HFS is committed to supporting and enhancing the lives of graduate students. The Community Assistant (CA) position is a live-in position within Residential Life that serves the graduate and professional student community at Mercer Court Apartments. Under the direct supervision of professional staff, the CA is responsible for referring residents to campus and community resources, facilitating opportunities for social and professional connections, and supporting a safe and inclusive community for residents to pursue their academic and professional goals.
Recruitment Timeline
Please see below for the timeline for our 2024-2025 CA Selection Process:
- Application Opens: Wednesday, March 20 by 1:00 PM PST
- Applications Due: Thursday, April 4 by 5:00 PM PST
- Candidates Informed if they are Proceeding: Friday, April 12 by 5:00 PM
- Zoom Interviews: Monday, April 15 – Friday, May 3
- Decisions Shared: No Later than 5:00 PM on Friday, May 17
Note: This timeline is subject to change based on volume of applicants.
Apply Now: https://forms.office.com/r/AUMb6WThpa
Contact Us
For more information about the CA position, the selection process or application, please contact us at ResLifeSL@uw.edu.
What Does a Community Assistant Do?
The Graduate CA position is a student leader role that can be used to enhance your graduate experience and develop transferable skills to support your career goals. The Former CAs: Where Are They Now? resource provides insight to what past CAs have found most valuable from their experience and what advice they have for prospective or current Grad CAs. To learn more about what a CA does, you can click here to view a copy of the draft 2024-2025 CA Position Agreement.
Community Development
CAs serve an important role in connecting with the residents in our Graduate Housing. CAs focus on creating 1:1 relationship with their residents as well as creating opportunities for residents to connect with one another through various initiatives and programs.
Resident Safety & Wellbeing
Serving On-Call: CAs serve on call overnight and throughout the weekend to support safety in their community. CAs complete rounds and hold an on-call phone for residents to reach out if they have concerns after business hours.
Responding to Violations of the Housing Agreement: CAs learn about the housing agreement and the policies therein to educate residents on the policies. CAs also confront policy violations and provide educational conversations to residents and document behaviors that they notice within their community.
Navigating Roommate Conflict: CAs support the residents living in their community. CAs can help residents who are experiencing conflict with their roommates with mediations, and revising apartment agreements.
Addressing Facility Concerns: CAs are trained to identify facilities concerns within their community, and trained to support the triage of those concerns. CAs alert our facilities and custodial teams when conditions within the hall change.
Supporting Students in Crisis: CAs are trained with helping skills to support students experiencing crisis. Resident Advisers are one of multiple layers of support for students, and they report when students are experiencing crisis to their supervisors. CAs can be asked to follow up with residents and provide additional resources.
Administrative Responsibilities
CAs are responsible for completing a variety of administrative tasks that require a level of skill in time management, prioritization and multitasking. Administrative responsibilities include: completing on-call reports during each on-call shift, completing weekly reports for supervisors, documenting and logging conversations with residents, managing and responding to emails in a timely manner, and other tasks that support department logistics.
Key Skills
Some skills of successful CAs include, but are not limited to
- Active Listening
- Empathy
- Conflict-Management
- Time-Management and Prioritization
- Problem Solving
- Taking Initiative
- Resourcefulness
Compensation
CAs are given in-kind compensation in the form of room, laundry, and a dining plan in exchange for completing the roles and responsibilities stated in the agreement. This role is not considered an employed position by the University.