A new hiring process for Residential Life has been implemented that will affect current and prospective student staff members.
After Residential Life conducted several informational sessions, students discovered the cost of rooming would no longer be extended to desk assistants as of next school year.
Instead, desk assistants, whose primary job involves maintaining security in the residential halls and providing resources for residents, will be given an hourly wage, starting at $7.25, with the possibility of earning more, according to Craig Beebe, interim director of Residential Life.
Currently, desk assistants receive the value of one-half of a double occupancy room in the building to which they are assigned, according to the Residential Life Web site.
With the new policy, desk assistants will have more flexibility in housing and the number of hours of work, Beebe said.
“Students can live on or off campus, and can work three hours a week or 20 hours a week,” Beebe said.
So far, the overall feedback since students learned about the change has been positive, Beebe said.
However, some students do not agree with the new change.
Biology freshman Xavier McGrigg, who works as a work study desk assistant, said the complimentary room was a good incentive and one of the reasons that prompted her to apply for the position.
“I feel basically like I’ve been gypped because you can’t cover room (and board) with an hourly wage. The old policy is better,” she said.
According to desk assistant and mass communication sophomore Lee Slan, current Residential Life staff will be eligible for dorm room compensation through what Residential Life calls the “grandfather system,” because they are already a part of the staff.
The conditions of this rule are that the desk assistants will only be eligible for room compensation for a year, and must work a minimum of 15 hours per week, according to Slan. Beebe confirmed this information.
Since the cost of rooming will be waived for one year, Slan said he has plans to live off campus or possibly apply for a resident assistant position.
The entire hiring process for student staff is also being changed. In past semesters, hiring took place at one time. According to Beebe, Residential Life hired students for all 70 staff positions at once, including resident assistants, desk assistants, night watch clerks, mail clerks and package assistants. Now, Residential Life will hire students for each position at different times.
“We are trying to streamline our processes by separating the process, which will allow us to choose the best staff,” Beebe said. “The old system wasn’t bad, it was more complex than it needed to be.”
Beebe said that the new system would be “financially conservative” and allow Residential Life to be more engaged in the hiring process.
At the end of January, they recruited for the resident assistant positions and held informational sessions.
Recruiting for desk assistants will begin March 26. To help facilitate the application process, students are advised to use Employola, a new feature initiated by Career Services.
“We are anticipating close to 80 applicants, which is a huge number for us,” said Beebe.
Charmaine Jackson can be reached at [email protected]
