Summary, Scope, and Responsibilities
The Orientation Week Leader (OWL) Director is responsible for designing and implementing optional Orientation programs/events that are designed to provide incoming students with a wide variety of social opportunities to connect with other new students. The OWL Director works closely with OWL Assistant Director(s) and supports and oversees the OWL Team which serves an integral role in assisting with providing social options for students as well as logistical support for orientation.
Leadership Development:
Campus Life embeds the Bates Leads Framework into our student leadership and employment positions. The following competencies are most relevant to this position:
Consciousness of Self & Impact: Awareness of one’s beliefs, values, attitudes, and emotions; recognition that these are shaped by cultural context and other external forces. Self-awareness, including one’s inherited and positional power and privilege. Awareness of one’s impact on individuals and community, recognizing the impact of each action and inaction. The Director will be most successful if they are able to know both their own strengths as well as the strengths of their team.
Commitment: The passion, energy, creativity, and follow-through one brings to ideas, pursuits, and collective goals.
This position involves a high level of responsibility. The Campus Life professional staff are here to guide and support the Director, but it is ultimately up to the director to make these programs happen.
Collaboration: Working reciprocally with others. Working across differences to achieve a shared goal. Bringing multiple perspectives, diverse experiences, and individual creativity to bear on a pursuit.
This position will require working with a variety of campus partners including Dining, Grounds, Campus Life, AESOP, and Orientation as a whole, in addition to the Assistant Directors and OWLs. The Director will be required to work well with a wide variety of people to make Orientation successful.
Common Purpose: Cultivating a shared goal, direction, and sense of responsibility. This position requires the team to work toward one overarching shared goal: welcoming/supporting first-year students. Orientation Week Leaders (OWLS) accomplish this goal by providing accessible and inclusive social programming and overall orientation support.
The Basics
Department:Office of Campus Life
Supervisor:
Kim Trauceniek
Office Location:
96 Campus Ave
Email:
ktraucen@bates.edu
Pay Grade:
Hours:
25-40
Workers:
1
Qualifications, Requirements, and Responsibilities
Responsibilities
The OWL Director should plan to arrive on campus on or around August 14th to prepare for new student arrival and first-year OWL programming. Responsibilities include:
-Planning, leading, and participating in elements of OWL training. The majority of training for OWLs will take place on Wednesday, August 30th.
-Serve as the primary point of communication for OWLs, Campus Life, the First Year Experience Team and various campus partners.
-Managing program logistics and planning. This includes: Making space reservations; purchasing supplies, including designing and ordering T-shirts; ensuring programs are running smoothly; creating and promoting an event schedule using Bates Engage, social media, and print marketing; collaborating with campus and community partners; and delegating tasks to OWLs
-Leading collaborative work with the OWL Assistant Directors to develop and implement social events and programs designed to be fun and build community.
-Coordinating and staffing events and the “OWLs Nest” information tables on new student Opening Day -Thursday, August 31st - and on Friday, September 1st.
-Providing evening social events and programs on: Thursday evening, August 31st; Monday evening, September 4th; Tuesday, September 5th
-Providing new student move-in support on Thursday, August 31st. This includes: Assisting at residence halls and other key locations to welcome new students and their loved ones AND Collaborating with AESOP student leaders and Residence Life student leaders with move-in and program support when needed.
-Serving as a communicator at Orientation programs to assist with session transitions and sharing important and timely information.
-Providing support for the Clubs & Orgs Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 6th. This includes promoting this event to first-year students, along with other events and programs intended for first-year students.
-Assisting with the coordination and oversight of programs and social events throughout First-Year, First Weekend from Friday, September 8 to Sunday, September 10. Note that this does not entail staffing each event or program, but rather assisting with the planning and pre-coordination of these programs and events
-Support Bates Leads leadership capacities by providing evaluation of OWLs and OWL-led events following Orientation.
-Providing administrative support.
-Other duties as assigned.
The Student Director is expected to arrive on campus on or around August 14th and work through Tuesday, September 5th. There will be additional First-Year events throughout First Weekend on Friday, Sept. 8th, Saturday, September 9th and Sunday, September 10th. The OWL Director will assist with coordinating some of these programs and events. OWLs will also staff a small number of these programs. Estimated hours from August 14th to September 5th range from 20-40 hours per week with some additional hours for First Weekend. Room and board will be provided for a time period prior to the college board plan being activated. There may be some meetings with Campus Life and the OWL Team that take place throughout the summer as needed. Summer meetings will be remote.
Requirements
-Open to rising Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors
-Preference for students that served in Orientation leadership role previously (OWL, AESOP Leader, or JARC)
-Experience in developing and executing campus programs
-Great customer service skills
-Communicating with consistency through both written and verbal communication
-Effective organization skills and time management
-Ability to manage competing priorities
-Comfort working independently on projects
-Skills in collaboration including but not limited to creative problem solving, admitting to and learning from mistake, and ensuring all voices are heard
-High level of accountability and follow through
-Adaptability
-Creativity
Reporting
-Supervised primarily by the Coordinator of Campus Life Programming & Activities and the Senior Associate Dean of Students for Campus Life
-Collaborates with a variety of offices, namely Office of Residence Life and Health Education, AESOP, and Office of Campus Dining and Events
-OWLs should plan to be in contact with their supervisors in Campus Life, the Coordinator Campus Life Programming and Student Activities and/or the Senior Associate Dean of Students if a personnel matter or any situation escalates.
Working Conditions
OWLs are expected to work in both indoor and outdoor environments for an extended period of time. Many of the duties of an OWL have physical demands such as: standing for prolonged periods of time, lifting and moving equipment, and frequently moving out and about around campus