Fall 2025 Community Building Assistant

St. Olaf College Student Employee Job Description

Job Title: Community Building Assistant I

Department Name: Residence Life

Length of Position: Academic Year, 2025-2026

Contact Person/Supervisor: Assistant Director of Housing Operations/Designee

Pay Rate (Check One)  X Standard Hourly Rate     Supervisory/Special Skills Hourly Rate

Description of the Position: (Purpose of the Position):

Community Building Assistants (CBAs) are integral to the day-to-day function of the residence halls, serving as the primary greeters of their buildings, supporting housing operations, and providing assistance to students via front desk services.

Transferable Skills: 

Customer Service skills, time management, crisis management, critical thinking skills, and teamwork.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

     a. Front Desk:

• Operate the front desk as an initial point of contact and resource for residents in assigned hall
• Verify the identities of all individuals entering the residence hall according to departmental procedures and guidelines
• Greet residents as they enter and exit the building
• Offer assistance to those not recognized as residents of the hall
• Answer the phone and forward calls as appropriate
• Check front desk items out to residents and appropriately document these transactions
• Facilitation of check-in and check-out processes, including the distribution and collection of keys, student IDs, orientation materials, and parking permits
• Maintain a positive and professional demeanor at all times when working
• Maintain a clean, organized workspace
• Understand, be able to articulate, and uphold College and Residence Life policies and procedures
• Address policy violations as they occur
• Refer concerns to appropriate Residence Life staff as they arise
• Respond to and assist in emergency situations as necessary, within the scope of CBA training

     b. Storage Management

• 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

     c. Building Management

• Submit custodial and facilities work requests as necessary
• Assist students in the use of custodial and facilities reporting forms
• Assist students with lock-outs
• Other building management responsibilities as assigned by Community Building Manager, Area Coordinator, or Assistant Director for Housing Operations

     d. Administrative

• Attend group meetings with supervisor as required for scheduling, ongoing training, addressing concerns, and other items as they arise
• Attend individual meetings with supervisor for mentorship, coaching, and evaluation on a regular basis
• Other duties as assigned

III. Time Commitment: Community Building Assistants operate on a regular weekly schedule. The number of weekly hours covered by a CBA may vary according to one's work award as allocated by Financial Aid. Special time commitments include residence hall Opening and Closing periods. 

     a. Summary of Time Commitments

• Participation in Fall CBA Training. This mandatory training takes place approximately one week prior to first-year move-in.
• Week One: CBAs shall operate the desk during Week One to assist in residence hall check-in. CBAs may be expected to work 6-8 hours per day during Week One.
• Monthly 60-minute CBA In-Services are held on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. 
• Available to assist with the closing of the residence halls prior to break periods as assigned (typically 8pm on the last day of classes prior to a break).
• Available to assist with the opening of residence halls by 10am the day before classes resume for a new academic term (i.e. the day before Interim term and Spring term).
• Available to close all residence halls and assist in storage and desk staffing at the end of the Spring term. CBAs must remain on campus until 5pm the day after Commencement.

IV. Requirements of This Position:

• Enrolled in on-campus classes for Fall and Spring 2025-26 terms
• Minimum cumulative/semester GPA of 2.3
• Good academic standing
• No open sanctions at time of start date
• Assignment of academic probation or disciplinary sanctioning at any point during employment may result in immediate dismissal from this position

Qualifications: (Education/Experience/Skills) 

The Community Building Assistant role is an opportunity for student staff to develop communication, administrative, and leadership skills. This position is open to all applicants meeting the minimum requirements. Qualities essential to this position include:

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Interpersonal communication skills, both verbal and electronic
• Familiarity with Google Suite, especially Sheets, or a desire to learn
• Can be trusted to handle confidential material as necessary
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and antiracism

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.