Resident Assistants (Spring 2023)

• RA Position Description (PDF)
• A Week In the Life of a Barnard RA (PDF)

• RAs have the ability to impact the lives of many students
• RAs have the opportunity to gain invaluable student leadership experience
• The compensation for the RA position includes:
  • a single occupancy room
  • for the 2022-23 academic year, all RAs will receive the Flex 150 or the comparable meal plan. Communication about the ability to upgrade will be communicated closer to the Fall 2022 billing period. RAs will not be allowed to downgrade.

Current first years are not able to apply to be mid-year RAs for Spring 2023, but will be welcome to apply for the 2023-24 when those applications open in the Spring.

Our expectation for RAs is that their academics come first; the RA job comes second, and any extracurricular activities and outside work comes third. We recognize that as a student leader you may wear many hats, including involvement in student organizations, internships, research, working a part-time job, etc. While we encourage our staff to be involved at Barnard and beyond, we expect our staff to be realistic with how many outside commitments they take on. Any outside commitments over 10 hours per week must be approved by our professional staff.

For the first year as an RA you must commit to being in the position for the entire academic year (both Fall and Spring semesters). If you return to the position for a second year, you may be able to arrange a study abroad opportunity as approved by the Senior Associate Director; however, this may not be possible in all cases.

While there is no hard and fast rule, it is our expectation that RAs are here for their residents, building community, and being a presence on campus. With that being said, it's healthy and expected for you to be able to take some time away from campus (including a few full weekends). You will find that your commitments to the RA position (Duty, weekend programming, community building, etc.) will keep you on campus for the majority of the weekends of each semester. It would be unrealistic for an RA to be gone every or every other weekend.

We believe that your experiences make you who you are. We have all made a bad decision from time to time. As long as you're not currently on residence hall probation, you are able to apply! Our hope is that students learn from their experience if found responsible for policy violations and make positive changes in their behavior.

Because there are a lot of factors which can impact financial aid eligibility, we encourage all applicants to check with the Financial Aid office before accepting a position, in order to see if their aid package could be negatively affected. To schedule an appointment, please visit their website at barnard.edu/finaid to view their drop-in hours or call 212-854-2154 to schedule an appointment. Please note that there is a short amount of time between being offered the RA position and the date you need to accept/decline.

• Speak with current RAs to learn about their experiences.
• Set up a time to meet your Residence Hall Coordinator and/or Community Director. They can share their experiences with you and encourage you to find ways to get involved in your residence hall and the Barnard community.
• Have conversations with family, friends, and past supervisors about your strengths & weaknesses. This will help you have a better understanding of your abilities.
• Beyond Barnard provides opportunities for resume building and interviewing skills. Seek them out!