Duties & Responsibilities

Faculty in Residence (FIR) are SDSU faculty members or administrators who are required to live in an apartment in a residence hall and serve 10-12 hours per week as liaisons between faculty and students while encouraging intellectual stimulation and academic involvement of students living on campus.

The FIR will be appointed to serve students in one or more on-campus residential communities.

Working under the general direction of the Director of Academic Success & Student Care Initiatives and the Associate Director for Academic Engagement & Curricular Learning, the FIR will work closely and cooperatively with the residential professional and paraprofessional staff and residence hall student government groups in developing a sense of community, involving other faculty in residence hall lectures, programs, and activities, and meeting the academic and community needs of residential students. The Faculty in Residence program has three main components through which the program goals are achieved:

• Educational Leadership, Programming & Student Interactions

• Academic Counseling & Support of Students

• Cooperation with Student Affairs & Campus Diversity and Residential Education

Educational Leadership, Programming & Student Interaction

The positive attitude of the FIR in getting to know the residents is imperative in developing the intellectual atmosphere of the hall(s). FIRs are expected to share their interests, expertise, and experience as they assist students in learning to become more comfortable with intellectual development. FIRs will encourage the development of the residential community and openness to others whose backgrounds, identities, and life experiences differ from their own. Each FIR will be expected to establish habits of visibility and accessibility in the residential community and collaborate with other Residential Education team members on various academic initiatives.

Specific duties include:

• Attend mandatory FIR training before residence hall opening (2-3 days of training) in mid-August (dates TBA).

• Participate in Student Leader (RA/CA) training sessions and Academic Neighborhood planning days prior to the beginning of fall classes. Typically, this necessitates availability on campus beginning in early August.

• Spend 8-10 hours assisting during Residence Hall Move-In Days and participate in Move-In Weekend to meet students and parents. This includes participation in the East and West Side Welcome events.

• Author a welcome letter to residents describing your academic experience, personal interests, hobbies, office hours, and possible program plans.

• Facilitate a University Seminar course (GENS 100C) in the fall semester.

• Attend weekly training sessions for the University Seminar curriculum and implement it in weekly sessions (offered on Mondays and Tuesdays, subject to change).

• Create mentorship opportunities for students in their seminar classes.

• Assist in planning and attending at least four field trips for residential students (2 in the fall and 2 in the spring).

• Serve on two 2 Professors Don’t Bite Program panels in the fall semester. In addition, invite a minimum of two (2) additional faculty members (who are not part of the FIR program) to participate in the panel.

• Provide leadership and direction in planning and implementing at least four (4) social or educational programs for residential students in the fall semester. In the spring semester, this will increase to seven (7) in place of teaching the University Seminar. Select programs may be done in collaboration with an REO Affinity Group.

• Assist in planning and implementing one large-scale, departmental program with REO team members (e.g. Academic Incentives Auction, Majors Fair, etc.).

• Participate in departmental and campus-wide events (i.e. Student Leader Selection Weekend, FIR and other professional staff selection committees, Explore SDSU, etc.).

• Participate in the collection of ballots for the Favorite Faculty event and attend the event.

• Encourage and role model to staff and students appreciation for and openness to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Provide additional meeting times outside of your university seminar class and your programming responsibilities to appropriately engage and mentor students to ensure they adjust to SDSU. This involves actively engaging with students by attending programs, hall/community council meetings and events, spending time in community spaces, presence in STAR Centers, etc.).

• Establish and advertise ways residents can reach you to set up a meeting or small group discussion. Respond to requests and schedule time for these requests. These times should be separate from the office hours you host in your faculty role.

• Participate in ongoing assessment of the program, including monthly reports detailing resident interactions and other FIR activities, and an annual report summarizing your FIR experience.

Academic Counseling and Support of Individual Students

FIRs will provide academic support as appropriate and refer students to additional campus resources.

Specific duties include:

• Provide additional meeting times outside the university seminar class to engage and mentor students to ensure they adjust to SDSU.

• Communicate with individual students for academic support, advising, and consultation and provide referrals to appropriate campus resources as needed (ex. Economic Crisis Response Team, Student Life and Leadership, Colleges, STAR Centers, General Advisors & Retention Specialists (GARS), the Office of Housing Administration, Residential Education Office, etc).

• Being available to consult with students on academic probation (particularly in the Spring semester).

• Writing letters of recommendation for jobs or academically related opportunities.

Cooperation with Student Affairs and Campus Diversity and Residential Education Teams

The relationship and communication between the FIRs, residential student leaders and student government groups will be critical to the success of the program. FIRs will be expected to meet regularly with the General Advisors and Retention Specialists (GARS) and Residence Hall Coordinators (RHCs) as part of an Academic Success Team, as well as with RHCs and residential student leaders to better understand the needs of the unique residence hall communities. In addition, FIRs should be familiar with the regulations and protocols within the residence halls. While the role does not necessarily include enforcement of residential policies and guidelines, the FIR will serve as a role model and support residence hall policies by supporting student leaders in their efforts to enforce community standards. They will also inform the residence hall staff of student concerns.

The Faculty-in-Residence is expected to support and abide by all rules and regulations, as well as state and federal laws. The Faculty-in-Residence is also expected to conduct themselves in a professional, legal and ethical manner when dealing with students and staff.

Specific duties include:

• Meet with the Residential Education staff and student leaders at the beginning of each semester to discuss expectations and make plans for the year.

• Attend student leader meetings at least once a month to enhance rapport and discuss programming issues and needs as well as opportunities for academic enhancement. These meetings are scheduled for Tuesdays from 7-10 pm. This includes all hall meetings focused on professional development for all REO staff and faculty.

• Attend monthly 1:1 meetings with the Associate Director for Academic Engagement and Curricular Learning.

• As academic commitments allow, attend professional staff meetings (first Tuesday of each month from 1-3pm), All Hall Meetings, and professional development opportunities.

• Assist the hall staff during emergencies as one is willing and able (i.e. evacuate the community of yourself and your family, encourage students to evacuate, remain calm, and patiently await return to the building, help with crowd control, etc.).

• Serve as a role model and support university and residence hall policies.

• Report student concerns to the appropriate residence hall staff.

• Attend REO training sessions and aid in training the residence hall leaders regarding campus academic resources and academic success throughout the academic year.

• Attend monthly Faculty-in-Residence meetings. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 10am (subject to change).

• Attend other meetings and training sessions as assigned.