Crown Residential Assistants

The hiring process for the 2019-2020 RA staff will begin with an RA Hiring Info session taking place at 9:30pm on Monday, December 3rd, 2018. All information below is for our previous hiring cycle, and is subject to change. 

What is an RA?

RAs (Residential Assistants) are student leaders who live in the communities they serve. RAs are the front line responders for most resident needs, and an RA's average day may change radically depending on what time of year it is, what challenges a given community is facing, or what type of students live in a given community. RAs may be assigned to work in either the Residence Halls or the Apartments, and would report to the supervising Coordinator for Residential Education (CRE) for either community. Shane Sanchez supervises the Apartment Community, and Rachel Stice supervises the Residence Halls. Feel free to email or Shane or Rachel if you have any specific questions.

In a nutshell, RAs partner with students to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities for lifelong engagement in caring and socially just communities! You can find the full 2018-2019 job desctiption here.

Who makes a good RA?

RAs ultimately serve communities made up of people from all walks of life. Ideally, the Crown RA staff will be as diverse as the communities they serve. In addition to embracing diverse backgrounds, there are some basic qualifications that must be met to be considered a candidate, but here are some of the important ones to start with:

• Must be full time student for the entire year of hire
• Must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA from the time of application throughout employment
• Must be in good student conduct standing (Good student conduct standing is defined as anything below probation, and after submitting an application, candidates must not be found responsible for any campus policy violation)
• Must have completed one year of college prior to start of position
• Enroll and pass a two-unit [leadership and training] class in the spring quarter prior to year of hire
• Complete Mental Health and First Aid (MHFA) Training/Certification, which will take place in Spring 2019.
• Be present for RA Fall training (approximately three weeks prior to student move-in)

In addition to the minimum qualifications listed above, some skills are particularly useful for RAs to have. Strong communication skills are key, as well as the ability to manage your time and commitments. Successful RAs often have experience facilitating group living (sports camp, music camp, etc), but such experience is not required.

Sometimes RAs are imagined to all be the bubbly, happy, crafty types. In reality, many different personalities are good fits for the RA team. Some RAs are boisterous, others are quiet. Some RAs enjoy large groups, others prefer one on one interactions. Some RAs are extraordinarily crafty, while others are more analytical. If you plan to apply for an RA role - just be yourself! We want to see who you are, and what your natural strengths are!

How do I apply to be an RA?

To be an RA for the 2019-2020 academic year, interested students will need to participate in the 2019 Crown RA hiring process. The hiring process includes the following bulleted items (detailed explanations/timeline below):

• Information Session
• Submission of RA Application
• Candidate Group Interview
• Candidate Individual Interview
• Position Offers & Formal Acceptance/Declination

Information Session - Do you have questions? Come get answers! We will review the Crown RA role, review the formal job description, and provide plenty of time for you to ask questions to the CREs, and more important, the RAs themselves. 

RA Application - Crown RA applicants must submit a completed Residential Assistant application, which will be due in January 2019 (specifics to follow as UCSC updates its Residential Assistant applications across campus) Failure to complete the form (per the included instructions) will result in a failure to move forward in our process. 

Group Process - All completed applications received by the deadline will be reviewed by the Crown CREs. Successful applicants will be invited to participate in a group interview. During the group process, candidates will be asked to participate in a number of activities. Graduating RAs and CREs will evaluate the interactions during those activities to learn how candidates approach communication and teamwork. Participation within this group process (dates To Be Determined) is required.

Individual Interviews - CREs will extend invitations to candidates who move forward after the group process to individually interview for the position. These individual interviews will be scheduled around each candidate's availability over a week (see dates below) and the availability of the CREs. The individual interview will provide an opportunity for candidates to share information about themselves; specifically about personal experiences, skill sets, and how the candidate hopes to successfully serve with the Crown RA team. 

Offers & Acceptance/Decline - Finally, after all of the interviews have been completed, the CREs will send position offers to selected candidates. A formal acceptance will be required, and candidates will need to formally accept any offered position before the required date (listed below). 

Crown College 2019 RA Selection Timeline (for academic year 2019-2020):

Questions? Contact the Coordinators for Residential Education:

Shane Sanchez: sasanche@ucsc.edu