Summary, Scope, and Responsibilities
Community Advisors are paraprofessional representatives of the Office of Residence Life and Health Education. The experiences that students have in residence halls and houses are integral to the College’s mission to educate the whole person, and Community Advisors play a dynamic role in shaping these experiences.
The primary function of Community Advisors (CAs) is to foster socially just residential communities that support students’ personal growth through social connection, meaningful dialogue, intellectual engagement beyond the classroom, and by focusing on holistic wellness. Community Advisors are responsible for helping student residents navigate and balance their responsibilities to self, others, and their living environment.
Community Advisors also coordinate with campus partners to maintain residential spaces with the goal of ensuring these spaces are welcoming, accessible, and functional for all. This effort requires collaboration with campus partners such as Facility Services, Environmental Health and Safety, Campus Safety, and Residence Life and includes a significant education component whereby Community Advisors take an active role in helping residents learn the information and skills needed to make positive contributions to their residential community.
Community Advisors further advance the work of the Office of Residence Life and Health Education by serving as community ambassadors for the College’s Health Education team. As representatives of the Health Education team, Community Advisors promote and facilitate wellness education programs, refer students to relevant health and wellness campus resources, and help student residents develop the skills, health literacy, and self-knowledge to understand and define wellness in the contexts of their own lives.
Finally, all members of the Residence Life Staff seek to foster inclusive residential communities that are informed by positive wellness perspectives, are guided by student needs, and are grounded in the principles of anti-racism and social justice. In the role of Community Advisor, staff members embody several important roles including peer educator, mentor, mediator, department liaison, and community role model.
The Basics
Department:Student Affairs
Supervisor:
Cole Taylor
Office Location:
Chase Hall, 001B
Email:
ctaylor3@bates.edu
Pay Grade:
Hours:
5
Workers:
21
Qualifications, Requirements, and Responsibilities
Responsibilities
1.) Community Focus: Support a residential community of 50 to 100 upper division (soph, jr, sr) student residents, helping to establish and maintain healthy community norms and shared values; Foster positive relationships with and among residents, helping to celebrate difference and encourage a sense of belonging; Build socially just and inclusive residential communities by facilitating honest conversations around roommate agreements, residential norms, community expectations, and mediation strategies; Live within the residential community and spend meaningful time in common spaces.
2.) Health Promotion Focus: Work with professional Health Education staff to promote evidence-based, identity-informed, health and wellness practices and concepts; Conduct community needs assessments – including peer conversations, focus groups, and surveys – to inform health promotion initiatives; Utilize best current practices – including relevant frameworks, theories, and models – when preparing content and materials for health promotion programs, outreach, and events; Educate and inform peers about on-campus student health and wellness resources; Facilitate two (2) residentially-based health promotion programs and one (1) campus-wide health promotion week per semester.
3.) Peer Intervention & Support Focus: Approach community interactions with humility, empathy, and an active desire to learn from different perspectives and experiences; Manage conflict with an inclusive and empathetic approach, helping all sides feel heard and guiding residents through a process of generating realistic strategies for resolution; Collaborate with the Coordinators/Directors/Deans in the Office of Residence Life and Health Education to resolve persistent or escalating residential issues; Issue informal warnings – including simple policy explanations – to residents and guests as needed; Refer individuals and/or groups to the Office of Residence Life and Health Education or other student-facing offices when higher-level support is needed; Work with other members of the Residence Life Staff in investigating and resolving documented dorm damage, significant or persistent mess, and/or instances of community disruption.
4.) Programming & Engagement: Facilitate the required numbers and types of programs in the following categories: 1) health promotion, 2) sustainable living, 3) community engagement, 4) social and/or educational; Consult with the Coordinators/Directors/Deans of the Office of Residence Life and Health Education to develop ideas and content for Residential and Health Promotion programs; Manage a semesterly programming budget as determined by specific residential placements, community size, and program scope/scale; Meet with residents regularly to complete semesterly community Cat Chats (formal or informal one-on-one opportunities to build authentic relationships with residents).
5.) Personal / Professional Development: Participate fully in mandatory staff training sessions, including pre-term training sessions in August/January and in-semester training sessions during the fall and winter terms; Attend weekly Residence Life staff meetings (Tuesdays from 12:00 – 1:00 pm) to discuss ongoing and/or emergent residential issues, develop health promotion programs, and encourage team bonding; Meet with a professional staff member (Area Director) in the Office of Residence Life and Health Education at least once per semester to attend to personal and professional development needs; Maintain personal boundaries appropriate for a paraprofessional worker and an agent of the College.
Requirements
1.) Rising sophomore, junior, or senior
2.) Willingness to live in a mixed-year residence hall or house for the entire academic year
3.) Maintain a 2.0 or higher grade point average (GPA)
4.) Interest in community building, peer support, and residential leadership
5.) Interest in health promotion, community wellness, and peer mentoring
6.) Commitment to anti-racism, inclusion, accessibility, and equity
7.) Strong interpersonal communication skills or a desire/willingness to develop them
8.) Availability for required training sessions and willingness to meet other position requirements
Reporting
1.) Establish positive and mutually respectful relationships with Custodial Services, Campus Safety, Environmental Health & Safety, and other campus partners to effectively and collaboratively address residential hazards, cleaning needs, and or/ other relevant community behaviors or needs.
2.) Assist with First-Year Orientation and arrival programs and events, including participating in relevant First-Year Orientation sessions and attending select meals and community meetings.
3.) Participate in team projects and processes that enhance the quality and efficiency of services provided by the Office of Residence Life and Health Education (e.g. housing selection, staff hiring, etc.).
Working Conditions