Job Summary:
Resident Assistants (RA) significantly impact and influence student success and the residential experience at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus. Resident Assistants are student staff who work in the residential community in which they live. As an employee of Housing & Residential Education, RAs contribute to the mission of the University of South Florida through a curricular approach to learning in the residence halls. RAs implement various initiatives that facilitate student learning via the residential curriculum. They are peer educators who make our communities the best place to live, learn, and work. RAs engage students through our educational strategies and connecting them to campus resources. RAs emphasize academic engagement, interpersonal skills, wellness, and self-awareness and societal impact in their communities.
Housing & Residential Education Vision, Mission, and Motto:
Our Vision
Our dynamic residential experience produces proud USF Alumni and engaged global citizens.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to creating safe and welcoming residential communities that promote student success.
Our Motto
Best place to live. Best place to work. Best place to learn.
Nature of Work:
Please note, this list is not exhaustive, but some position responsibilities of RAs are as follows:
•Invest in the overall growth and welfare of each resident while facilitating a learning-centered environment that meets the desired outcomes of the residential curriculum.
•Remain available and accessible to residents virtually and in-person.
•Assist residents with personal, relational, social, cultural, emotional, and academic concerns while ensuring privacy, referring students to appropriate resources, and recognizing and reporting concerns and issues to supervisors.
•Serve on duty for the Sarasota-Manatee residential community outside of business hours and conduct rounds through the community.
•Consistently enforce policies without bias or malice.
•Recognize the talents and interests of residents while encouraging the exploration of new activities and skills.
•Educate residents about their roles and responsibilities in the community by explaining and utilizing community standards.
•Inform residents about campus and hall activities, including posting notices and keeping materials current.
•Utilize administrative tasks (i.e. Roommate Agreements, Fire, Health & Safety inspections, etc.) as a tool for education and intentional interactions with residents.
•Facilitate regular intentional conversations and community gatherings as outlined in the residential curriculum and in accordance with supervisor expectations.
•Support all academic and curricular events that contribute to student learning in the residence hall by attending and encouraging residents to attend and participate.
•Support Week of Welcome events in both the fall and spring semesters
.•Assess the needs of the community and encourage full participation and integration within the floor, hall, and community.
•Inform supervisor of community trends and issues through one-on-one conversations/meetings and weekly reports.
•Support and attend events planned by other staff members, Area Council, Student Success staff, and the Department of Housing & Residential Education.
•Participate in required trainings, meetings, evaluations, opening processes, and closing processes.
Minimum Qualifications:
Resident Assistants (RAs) are expected to promote student success by modeling the way, encouraging involvement, and advocating for inclusive communities while empowering their residents to achieve their goals. This is a significant responsibility. Therefore, 2025-26 new RAs must meet the following minimum qualifications in order to care for others while also caring for themselves:
•Participate fully in the RA selection process while demonstrating a capacity to serve as a successful RA. This includes timely completion of the application, and if you advance as a finalist, this also includes full participation in the activities and interview process.
•Maintain a 2.75 term and cumulative GPA during Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 of the 2025-26 academic year.
•Model behavior congruent with university and housing policies by maintaining good conduct standing with the university. As candidates in the selection process and while in the position, RAs cannot be on Conduct Probation or have outstanding sanctions.
•Commit to no more than twelve (12) hours of commitments outside of the RA position per week. These twelve (12) hours include no more than nine (9) hours of paid employment per week outside of the RA position. Outside commitments are defined as research assistantships, internships, extracurricular involvement, student organizations, practicum experiences, paid employment, etc. Off-campus employment is not permitted while serving in the RA position. International students are typically unable to hold additional on-campus employment appointments.
•RAs cannot hold outside commitments that interfere with their capacity to complete the responsibilities associated with the RA position. RAs are unable to hold outside commitments that interfere with Fall 2025 RA Training or Spring 2026 RA Refresh Training in any capacity. Outside commitments also cannot interfere with opening, closing, implementation of the residential curriculum, student support, weekly meetings, on-call responsibilities, and other job responsibilities.
•Attend and fully participate in Fall 2025 Student Success Staff Training, Fall 2025 RA Training, and Spring 2026 RA Refresh Training. Fall 2025 Student Success Staff Training is anticipated to be in August, and is still to be determined. Fall 2025 RA Training is anticipated to take place sometime between August 10, 2025 and August 24, 2025. Spring 2026 RA Refresh Training will be the start of January 2026. RAs must hold these days in their entirety.
•Sign a 2025-26 RA Agreement as a condition for employment. This document outlines expectations and policies associated with this position.
•Complete and pass a background check issued by the University of South Florida prior to serving as an RA.
•Be a current, full-time student at the University of South Florida (USF).
•Complete at least one full-time (fall or spring) semester at USF by the start of employment.
•Be 18 years of age by the start of employment.
Time Commitment:
The Resident Assistant (RA) position is an important position that positively influences student success. During the academic year, this significant responsibility requires approximately 20 hours of work each week in some of the following ways:
Resident Support (Implementation of the Residential Curriculum)
•Intentional conversations
•Community gatherings
•Events and programming
•Passive resources
Training and Ongoing Development
•Student Staff RA Training prior to the start of the fall semester (more than 20 hours/week)
•Student Staff RA Training prior to the start of the spring semester (more than 20 hours/week)
•Weekly, two-hour staff meetings
•Weekly meetings with supervisor (approximately 30 to 60 minutes each week)
Crisis Management
•On-call responsibilities
•Fire alarm reports
•Duty logs
•Connecting residents to campus and community resources
Administrative Functions
•Weekly reports
•Canvas assignments
•Emails, text message, and/or GroupMe communication with residents
This list is not inclusive of all responsibilities as the role of an RA varies dependent on community needs.
Residential Curriculum:
Housing & Residential Education supports student success via the implementation of a robust residential curriculum. It informs the work of every staff member within Housing & Residential Education, including Resident Assistants (RAs). Informed by theory, national research, and institutional data, staff members at all levels implement educational strategies to achieve university priorities. Our educational plan outlines strategic initiatives that facilitate student learning. This includes intentional conversations, community gatherings, events, and passive resources. These initiatives support the wellness, interpersonal skills, academic engagement, and self-awareness and societal impact of our residential students.
As a result, residents within our communities develop the habits and skills to support their success at USF and beyond while actualizing our educational priority.
Educational Priority
The educational priority clearly and briefly identifies the overarching results of the learning outcomes in a residential curriculum. The University of South Florida Housing & Residential Education’s residential curriculum is in support of the university and departmental strategic plans.
The curriculum priority states: At the conclusion of the residential experience, students will be holistically well, interpersonally skilled, academically engaged, and self-aware to make a positive societal impact.
Role of RAs in Implementation
RAs play a critical role in helping residents understand the value and impact of educational strategies within the residential curriculum.
We expect that RAs:
•Understand the purpose of the residential curriculum and its connection to student success
•Read and implement lesson plans with a high ethic of care for students
•Use creative methods to make it appealing and relevant to residents
•Complete the required assessment at the conclusion of every lesson plan
•Provide constructive, timely feedback to their supervisor
•Inform their supervisor of community trends, needs, and student concerns
Learning Goals
Wellness
Pursuing the development of the whole person, including physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual and financial well-being.
Our residents will accomplish this by:
•Identify habits to improve and maintain mental wellness
•Develop habits that contribute to physical wellness
•Gain skills to be successful on day-to-day life during and after college
•Discover personal strategies for transitioning through college
Interpersonal Skills
Engaging in communication skills that promote meaningful relationships and ownership of community.
Our residents will accomplish this by:
•Develop effective methods to communicate and build relationships
•Recognize systems of support that contribute to a sense of belonging
•Engage in experiences on campus and in the community
•Utilize various methods to prevent and manage conflict
Academic Engagement
Taking responsibility for one’s own learning by identifying and utilizing resources that contribute to one’s educational experience, goals, and campus engagement
Our residents will accomplish this by:
•Establish relationships with peers, faculty, and staff to enhance learning
•Integrate strategies to successfully achieve post-college plans
•Identify university resources and personal strategies to support academic success
•Formulate a plan to achieve academic persistence
Self-Awareness & Societal Impact
Developing personal awareness to guide cross-cultural interactions and a sense of responsibility to effect positive change with regard to local and global communities.
Our residents will accomplish this by:
•Discover personal values and beliefs
•Explore personal identities
•Engage in civic advocacy
•Understand the impact of cultural awareness
Candidate Timeline:
Housing & Residential Education seeks Resident Assistants (RAs) with strong critical thinking, helping, and reflection skills who effectively promote personal growth via intentional conversations and educational initiatives. Furthermore, Residential Education seeks individuals committed to building thriving communities rooted in student success, student learning, and inclusion.
Below is the selection timeline for new RAs applying to serve in these employment positions for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Application Deadline: February 28, 2025
Fully completed applications and materials are due by Friday, February 28, 2025.
Screening Process: Rolling Basis
As applications are received, candidates will be screened for those who meet the RA minimum qualifications and you will receive an email update about your candidacy in this selection process. You may be disqualified for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to: Failure to complete the application in accordance with outlined expectations, failure to meet GPA requirements, and/or failure to meet conduct expectations.
Mandatory RA Informational Session: February 10-23, 2025
To be eligible for the RA position, candidates must attend an informational session prior to submitting your application, as it will provide useful insights into the RA role, its requirements, and the expectations. An opportunity for a Question & Answer session with current RAs will be offered. The informational session will also provide useful insights to inform your application.
RA Interview Process: March 3-16, 2025
If you advance past the screening step of the selection process, you will receive an email instructing you to register for and attend an in-person interviews. You will need to register for an interview by the deadline outlined in the email you receive. The interviews will be approximately 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Finalists will only need to register for one session.
Hiring Decisions: Friday, March 28, 2025
Candidates selected for a Resident Assistant (RA) position in Atala Hall for the 2025-2026 academic year will be notified between Monday, March 24 and Friday, March 28, 2025 by the end of the day.
Move-In Date: August 2025
Selected RAs are expected to move into their on-campus RA assigned room in Atala Hall sometime after the first week in August 2025. A more specific date will be shared with selected RAs.
RA Training: August 10-24, 2025
Selected RAs are required to fully attend Fall RA Training, which is scheduled to take place sometime between August 10 and August 24, 2025. Further details and schedule will be provided to selected RAs.
If you have questions about this selection process, please contact Dr. Teeranai Ovathanasin at tovathanasin@usf.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
If your questions remain unanswered after reviewing the content below and the other pages about this selection process, please reach out via email to tovathanasin@usf.edu.
What is the minimum GPA needed to advance in the selection process for new 2025-26 Resident Assistants (RAs)?
New applicants must earn at least a 2.75 cumulative and term GPA at the conclusion of Spring 2025.
How many new RAs will you hire?
We will hire up to (4) RAs during the 2025-26 academic year, depending on the status of Returning RAs.
What happens during the Interview Process?
The interview process could consist of small activities and/or a traditional interview where the Student Staff Selection Committee can observe and evaluate the RA applicants. Staff could facilitate anywhere from one to three different activities that RAs implement in their daily work to support student success, or a traditional interview that would occur with the Selection Committee. It is the final step of the selection process.
What if I am not available during any portion of the 2025-26 RA Training?
If you are offered an RA position for the 2025-26 academic year, you are expected to attend the 2025-26 Resident Assistant Training. Exceptions to this expectation are approved on a case-by-case basis because of extenuating circumstances only.
How are RAs compensated for their work?
In Housing & Residential Education, RAs are given the tools to be successful in their respective positions. Living on campus is a condition of the RA position. As such, RAs are assigned a rent-free single room, which RAs must agree to live in as a condition of employment. RAs also receive a partial meal plan.
Can this affect my financial aid or scholarship award? How?
If hired as an RA, it may impact your financial aid or scholarship award(s). Since every student’s situation is different, the Student Staff Selection Committee encourages candidates to contact the Office of Financial Aid at (941) 359-4459 to understand the position’s impact on their award before applying for the position and/or before accepting the position.
What are the dates for mandatory training during the 2025-26 academic year?
2025-26 RAs are required to attend and fully participate in the Fall 2025 RA Training & Spring 2026 RA Refresh Training. Fall training is anticipated to be between August 10th and August 24th. Spring Refresh Training is anticipated to begin in January 2026, six or seven days before the start of the semester. RAs are expected to hold the entirety of these training days and evenings for training and/or opening responsibilities. Exceptions to these expectations are not made for academic reasons, study abroad experiences, other employment opportunities, internships, other leadership opportunities, etc.