Graduate Resident Success Coordinator

Residence Life’s live-in Graduate Student Assistants typically include the Graduate Hall Directors, Graduate Leadership Coordinator, Graduate SMART Coordinator and Graduate Academic Support Coordinator. This policy applies to any individual living within a Residence Life owned/operated apartment as part of the compensation for their assistantship.  

The following persons are eligible to live with the Graduate Student Assistant and will be considered a “roommate” for the purposes of this policy.  

• Spouse - Person of the same or opposite gender to whom an employee is legally married and defined by the BGSU Benefit Plan Eligibility Policy. Please Note: the benefit policy document does not apply to the partner, but the criteria for eligibility to share the apartment is defined.
• Dependent(s)

For more specific information regarding partners living on campus, please contact the Office of Residence Life.

There are numerous professional development opportunities on campus that are available to Graduate Assistants.  Every year both GAs and full-time staff attend and present at regional and national conferences. Commonly attended conferences included: ACPA, OCPA, OASPA, NASPA, NASPA-3E, and GLACUHO.

There are not funds that are provided from the Office of Residence Life, but there are professional development funds that are available through the CSP program, the Division of Student Affairs, and Graduate Student Senate.

Graduate Assistants are trained in a wide variety of areas prior to the beginning of the year and throughout the year.  Topics include (this list is not exhaustive):

• Crisis Management & Response
• Desk Operations
• Student Conduct
• Hall Government
• Supervision
• Housing Occupancy procedures and protocols

RA training includes topics such as (this list is not exhaustive):

• Listening Skills
• Mental Health Referrals
• Recognizing and Caring for Individuals in Distress
• Diversity Resources on Campus
• Inclusive Programming
• Bulletin Boards

Although traditional programming does occur in the BGSU residence halls, it is part of an overall residential curriculum.  The Falcon Success and Retention Curriculum (FSRC) is the overall framework for community building, programming, and services in the BGSU residence halls. In addition to Social Interaction, the five areas (priorities) emphasized in the model (Academic Success, Safety and Security, Engagement, Inclusivity, and Personal Growth) form the basis of our curriculum and encourage our students to successfully transition to college life, invest in themselves and their hall community, build strong relationships with others in their buildings and on campus, and remain at BGSU through graduation from the institution.

Every Hall Director team is responsible for developing and implementing the FSRC for her/his area.  Through effective leadership from Hall Directors to RA staff and Hall Council leaders, the activities, initiatives, and interactions planned for the FSRC are attainable and measurable.

All Residence Education staff can select to participate in one committee per academic year. The following opportunities have been offered in the past:

Selection - Review and update position descriptions for RA, Student Desk Manager (SDM), and Graduate Assistant (GA), RA/SDM work agreement contracts; plan Selection schedule and RA/SDM/GA Recruitment Information Sessions; devise and execute marketing plan; create interview schedule for both CSP Interview Weekends; work with Residence Education Leadership Team for selection of GAs; connect with CSP for logistics of interview process and hiring.

Training - Set RA/SDM/SMART/Hall Staff training schedule and RA/SDM/SMART/Hall Staff training learning outcomes; create assessment plan; facilitate all training logistics (e.g., presenters, meals, room reservation, etc.).

GHDs and HDs are conduct hearing officers for incidents occurring in their buildings.  Cases that can be heard and sanctioned on the residential level are violations such as quiet hours, first time alcohol offenses, disorderly conduct, etc.  Cases such as drugs, burglary, repeat alcohol offenders, etc. are typically are referred up to the Office of the Dean of Students.

The Office of Residence Life directly collaborates with the Office of the Dean of Students on conduct issues.  Our conduct philosophy is educationally-focused.  Though there are some predetermined sanctions for certain offenses, the goal is to provide the students with a learning experience for the behavior, rather than just the judicial process.   

The relationship between a Hall Director (HD) and a GHD is an important one.  The GHD will have to opportunity to learn from a professional with a Master’s degree in student affairs and higher education or related field.  GHDs and HDs work collaboratively to support their residents, supervise RAs, and manage their buildings.  HDs help the GHDs gain a multitude of experiences needed in order to excel in a full-time position in residence life and to make connections between the GHDs’ academic coursework and their positions. When the full-time Hall Director is not available, the Graduate Hall Director should be able to step in and answer questions, as well as manage the entire building operation.  

Although many Graduate Assistants choose to take an internship or job at another institution over the summer for a different institutional experience, there may be internships available for Graduate Assistants who would like to stay and work/live on campus over the summer between their first and second year of the CSP program

The Office of Residence Life provides a furnished apartment for Graduate Assistants.  These are one bedroom apartments with a full kitchen, bathroom, and living area and have the following standard furniture:

• (1) loveseat
• (1) lounge chair
• (1) end table
• (1) coffee table
• (1) dining table with seating for two  (based on the apartment layout)
• (1) full sized mattress set and a metal bed frame
• (1) dresser
• (1) nightstand
• (1) student desk & chair

• A stipend of $11,250 full tuition scholarship
• Staff housing accommodations valued at $10,000
• 10% discount at Falcon Outfitters
  
• Meal plan currently valued at approximately $3,338 will be provided during the 10-month period of employment*.  Full meal service is not provided during academic breaks and at times when the dining halls are closed  
• A desktop computer and reserved parking space are also provided, but the student covers the cost of the parking permit (~$115/year)
• All utilities including water, heat, electricity, basic phone service, laundry, and basic digital cable service are provided at no additional cost. All apartments are air-conditioned.  

*Compensation figures are based on 2019-20.  

Graduate Assistants are not permitted to own pets outside of those within the Residence Life Community Living Standards, except fish in an aquarium no larger than 20 gallons.