Housing & Residence Life Employment FAQs
What is the pet policy for live-in staff?
Full-time and graduate live-in staff may bring home a pet. Guidelines, weight, and breed restrictions apply. Staff are required to submit appropriate documentation to supervising staff. Contact [email protected] for more details.
How fast do your searches move?
Our national searches tend to take approximately 5 months from start to finish, or until all positions have been filled. The University must pre-approve our searches before we post them. Given the number of staff searching year to year, any of our searches can occur throughout the fall, spring, and/or summer months. If you remain actively interested in Grand Valley State University, contact Brandie Tenney at [email protected] to update her on your own search progress and see where you stand in Grand Valley's search.
How many vacancies are there each year in the department?
With 22 full-time professionals, including 11 Living Center Directors, we typically fill about 1-3 full-time positions total each year.
What type of opportunities are available for graduate student employment?
Residential Life works with graduate students from the School of Education, College of Student Affairs and Leadership (CSAL) program. We are a host site for 11 graduate assistant positions. Graduate assistants work in our living centers as Assistant Living Center Directors and are supervised by the area Living Center Director. For more details visit the CSAL website and Residence Life graduate assistant job description.
How strictly does the University follow its advertised qualifications for candidates?
We are held to strict standards as we screen applications. We must pursue candidates who state on their application and then demonstrate in interviews the qualified skill areas, academic credentials, and experience. However, based on competitive candidate pools, preferred qualifications are applicable. For example, we pursue Living Center Director candidates who possess a masters degree in College Student Personnel, Student Affairs or Higher Education and have living center staff and other related experience listed on our position announcement, first. Currently, 100 percent of our Living Center Director staff and professional leadership team staff have master's degrees or higher. We also have staff pursuing a terminal degree while managing full-time employment responsibilities.
Which of the positions are live-in?
Our Graduate Assistantships and Living Center Director positions are our only live-in staff. The Assistant and Associate Director positions are all live-out.
Who else may share the apartment with live-in staff members?
Living Center Directors and Graduate Assistants can have a live-in partner (of any gender identity), a married partner, or family member, or any other individual who passes a background check share their apartment. Living Center Directors may share their meal plans with their live-in persons. The University offers same-sex domestic benefits. The University's Benefits Center has specific information about this process.
When does professional staff training begin?
Our new staff formal orientation and training traditionally starts the first week of July. However, staff who are hired at any time during the employment year will be offered a rigorous orientation and training program designed for their position upon starting employment.
When does paraprofessional staff training begin (the Graduate Assistants and Resident Assistants)?
Paraprofessional staff training begins in early August each year. The start date depends on the academic calendar. Typically Graduate Assistant training begins the first full week of August and Resident Assistant training begins the second full week of August.