Student Leaders & Staff

Assistant Resident Directors (ARD) are live-in positions within the University of Washington (UW) residential communities. ARDs work collaboratively through unique roles to support community development and resident engagement. ARDs model and support inclusive and welcoming communities; are knowledgeable about and abide by the policies of Housing & Food Services (HFS) and the UW; demonstrate sound judgment; participate in and facilitate a team approach with coworkers; complete necessary administrative tasks; and provide quality customer service to residents and visitors.

Each residential community has an Assistant Resident Director (ARD) as an elevated Student Leader position. ARDs' primary responsibility is the co-advising of their community's Hall Council in collaboration with their Area/Resident Director. ARDs are also responsible for managing their community's RA On-Call schedule each quarter.

Assistant Residence Education Specialists (ARES) are live-in positions within the University of Washington (UW) residential communities. ARESs work collaboratively through unique roles to support community development and resident engagement. ARESs model and support inclusive and welcoming communities; are knowledgeable about and abide by the policies of Housing & Food Services (HFS) and the UW; demonstrate sound judgment; participate in and facilitate a team approach with coworkers; complete necessary administrative tasks; and provide quality customer service to residents and visitors.

Assistant Residence Education Specialists (ARESs) serve as leads for their assigned teams. One ARES serves as a co-adviser to RCSA in partnership with the Specialist for Leadership & Programming. The other ARES(s) work in partnership with the Specialist for Leadership & Programming to provide direction to the RPB members and their program initiatives.

Resident Advisers (RA) are live-in positions within the University of Washington (UW) residential communities. RAs work collaboratively through unique roles to support community development and resident engagement. RAs model and support inclusive and welcoming communities; are knowledgeable about and abide by the policies of Housing & Food Services (HFS) and the UW; demonstrate sound judgment; facilitate a team approach with team members; complete necessary administrative tasks; and provide quality customer service to residents and visitors.

Resident Advisers (RAs) serve an important role in providing welcoming, inclusive, safe and fun residential communities. RAs interact regularly with residents through one-on-one conversations and floor programs. RAs also contribute to safety by serving on-call and enforcing residential policies.

Community Assistants (CA) are live-in positions within the University of Washington (UW) residential communities. CAs work collaboratively through unique roles to support community development and resident engagement. CAs model and support inclusive and welcoming communities; are knowledgeable about and abide by the policies of Housing & Food Services (HFS) and the UW; demonstrate sound judgment; facilitate a team approach with team members; complete necessary administrative tasks; and provide quality customer service to residents and visitors.

Like RAs, Community Assistants (CAs) serve an important role in providing a welcoming, inclusive, safe, and fun residential experience in our Mercer D/E graduate student apartments. CAs interact regularly with residents through one-on-one conversations and floor programs. CAs also contribute to safety by serving on-call and enforcing residential policies.

Residential Programming Board (RPB) members are live-in positions within the University of Washington (UW) residential communities. Members work collaboratively through unique roles to support community development and resident engagement. RPB members model and support inclusive and welcoming communities, are knowledgeable about and abide by the policies of Housing & Food Services (HFS) and the UW, demonstrate sound judgment, participate in, and facilitate a team approach with coworkers, complete necessary administrative tasks, and provide quality customer service to residents and visitors

The RPB member supports residents to make the most of their Husky Experience by crafting opportunities for residents to engage socially and educationally with peers. The RPB team is charged with assisting in the activation of HFS programming spaces by planning activities in a variety of ways that are responsive to and inclusive of diverse student interests.

The Residential Community Student Association (RCSA) promotes residential community student interests, needs, and welfare within the residential communities. They support and improve the residential community experience as a policy advisory group to the Housing & Food Services administration. The organization also distributes funds for cultural, educational, and community building events, and provides opportunities to develop individual leadership qualities and an understanding of group action for its representatives. During RCSA general council meetings, representatives have the opportunity to bring forth inquiries to the executive board and HFS administration, see presentations on a variety of topics pertinent to student experience, vote on RCSA legislation & funding proposals, and develop leadership skills.

Each residential community has a Hall Council that consists of volunteer or appointed members of the residential community that advocate for the interests of the community they serve and plan events that foster engagement and a sense of belonging.

There are many opportunities that are available to students who are interested in joining hall council. There are executive board positions, representative positions, and general council positions open for any resident interested in applying.

Executive Board Position

Students serving on the executive board attend weekly Hall Council and Executive Board meetings. Many Executive Board members oversee the work of other students on their Hall Council or are responsible for areas of community development within the group. Such areas may include programming, communications, recruitment and retention, and representation.

Representative Position

Students serving in representative roles attend weekly Hall Council and one additional meeting per week. The additional meeting is with another student leadership or Housing & Food Services organization, and the representative’s role is to synthesize information provided and report back to their Hall Council. Representative roles are available in the areas of sustainability, budget & financing, student conduct, student advocacy and student government.

Floor Representative/General Member

Students serving in a floor representative or general member role attend weekly hall council meetings. They also provide student input on various initiatives happening across Housing & Food Services. There are additional opportunities for general members to be involved in committees and program planning within the hall council as well.

The Student Office Assistant (OA) supports the operations of the Residential Life unit through administrative support of professional staff members' day-to-day workload, management of physical and digital resources and information, and communication with diverse students, staff, and community members. As a department, Housing & Food Services employs over 1,000 UW students across campus. You may learn more about the various opportunities HFS has to offer students here.

Perks & Recreation Student Assistants are responsible for providing superb customer service to residents, staff, faculty, and guests. They will support operations within their respective centers by ensuring the safety of users and equipment, ensuring protocols are followed, completing equipment inventory, and assisting users of the space. Additionally, the Student Assistants will be responsible for following protocol for managing sales through a point of sale system and proper credentials for user access through an access system.