Directors needed for housing facilities

A good residence director is hard to find.

Resident directors become the primary live-in staff for residence halls, said Jane Grassadonia, director of VCU’s residence education who needs to hire five RDs for the fall 2003 semester.

“Resident directors are responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the resident assistants working with them in the building and responding to student issues,” Grassadonia said, explaining the importance of the position. “They also have after hours responsibilities. They are on-call on a rotating schedule.”

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree and be enrolled in one of VCU’s graduate programs by fall 2003. Grassadonia said RDs are also required to limit their studies to nine or fewer hours per semester and may not have additional employment.

“They are a resource for a lot of the students,” she said, adding that RDs establish an “adult-student” presence in the building. “(Students) can go directly to the RD, not just for problems but for information.”

Henry Rhone, vice provost for student affairs and enrollment services, said the resident director continues to be important for the on-campus living facilities for two reasons: promoting staff supervision and creating an employment opportunity.

“Resident directors provide the continuity of staff coverage, supervision and they are (the people) the younger undergrads who serve as resident assistants can rely on,” he said. “They get the chance to work on campus where they live within the facility. It is a great employment opportunity while they are pursuing their graduate degree.”

Grassadonia said resident directors sign a 10- or 12-month contract, depending on the building to which they are assigned. For example, RDs in Rhoads or Johnson halls would be obligated for the 10-month contract because of the type of facility; whereas in resident halls, such as the W. Broad Street apartments that require 12-month leases, RDs are obligated for the full year.

For their services, RDs receive a remuneration package as well as living facilities in the building they supervise, she said. For the upcoming academic year, the 10-month contract pays $9,000 and the 12-month contract pays $10,800.

Both contracts include a $1,000 meal-plan allowance. The meal-plan allowance, Grassadonia said, encourages resident directors to interact with both RAs and students in an informal manner.

“It encourages them to eat in the dining hall with folks and also supports our colleagues in dining by trying to have some staff presence there if issues were to erupt,” she said.

Jenny Burnette, 25, Gladding Residence Center’s resident director, said being a RD definitely provides a good opportunity to be part of the VCU community.

“It is a very flexible position,” she said.

Though the position requires Burnette to be on campus during the weekend, she said it does not bother her.

“I need to be around more on weekends anyway,” she said, identifying the most important aspect of her position as “making sure that I am available for residence and staff if any needs arise.”

Rhone, a “dorm proctor” during his undergraduate days at Amherst College in Massachusetts, said the most important part of his position there was “to make sure the kids were in good health, emotionally and physically.”

At VCU, an important function of resident directors, he said, is ensuring that they are available all of the time, especially in the evenings.

Grassadonia said all applications are due March 28. After that date, the application process will continue on a rolling basis until all of the available positions are filled.

For more information about becoming a Resident Director contact…
The Office of Housing and Residence Education – 828-6505 or http:// www.students.vcu.edu/housing/rd/