The HLS Residence Hall Advisor (RA) is a live-in position under the direction of the Dean of Students and Community Engagement, Equity, and Belonging Office (DOS-CEEB) with a connection to the Housing Office. The primary responsibility of the Resident Advisor is to assist residents with urgent and non-urgent needs and build community through interactive and passive programming.
Applications
Application form: https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5sDL9LBC1pkGV6K
Application deadline: 5:00pm ET on Friday, February 20
Eligibility
- Must be a current Harvard Law School student in good academic standing
- Students at other schools within the University, or any non-student affiliates, are not eligible
- Candidates must have completed one full academic year of their current program at HLS
- Returning JDs and Returning SJDs are eligible (students are not eligible if they are in the 1st year of their degree program)
- Candidates must be willing to live on campus for the duration of the RA contract, which is the entire academic year
- Students who are graduating mid-year, studying abroad, or taking a semester off during the upcoming academic year are not eligible
- No prior on-campus residency required
- Prior resident assistant or student leadership experience preferred, but not required
Job Responsibilities
- act as liaisons to the DOS-CEEB Office, HLS Housing and Facilities Management, and various other offices
- help residents, particularly new residents, adjust to their environment at HLS and the residence hall community
- are available for urgent and non-urgent matters
- manage and report emergency situations such as illness, accidents within the premises of the residence halls, facilities problems, etc.
- are visible and available to students within the residential community
- inform residents of housing policies, rules, and regulations, and monitor compliance
- receive information from residents and encourage timely reporting to Facilities Management; monitor progress and escalate if needed
- assume general communicative role with residents regarding the neatness and cleanliness of
floors/entryways, especially the kitchens and lounges - staff at least one move- in shift, assist with New Student Orientation and Accepted Student Day Housing Tours
- attend bi-weekly staff meetings organized by DOS-CEEB or as necessary to discuss upcoming activities and discuss facilities/student concerns
- attend brief one-on-one check-in meetings with professional staff or as needed
- plan and promote social, recreational, and academic programs that foster community among residents; minimum of 1 per month including a floor meeting and welcome dinner at the beginning of the year
- collaborate with fellow RAs to coordinate additional community-wide events
- pick up information and materials at the DOS-CEEB office to be posted and/or distributed to floors
- submit paperwork, online forms, expense forms/receipts, and weekly report forms on time.
Benefits
- Partial housing stipend
- Generous budget for event planning and community building
- Leadership and professional development
- Strengthening and building emotional intelligence
- Gain experience in peer-to-peer leadership, act as a mentor/guide to other students
- Gain experience in hosting social events
- Opportunity to create a close-knit residential community
RA Positions and Compensation
DOS-CEEB is hiring eight RA roles in Gropius, North Hall and Hastings Hall. RAs are compensated through a partial rental stipend applied directly to your student account that ranges between $7,050-$9,000 per academic year.
*Compensation will be finalized with final offer and room placement
Contract Period
- Academic Year Term: August 20, 2026 – May 14, 2027
- Mandatory Training Dates: August 20 – August 21, 2026
- Breaks and January term: RAs may leave residency for the winter break from December 19, 2026- January 3, 2027.
- RAs must remain on campus for all of January term.
Supervision
This position is supervised by Tara Townsend, Associate of Student Life and the DOS-CEEB Office. HLS Housing will exercise indirect supervision.
Financial Aid Relationship to RA Compensation
The RA salary is paid through a credit to your student bill. If you are applying for financial aid, you should be aware that under federal student aid guidelines, the value of your RA compensation must be included in your financial aid package and is treated like an outside award. While this will not ordinarily affect your grant eligibility, it does have an impact on your loan borrowing limit, because the total of all your financial aid (including the RA compensation) cannot exceed your student budget.
For example: if two students had the same award package and student budget, but one had a $5,000 RA-ship, then the student with the RA-ship can borrow $5,000 less than the student without. (In other words, your RA compensation replaces an equivalent amount of potential borrowing in your aid package – which is a good thing – but as a result reduces the amount you are permitted to borrow given that the student budget sets the limit for your total aid.) You must contact your financial aid officer at HLS Student Financial Services with any questions about how your RA-ship will affect your aid package or your budgeting plans.
Selection Process
Based on the completed application, selected applicants will be offered a 30-minute interview to be held between February 23- March 11. A current resume, cover letter and one letter of recommendation are required to be submitted with your application.
Contact Information
All questions should be directed to Tara Townsend, Associate Director of Student Life – ttownsend@law.harvard.edu or 617-495-1880.