Job Description

Job Title: Residential Facility Assistant - RFA (WS-ST3)

Classification: Student Employee

Department Name: Residence Life

Department Address: Tomson Hall Room 148, 1520 St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield, MN 55057

Unit Number (5 digits): 15141

Length of Position: 2026-2027 Academic Year

Training/Arrival Period (Required):

• Move-in to the Residence Halls, Wednesday, September 2nd; 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

• Training Begins, Thursday, September 3rd; 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

• New Student Move-in: Friday, September 4; 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

• Move-in Transition: Saturday, September 5 - Sunday, September 6

• • Dates without timeframes will be defined for the staff member during the Training.

Supervisor: Associate Dean of Students for Residence Life & Student Conduct/Designee

Wage Range: $12.00-13.00/hour

I. Description/Purpose of the Position: The Residential Facility Assistant (RFA) is a student staff position in the Office of Residence Life and works in conjunction with the Department of Facilities. This position’s primary goal is to support Residence Life and the functional area, Housing Operations. Housing Operations manages, oversees, and/or liaises with the following areas: residential maintenance and custodial services, environmental health and safety, sustainability, break housing, summer transitions, and administrative tasks. The position requires comfort with reading instructions, assembling items, organizing inventory, and conducting audits.

II. Transferable Skills:

• Professionalism: Developing strong personal accountability, punctuality, and time management habits.

• Critical Thinking: Learning to identify, log, and troubleshoot facility issues or hazards

III. Position Responsibilities:

1. Maintenance & Custodial Support

• Move, lift, and transfer items within and between residence halls to meet operational needs

• 1. Loft kits, bedding, storage rooms (including furniture)

• Build/construct items

• 1. Bookcases, games, furniture

• Audit keys, pool tables, building supplies, etc

• Manage the work order reporting process, ensuring maintenance is reported and completed promptly

• Aid in monitoring the storage and use of all inventory in basements, rooms, and common areas in all residence halls

• Control access to residence hall storage

• Appropriate documentation of items placed in or claimed from storage

• Ensure storage guidelines are followed

• Assist in storage room maintenance as assigned

• Provide custodial support, including but not limited to sweep outs, wipe downs, and room supply prep

1. Fire Health & Safety:

• Conduct building walk-throughs

• Conduct room inspections and inventories

• Assist HOC on fire drills and drug sweeps

• Escort vendors within the residence halls

• Support the evaluation of residential safety initiatives

• Identification, documentation, and reporting of maintenance/facilities/health and safety concerns or emergencies

1. Publications and Communication:

• Maintain supply of needed forms for facilities area: sustainability and recycling materials and signage, cleaning checklists, fire safety checklists, check-in-out forms, check-in packet material, and fire safety brochures

• Aid in creating and updating files on health and safety

• Create signs for halls as needed to update on facility-related issues

• Maintain marketing materials for the facilities team

• Communicate with students and staff regarding facility and emergencies in various media forms (email, signage, documents, letters, etc)

• Prepare opening/closing material packets for staff and signage for students

1. Residential Support:

• Community Development and Peer Advising

• 1. RFAs shall support programming initiatives as requested by their professional supervisor

  2. RFAs shall develop positive relationships with the residents through formal and informal engagement efforts

  3. RFAs shall role model appropriate behavior within the residence hall to students and colleagues, abiding by and upholding College policies on a campus-wide basis.

  4. RFAs shall assist residents in need within the scope of their training, including referral to various campus resources and triaging student concerns to the appropriate professional staff

• Conduct Facilitation

• 1. RFAs shall address breaches of College policy (as outlined in the student code of conduct) through the appropriate confrontation of the responsible parties and documentation of these incidents

1. Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism:

• RFAs shall demonstrate a commitment to advance equity, inclusion, and antiracism at St. Olaf through methods including, but not limited to: ongoing self-reflection and recognition of one’s identities in the spaces they occupy; awareness, understanding of, and sensitivity to historic and ongoing injustices against marginalized identities present in the St. Olaf community; and an openness to engage with peers of different cultural backgrounds and social identities.

1. Administrative Responsibilities

• RFAs shall support their professional supervisor through administrative tasks as assigned, including but not limited to:

• 1. Weekly RFA staff meetings

  2. Bi-weekly individual meetings with a professional supervisor

  3. Documentation of on-duty activities

  4. Weekly reports

  5. Program Evaluations

  6. Adherence to any blackout dates provided by professional staff to ensure adequate staffing during high-need periods

  7. Create, maintain, and edit forms for the summer housing

  8. Monitor and audit marketing for summer operations.

  9. Process housing operations request forms

  10. Schedule meetings with conference clients to review the lease agreements

  11. Support the management of the summer housing bed spaces inventory and common area spaces

1. Other Meetings/Trainings/Professional Development:

• There may be other opportunities to support the student staff in their role. Student staff members are expected to participate unless there are obligations communicated to the supervisor during the hiring process or an academic schedule conflict.

• This position requires extensive training, including collaboration with other departments such as Facilities and Health & Safety. Required training includes, but is not limited to:

• 1. Mental Health First Aid Training

  2. Blood-Borne Pathogens Training

  3. Ladder Safety Training

  4. Golf Cart Operation Training

IV. Time Commitment

1. of Time Commitments

• RFAs can expect a weekly average of up to 12 hours

• Special Time Commitments

• • Full Participation in Staff Training. Training requirements will be provided either upon hire or at a minimum of 60 days before the dates of training. If the 60 days are not met. Residence Life will prioritize your previous commitment.

  • Available to assist with housing transitions at the beginning and end of the summer term

  • Assist with all other housing transitions, including Fall, Interim, and Spring move-ins and closings

VI. Requirements of this position (Education):

• Minimum cumulative/semester GPA of 2.5

• If no current St. Olaf GPA. The applicant must have a 2.5 GPA after the Fall Semester

• Good academic standing

• No open sanctions

• Assignment of academic probation or disciplinary sanctioning at any point during employment may result in immediate dismissal from this position.

• Successful completion of a criminal background check after hire

VII. Qualifications (Experience/Skills):

• Excellent time management and prioritization skills

• Flexibility and ability to adapt to quickly evolving situations

• Demonstrated emotional maturity to cope with the day-to-day challenges of employment

• Sensitivity and concern for others as individuals that goes beyond outlined responsibilities

• Strong interest in learning facility operations and building logistics

• Physical ability to safely lift and move equipment up to 35 lbs.

Physical and Environmental Factors:

This position requires crouching, kneeling/crawling, stooping, twisting/pivoting, reaching overhead, grasping/handling, pushing/pulling, lifting and carrying objects up to 50 lbs., repetitive motions, and driving to perform the essential functions. It also requires exposure to loud noise, vibrations, and proximity hazards and rare exposure to respiratory factors, chemicals, wet or humid conditions indoors, extreme cold, extreme heat, and heights or cramped quarters to perform the essential functions. Protective equipment is required for some essential functions. Candidates must possess the ability to safely perform the physical work required of all duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

This job description is for general information purposes. It is not intended to list all duties and responsibilities of the position. This job description is subject to change at any time by St. Olaf College, with or without prior notice.