If you have a master's degree, a free couple of years and like working with students, Student Affairs may be looking for you.
Administrators are set to begin recruitment this month for the nine residence coordinators who together will comprise the centerpiece of the new residential life plan. With a broad set of duties ranging from quadrangle programming to in-dorm academic services, the RCs will be full-time, live-in organizers of the quad-living concept.
"It's going to be a really encompassing position, and we hope it has a large impact on residential life," said Deb LoBiondo, the assistant dean of student development who is heading up the search. "My goal is that residence coordinators are seen as a wonderful resource, they're seen as someone who is there to help our students succeed in a number of ways, they're there as mentors who can help students work through issues, grow and develop in a number of ways."
The plan for hiring RCs arose last year as administrators and the Board of Trustees made several sweeping decisions on upperclass housing, including requiring all sophomores to live on West Campus beginning fall 2002, linking freshman dorms to upperclass residences and moving from a house-based system to one based on quads.
The minimum requirement for the positions will be a master's degree, preferably in a student affairs or another education-related field. LoBiondo said, however, that the applicant pool may end up being more diverse and the day-to-day activities of the RCs are still in flux.
The RCs will face a difficult challenge in defining roles that are without a strong precedent on campus, said senior Sean Young, residential life liaison for Duke Student Government.
"The residence coordinators that come in will definitely have to realize that because it's new for Duke, students are pretty skeptical as to their role and students are seeing this as additional enforcement of rules," he said. "Because it is their job to do residential life, I think there will be some skepticism as to how in touch with the student body they can be."
The official job description gives some hint about how RCs will be spending their time. They will assist with house courses, cultural events, faculty interaction, housing management and essentially any area of student life related to residences. They will also oversee residential advisors as well as area coordinators, which will be re-named "graduate assistants."
The starting salary for the positions will be between $24,000 and $28,000, plus living expenses. RCs may also work over the summer.
LoBiondo and other Student Affairs officials will attend four conferences and place advertisements in search of potential candidates. They hope to have all RCs--six on West and three on East Campus--in place by July.
Student groups will play a role in interviewing potential RCs who are brought to campus. Campus Council, quad councils, cultural groups and DSG may all participate in some form, LoBiondo said. Programming bodies like the quad councils--which, in the past, have appropriated about $500,000 in student funds annually--are expected to work closely with RCs in developing events and policy for residential life.
"We just want to make sure they've had some experience dealing with students in a residential atmosphere," said senior Vik Devisetty, president of Campus Council.
The RCs could be perhaps the most useful in facilitating ongoing student activities, said Young, who also cited a need to ensure access to the growing presence of academic and social support services.
"I would really like to see the residence coordinators play a more supportive logistical role in programming," he said. "One of the biggest barriers to a lot of programming is that it is just a lot of work."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.