Job Responsibilities
As an Assistant Hall Director, I work for the Residential Life
Department in one of 10 Residence Halls on Indiana State
University's campus. I am second in command in these buildings,
but typically deal with more front line situations than my
supervisor. I am in charge of the supervision of the Resident
Assistants of my building, and the Receptionists of the three
buildings in my area. I spend approximately 20-25 hours a week
doing actual work (staff meetings, office hours, staff
development, and dealing with whatever situations arise within
the building), but the position is basically 24 hours a day. I
am on secondary duty one 24-hour day every other week and
approximately 2-3 weekends (Friday at 8 a.m. until Sunday at 8
a.m.) per semester. When on duty, I respond to any calls that a
Resident Assistant cannot handle alone. I carry a pager but am
required to at least be on campus when on call. I am required to
sit on a committee that oversees a certain aspect of our jobs.
This year, I am part of the Staff Training committee and as part
of this committee, I am responsible to help in the development of
staff training for the Resident Assistants in the winter and the
following fall. With my supervision, I hold monthly staff
meetings with the Receptionists. With the RAs, I hold weekly
staff meetings as well we meet 1:1 with all the RAs once a week.
I attend another staff meeting with just my supervisor and the
other 5 Assistant Hall Directors in my area. I also meet 1:1
with my supervisor once every other week. Finally, all Assistant
Hall Directors on campus are required to meet once a week for
Staff Development.
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Job Requirements
To work as an Assistant Hall Director, you are required to be a
graduate student. This position is considered an assistantship.
Typically, those people seeking a student affairs degree are
considered before others as the position was made for those
students. I, however, am working on my Master's in Mental Health
Counseling, which runs hand in hand with Student Affairs. The
quality of my classes is very high. The class-sizes are small and
intimate which enables students to get high quality one-on-one
attention. Getting the classes I want, or those that are
popular, is quite easy. I have a very small cohort, and we all
typically take the same classes together. With a small cohort,
and the sequence of courses to be taken, it's quite easy to get
in the classes I need and want. The grading is fair. Everyone in
the department wants us to succeed so they work very hard with us
to get the grades we deserve and are capable of. The professors
are exceptional in that they truly care about the students they
teach and strive to help us succeed in our program. The workload
is the hardest part of the program as it's quite heavy. It's to
be expected though when you consider the program is only 2 years
long.
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Uppers
One of my favorite things about my job are the people I meet. I have met some
of my best friend through this position. Working in a position like this makes it
very easy to meet other people like me. Secondly, it has opened so many doors
for me for the future. I will be more able to get a job similar to this one as
well as in my chosen field because of the experiences I have gained in this
position. Also, the pay and compensation is very nice. The closeness of the
staff members across campus is definitely a perk as well.
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Downers
Since the job is a live-in position, it is hard to have a private
life outside of the Residence Hall. Also, getting calls for
incidents in the middle of the night can be quite irritating as
well. Otherwise, this position is excellent.
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Lifestyle
Work hours are very flexible for this position. The supervisors work with their
staffs. The number one reason we are here is to get an education and my
supervisor takes that into consideration. I am able to hold office hours in the
evenings and our schedules are made to fit around our classes and other
educational responsibilities. There are several conferences that we are able to
attend with help in funding from our central office. These are provided to us in
order to increase our professionalism and staff development. Our offices hold
several social events throughout the year for the Assistant Hall Directors and
Resident Assistants in an attempt to promote staff bonding and time to de-stress.
The dress code is almost always casual unless attending a conference or aiding
in interviewing potential staff members. Diversity is one of the key aspects of
this position. All staff members do what they can to promote diversity across
campus in the residence halls and among the staff members in Residential Life.
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Compensation
Compensation for this position is excellent. As I mentioned, it's
a live-in position. We are provided a furnished apartment in the
residence hall we work in. We are also provided a board plan that
is in effect during the academic year and any other time that we
are actively working. We also receive a tuition waiver that
covers almost all of the costs of attending school (close to
$14,000 for in-state tuition). Finally, we receive a monthly
stipend that totals approximately $8500/academic year.
Unfortunately, we are not offered any health benefits but do have
the option of obtaining the university's health insurance plan
which is quite cost-efficient.
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Advice to Jobseekers
In order to work in a position such as mine, you have to be
motivated and open-minded. As an Assistant Hall Director, you
have the potential to see and do just about anything. It's always
introducing new opportunities and surprises every day. Working
with people has to be a strong point. There will always be a
need for positions like this as long as there are residence halls
on college campuses. It's a great idea for someone wanting to go
to graduate school and broaden their horizons in the meantime.
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