Resident Assistant | Housing | West Virginia University

Reach New Heights: Apply to be a Resident Assistant!

Mountaineers are no strangers to implementing big ideas, facing challenges head on and leading the charge.

As a Resident Assistant, you’ll climb even higher, as one of the most important student leaders on campus. You’ll be a vital member of a diverse team and have the opportunity to build significant relationships with WVU community partners. You’ll be an advocate, mentor and role model for your residents, and you’ll gain the skills needed to land your first job after college – all while making lifelong friends along the way.

As a RA, you'll act as a campus resource, offering service opportunities and showing residents how to get involved with the University’s vast number of student organizations. You will help them explore their identities, connect their experiences outside of the classroom and set them up for success throughout the rest of their time at WVU.

Lastly, you’ll help your residents navigate their first year in their new home. You will build a community, foster relationships and provide a fun, safe living environment where your residents can thrive. You’ll create bulletin boards and exciting events focused on important life skills and topics in college, such as wellness and diversity. You will guide your residents through their new challenges and show them that you care.tarting college can be difficult. Many residents are living away from home for the first time. Making new friends, taking challenging classes and living with a roommate can be downright scary.

Take your college career to new heights. Apply to be a Resident Assistant by Dec. 3, 2021.

How To Apply: 2022-2023 Academic Year

Interested individuals must attend one of the following information sessions before submitting an application.

Monday, October 11, 2021, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m., Evansdale Residential Complex (ERC) Blue Room
Tuesday, October 12, 2021, 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., Honors Hall
Thursday, October 14, 2021, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m., Honors Hall
Thursday, October 14, 2021, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m., Honors Hall
Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m., ERC Blue Room
Thursday, October 21, 2021 8 p.m. - 9 p.m., Mountainlair Shenandoah Room
Monday, October 25, 2021, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., ERC Blue Room
Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 9 p.m. - 10 p.m., ERC Blue Room
Thursday, November 11, 2021, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m., Mountainlair Shenandoah Room
Sunday, November 21, 2021, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., via Zoom

Important Dates:

Application opens October 15, 2021 and the deadline to apply is December 3, 2021 at 11:59 pm.

Interviews for RA positions will take place in early 2022.

For questions about Resident Assistant Recruitment and Selection, please contact raselection@mail.wvu.edu.

What An RA Has To Say About The Position

Melissa Haslebacher

Class: 2020
Major: Multidisciplinary Studies (Future Master's of Elementary Education)
Experience: RA, January 2017 to Present

Melissa Haslebacher is a born teacher. So when she learned that being an RA is often similar to the role she’d have running her own classroom, she was hooked. “I loved the idea of being a point of reference for people and putting on fun programs that can teach my residents skills they can use for the rest of their lives,” she says.

Besides the leadership and teaching experience she gets every day as an RA, she says the biggest benefits are the people and the friends she’s made. “Your staff is always around to help you and you get really close to them. Also, as an RA, you learn about a lot of resources that can help your residents but are also great for yourself, such as tutoring sessions for specific classes.”

The role taught her something fundamental about herself as well. “I learned that I’m definitely a people person! I love talking to my residents and finding out more about them, even if I’ve had a rough day. I’ve also learned that I love doing things like programming. I’m always thinking of new things I can do with my residents.”