduled for anyone not meeting the above criteria.
Position responsibilities
CAs are responsible for the following key areas:
Learning Community Support —CAs create programs and activities designed to meet the needs of learning community residents. This includes working with community collaborators to provide resources and host events in the hall. CAs support students with the transition to college and setting up positive habits to lead to academic success.
Resource and Education—CAs connect residents to other campus opportunities to promote a positive WMU experience. CAs also serve as a referral agent to other campus resources such as the counseling center, Academic Resource Center, etc.
Hall operations—CAs assist with hall processes, including shifts at the hall office and front desk.
Safety/emergency response—CAs are attentive to resident safety and hall security, as well as ensure residents follow University and housing policies to maintain a respectful environment. While CAs are only in the weekend duty rotation, they are expected to assist with emergency response whenever they are in the building.
Administrative Tasks—CAs are required to complete weekly reports and other department paperwork.
Other duties as assigned—This position is one that steps in to assist with hall operations and changing student needs. As such, new projects may arise that are not outlined above.
Remuneration
Housing in a single room.
Bronco Gold Meal plan.
$500/semester stipend.
Time commitment
The nature of the CA position is such that its responsibilities are determined not so much by a time clock or a calendar, but by the needs of the learning communities and the hall. 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:
Desk shift—Work a weekly three-hour desk shift.
Hall office—Work five hours per week in the hall office.
Duty—Work one duty weekend (5 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Monday) about once a month. Duty entails staying in the hall to be accessible, walking the building to do security checks and responding to any issue, incident or need. In addition, staff is expected to share duty responsibilities over break time when the halls remain open (Fall break, Thanksgiving break, MLK weekend, Spring break, Easter, etc.).
Opening, closing and breaks—CAs serve a facility role in getting the halls ready to open and closing them down for breaks and at the end of the school year. As such, CAs arrive early and depart late at Thanksgiving, winter, fall and spring breaks, as well as stay two days after the halls close in April.
CA training—In the fall, staff arrive two weeks before new student move-in. Training schedule goes from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and includes evening responsibilities for prepping the hall. A shorter version of training also happens in January.
Regular meetings—Meetings include weekly staff meetings (two hours), weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with hall supervisors, and meetings with learning community leadership teams.
Weekends away—CAs are eligible to request weekends and nights away with approval of their hall director.