Staff Employment

Assistant Community Director

The Assistant Community Director (ACD) is a full time student and serves as a Resident Advisor who has extra responsibilities within the residence hall and within the Univeristy Student Housing department. Typically, the ACD advises the hall student government and assumes the building responsibilities in the absence of the Community Director, and aids in staff team development. ACDs serve in a campus on call schedule similar to Community Directors.

Application process for the upcoming academic year will start in Spring 2024.

Resident Advisor

Each community is served by a Resident Advisor (RA), who is a fellow student, employed by University Student Housing who is knowledgeable about MSU and community living. The RAs are responsible for maintaining a healthy environment, which is conducive to student success and can serve as a resource for any questions and concerns. RAs will help organize floor representatives and will aid in planning various recreational, social, and educational activities. A Resident Advisor is a full time student, live-in staff member, who aids in creating a lively community for residents to learn and grown in.

Our next application process will open early October 2024 for the Spring 2025 mid-year positions!

Fall Process (Last updated 1/29 based on the F23 Process)

Our mid-year process typically opens during the first week of October.

Unlike the Spring Process, the Fall Process is much shorter. The current Fall process includes an application and individual interview only. Position or postings for the Fall Process is dependent on turn-over or leave of current RA staff at semester. Number of positions vary greatly. 

Spring Process(Last updated 1/29 for the 24-25 AY )

Our full year selection process for the 2024-2025 Academic Year opened on Thursday, Janaury 18th, 2024. and closed on Sunday, January 28th, 2024.

• • You will not submit a resume or cover letter for this application. Instead the application is composed of supplemental questions that collect similar information and require long/essay responses.
  • An additional & optional, yet encouraged, feeature of the application is 1-3 letters of reference.
    • We encourage one of these letters to come from current or previous University Student Housing member (RA, ACD, CD, PC).
    • Letter of references are different from professional references. Professional references collect contact information of references that would be used to call/contact them for reference checks. We do not complete reference checks as a part of our process.
    • Letters should be uploaded by the candidate as an application document. Letters of reference should be no longer than a page.
    • They MUST be attached to your original application to be considered. 
  • There will be a paper screening process of the supplemental questions and letters of recommendations before candidates are given individual interviews. 

Candidates will participate in 4, potentially 5, parts of the selection process. This process includes a info session, an application, an individual interview, a group interview, and a six week resident advisor class. Not all candidates will move through to RA class, as there is only room for 90.  Attendance at one info session, an individual interview, one group interview session and all 6 sessions of the RA Class are REQUIRED for consideration.

• • RA info sessions will take place during the week of January 22nd - January 26th from 7 PM to 8 PM in various residence halls across campus. The location and dates are as follows: Hapner, 1/22, North Hedges, 1/23, Hyalite 1/24, Yellowstone, 1/25, and Langford, 1/26. 
    • Info sessions are a vital step in the selection process as the presentation give will outline the process more in depth, helpful tips/tricks, expectations/overview of the RA role, tentative dates for training/selection process, and much more. Please come with questions!
  • Group Interviews will take place from 7-10 PM on Friday, February 23rd and from 9 AM -12 PM on Saturday, February 24th.
    • Candidates will attend one day of group interviews and participate in multiple team work exercises and small group actitivites to showcase various skils and abilities such as conflict resolution, communication and problem solving. 
  • RA Class will take place on Monday from 8-9:30 AM, Tuesday from 4:-5:30 PM, and Wednesday from 4-5:30 PM. You will tentatively sign-up for one of these sessions during the info session. 
    • Attendance at all 6 sessions for the RA Class during your assigned course time is required. Class will start on Monday, March 4th and end on Wednesday, April 17th. There will be no class during Spring Break. Class will consists of homework assignments within the residence hall communities across campus,

Please review this document for common questions and answers on the RA selection process. 

Please reach out to our Area Coordinator of Training and Selection, Tristynn Morgan at [email protected] or 406-994-4557 with any questions.

Desk Clerks

The Desk Clerks (DCs) are part-time employees who mostly live on-campus helping residents with anything they may need. Front desks are the hub of services and activity in each residence hall. DCs are the primary customer service agent at the desk, providing administrative support and monitoring the safety and security of the building.

Our Residence Hall front desks are all open 24/7 around the academic year. Therefore, we hire a significant number of student employees to keep the desks fully staffed. Students who have worked this job in the past have greatly appreciated the “commute” to work – a trip down the stairs or a short walk to a nearby hall. They have also enjoyed the tremendous opportunity to become immediately connected to their peers and being able to serve them by issuing packages, checking out spare room keys, and answering their questions about their new home. It is a great way to quickly get to know people and become connected with your new home.

Desk Shifts

• • Most desk shifts are 2-4 hours in length.
  • In addition to some weekday DAY shifts, overnight, early morning and weekend shifts are a required part of the job.
  • Student employees can work up to 20 hours per week
    • Working only 6-10 hours per week works well for those wanting to figure out the school/work balance.
  • Shifts are scheduled around class schedules. Supervisors will consider student requests when making the schedule.
  • Schedules are set to repeat from week to week for the entire semester, making it easy to keep track of when you are scheduled to work.
  • Desk Clerks are encouraged to trade shifts with teammates to accommodate exam schedules, weekends home, etc.
  • Desk Clerks who want maximum hours can earn more by covering shifts for fellow staff members

Wage & Benefits

• • Shifts between 8am -12am are paid $15/hr.
  • Shifts from 12am - 8am are paid $17/hr.
  • Work study is preferred, however not required.
  • In addition to a monetary wage, being a Desk Clerk provides excellent work experiences. Students will learn and develop a variety of skills that will benefit them in future employment opportunities later in college and beyond. These skills include:
    • Multitasking
    • Effective communication
    • Self-direction
    • Taking initiative
    • Decision-making
    • Creative problem-solving

Weekend Student Custodians

The Weekend Student Custodian (WSCs) is an integral member of the residence hall student staff. This student staff member cleans their residence hall on the weekend, serves in an on-call rotation for messes that occur at night, and works with the hall Community Director to ensure a clean environment for all students. Full-Time Weekend Student Custodians are compensated hourly and work a weekend schedule that never interferes with classes. The Weekend Student Custodian position is perfect for the hardworking student who isn't afraid of getting their hands a little dirty!

Summer Positions

For more information visit the Summer Staff positions page!

Summer Resident Advisor

The Summer Resident Advisor (RA) facilitates and promotes a positive community within the residence halls.  RAs are peer “helpers” and assist in the growth and development of students as well as assisting them in maximizing their college experience. RAs serve as a liaison between the University Student Housing and University Food Services administration and students in the residence halls.  Summer RAs have a great deal of administrative responsibilities and deal with an extremely diverse and transitory population. Short-term community development efforts are a focus in the summer due to the nature of the residents. Additionally, summer RAs have the opportunity to work the hall front desk up to 15 paid hours a week and assist with University Student Housing Tours.

Summer Conference Assistant

The Summer Conference Assistant (SCAs) are hired full time to manage the summer housing operations and staff. Summer Conference Assistants work closely with the Program Manager, Conference and Event Services staff, University Student Housing staff, and each other to ensure a high level of customer service is provided. Summer Conference Assistants work full time from May-August, where hours include 8 hour shifts, 5 days a week, for a total of 40 hours per week. There will be additional night/evening hours expected for conference check-ins, on-call duty, etc.

Benefits for Summer Conference Assistants:

• • Work 40 hrs/week
  • Live on campus
  • Convenient work locations on campus
  • Work Study is accepted but not required
  • Meet and interact with many residents and summer guests
  • Active leadership role and job duties

Summer Desk Clerk