ARA Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for your interest in being an Assistant Resident Advisor. Please utilize our FAQs below to help you find out more about this great leadership opportunity.
If you have questions, please reach out to Kelly Welch at kjw@fsmail.bradley.edu.
Who can apply to be an Assistant Resident Advisor (ARA)?
To apply for a Bradley ARA position, you must be a current Bradley student. First semester first-year students are eligible to apply without a GPA. All other Bradley students must have a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA to apply.
What is the GPA requirement?
Res Life Staff employees are required to maintain a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA throughout their term of employment. To begin employment, new employees must meet the minimum 2.5 GPA requirement.
What does an ARA do?
To get a better idea, it is recommended that the candidate talks to an ARA, RA, or HD. Additionally, candidates are required to review the current Assistant Resident Advisor Job Description.
May I pick the building I work in?
New and returning staff members are assigned to buildings. ARAs and RAs are not able to pick their building.
How much are ARAs compensated?
Assistant Resident Advisors will receive coverage of their room cost as compensation. Resident Advisors receive room and board as compensation.
How many classes may I take?
ARAs/RA’s are expected to make reasonable progress towards a degree each semester. Undergraduate students must maintain enrollment in no less than 12 credit hours and graduate students must maintain enrollment in no less than 6 credit hours. Exceptions to this must be approved in advance by the Director of Residential Living & Student Conduct.
What does being on-duty mean?
Being on duty consists of the ARA carrying a cell phone for the night and responding to any issues that may arise including, but not limited to, policy violations, student concerns, and/or facility & maintenance issues. The ARAs also walk the building and report any facility, safety or security concerns that may not be called in by the resident. During these “building rounds” is one of the best times for ARAs to interact with residents not only on their floor, but in the whole building. How often they are on duty will depend on how many people are on the building’s staff.
Will I have a roommate?
ARAs will be assigned a roommate as they will live in a double room. RAs will not have roommates. You may request a roommate preference, but otherwise, you will be assigned a roommate.
When is Staff Training?
Staff training is conducted twice a year and is mandatory for all staff. Once in spring semester several days prior to the residence halls opening and in fall a week before the halls open.
May I miss training if I have a scheduling conflict?
During this week, Staff Training will have to be the priority! If you have commitments that conflict with training, you must consult the Director of Residential Living by submitting a request to miss training. This request will be approved or denied depending on the nature of the request.
Do I have to work on holidays and breaks?
ARAs and RAs are required to stay until the dorms formally close in order to close the building properly. For Winter Break and Summer Break, both the ARA and the RA will be required to stay until the day after the last day of classes in order to close the building. For breaks such as Thanksgiving Break and Spring Break, an ARA will be required to stay for only one break. The ARA and the RA will discuss who will stay for which break. Staff members can expect to be approved to leave the afternoon after halls close.
