Residence Life is a great place to meet people, learn about yourself and others, and give back to the community. There are a variety of ways to get involved in residence life including, becoming a Resident Assistant, getting involved in RHA and Block Council, or recognizing the great work of others through NRHH.
Student Leadership
Block Council: A group of students who organize and implement activities for students within a block or smaller area of residence halls. Block Council members are selected each year and the council is advised by their prospective RHA Executive Board member. Responsibilities of Block Council members include attending RHA General Assembly, programming for your block, running Block Council meetings, and more. If you are interested in being involved with RHA please speak to your RA or another professional member of the housing staff for more information.Residence Hall Association (RHA): RHA is a group of elected representatives from each of the residence halls. RHA is led by an elected Executive Board and is involved in residence hall programs, community service events, and the review of residence hall policies. A member of the Office of Housing and Residence Life serves as the advisor to RHA. The President of RHA is elected and serves on the Senior Management Team of the Dept. of Housing and Residence Life and has an office in the department to better advocate for and represent resident opinions, concerns and needs.
Resident Assistant (RA): A student-leader who lives in the residence hall with residents. RAs are selected and trained to help residents develop a positive living, study and social environment. RAs assist students with personal and academic concerns, organize social and educational activities and serve as a general resource for their residents.
Assistant Residence Director (ARD): An experienced student staff member and leader. The ARD assists the Residence Director with such things as RA supervision, serving on task forces within Housing and Residence Life, and aiding their RAs in programming efforts. The ARD reports directly to the Residence Director and provides for the management of the area in the Residence Director’s absence.
Professional Residence Life Staff to Know
Chaplain-in-Residence: The University assigns a Jesuit Priest, Religious Sister, lay person, or student chaplain to some residence halls. Jesuit and Lay Chaplains may also be serving as full-time staff, administrators or faculty members who wish to take the time to get to know students on a spiritual level. The primary reason for assigning a chaplain to a residence hall is to provide spiritual leadership to staff and students, along with being a resource for faith-based.Faculty-in-Residence: A faculty member is assigned to live in residence with students in the Living and Learning Center in Coughlin Hall. This person provides faculty access to the residents and works with the building staff to design meaningful programs related to specific living and learning focus.
Residence Director (RD): These are full-time, permanent professional level employees who possess at least a bachelor’s degree and most often a graduate level degree. These individuals live in the residence halls and supervise a block comprising of between 275 to 500 residents. The RD serves as the direct supervisor of the RAs, facilitates open lines of communication between Residence Hall Staff members and residents, and is concerned with developing an overall living-learning culture within the building.