Community Assistant

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain a welcoming attitude and positively represent the Office of Residential Experience and University of Lynchburg, both on and off campus
• Serve as emergency and essential personnel, as directed by the Office of Residential Experience and members of the University of Lynchburg administration
• Participate in ongoing training and professional development opportunities
• Participate in an on-duty rotation, which includes consistently confronting policy violations and safety concerns
• Participate in one-on-one meetings with their supervisor to report on progress, goals, and updates
• Attend and actively participate in weekly staff meetings as well as all other mandatory staff and committee meetings
• Implement initiatives as outlined in the Office of Residential Experience’s Residential Curriculum
• Facilitate community meetings as appropriate or required by the Office of Residential Experience
• Communicate upcoming news, events, and important information with residents
• Conduct Guided Conversations with residents and appropriate follow-up paperwork, as necessary
• Complete and follow-up on Residential Experience paperwork, which includes but may not be limited to: programming paperwork, incident reports, health and safety forms, and work orders
• Make appropriate referrals to campus partners and inform Residential Experience staff of updates/actions
• Assist in the Residential Experience staff recruitment and interview process
• Complete other duties as assigned

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

• Staff members must never misuse or lose staff keys:
• Staff members must never share their staff keys with residents or others not affiliated with the Office of Residential Experience.
• Submasters should always remain in the key box unless currently in use.  Failure to return the key in a timely manner will result in disciplinary action.
• Loss of any key should be reported to your direct supervisor immediately and any cost to remedy the issue will be charged to staff members.
• Staff members are expected to be on-campus and available for residents.  This should equal, roughly, 60% of our time outside of class/academic obligations.  To leave campus for an extended period of time, staff must first discuss with their supervisor.
• Staff members are privy to confidential and sensitive information that should not be shared with anyone other than their direct or indirect supervisor(s). This includes: verbal, non-verbal, and written, including social media outlets.
• Staff members must maintain appropriate relationships.
• Undergraduate students are not permitted to engage in romantic relationships, or otherwise compromising relationships, with staff members assigned to the same building/area staff, unless discussed with the supervisor.
• All staff members will follow any additional directives and requirements that their direct supervisor, on call personnel, and/or the Residential Experience professional staff deem necessary or appropriate.

ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS. 

• Community Assistants must maintain a 2.3 cumulative GPA.
• Staff members may not be on academic probation.
• If a staff member takes a leave from the university (personal or medical), their position on staff is not guaranteed upon their return. Residential Experience professional staff will examine each situation individually.

POLICY EXPECTATIONS

• Staff members may not be on disciplinary probation.
• Staff members must abide by all policies outlined in The Hornet.
• Staff members must use discretion and be responsible about participation in social gatherings or situations where alcohol is present or consumed.

LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS

• Staff members must serve as positive role models.
• Staff members must use good judgment with regards to engaging in social activities which may impair the staff member’s ability to do their job effectively.

INVOLVEMENT EXPECTATIONS

• Off campus positions must be discussed with supervisors before accepting and cannot exceed 10 hours a week
• Exceptions include: Employment during university breaks or with express permission from the Office of Residential Experience.This stipulation may change if guidance from Human Resources is given for federal/campus policies and laws
• Extracurricular activities must be carefully weighed with the respective Residential Experience position responsibilities and time commitment to ensure adequate attention to the job.

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY EXPECTATIONS

• For staff members under the age of 21, there should be no mention of alcohol or alcohol-related activities on social media.
• In no way should messages be conveyed that hinder the staff member’s ability to do their job effectively. This includes: written material, images, video, and audio.
• There should be no negative references with regards to the Residential Experience position or responsibilities.
• There should be no negative references, direct or indirect, about/to students or staff members.
• There should be no offensive materials posted or shared that would reflect poorly on the individual or department.

EMERGENCY AND ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL EXPECTATIONS

• Staff members may be required to remain on campus beyond the traditional dates of the staff contract.
• Staff members may be required to serve in on-call roles during non-traditional duty times.
• Staff members may be expected to implement programs or other responsibilities, as directed.
• Staff members may be expected to attend and/or hold additional staff and resident meetings.

RESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE IMPORTANT REQUIRED DATES

FALL 2026 DATES:

August 1-2:  Community Assistants Return

August 3: Staff training begins

August 20: First day of classes

October 8 at 9PM:  Residential Facilities will close for Fall Break

November 23 at 9PM: Residential Facilities will close for Thanksgiving Break

November 24 at 8AM: ORE Staff to close residential area for Thanksgiving Break; Staff will depart once closing of residential area is complete

December 12 at 9PM:  Residential Facilities will close for Winter Break

December 13 at 8AM: ORE Staff to close residential area for Winter Break; Staff will depart once closing of residential area is complete

SPRING 2027 DATES:

January 4: Community Assistants Return

January 7 at 10AM: Halls open for Spring 

January 4-6 : ORE Winter Training (if conflicting obligations, please communicate with supervisor)

February 26  at 9PM:  Residential facilities will close for Spring Break at 9PM

February 27 at 8AM: ORE staff to close residential area for Spring Break; Staff will depart once closing of residential area is complete

May 7 at 3pm: ORE Closing Staff Meeting

May 8: ORE staff may depart once closing of all residential areas is completed

FALL 2027 & SPRING 2028 TBD