Summer 2026 Student Community Assistant (SCA)

Job Description

Job Title: Summer Community Assistant (SCA) (WS)

Classification: Student Employee (non-exempt)

Name and Address of Employer: St. Olaf College, 1520 St. Olaf Ave, Northfield, MN 55057

Department Name: Office of Residence Life

Unit Number (5 digits): 15141

Length of Position: Summer 1, Summer 2, Intersession, and up until the day before the first day of class.

Mandatory Training: The specific dates will be provided upon receiving the job offer.

• Mental Health First Aid Training (held late April on a weekend)
• Summer Training (Held in May before the Summer Session begins)

Contact Person/Supervisor: Jordan W. Tarango, Assistant Director of Residence Education

Wage Range: $11.75-12.75/hour

Description of the Position (Purpose of the Position): Summer Community Assistants are undergraduate student staff members who support on-campus living during the summer term. SCAs assist professional staff by attending to the daily needs of their residence hall related to building management, safety, and security.

Transferable Skills:

1. Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills
2. Ability to work both independently with little supervision and as part of a team
3. High levels of motivation, interest in graphic design, and willingness to learn
4. Ability to pay close attention to details
5. Excellent time management skills

Duties and Responsibilities:

a. Duty Rotation

• One SCA shall be on-duty between 7:00pm and 7:00am on weeknights, and 24 per day on weekends. The duty phone must be held at all times during these periods to respond to resident issues and concerns.
• Between 7:00pm and 7:00am each night (Active Duty), the SCA-on-duty shall: (1) operate the front desk and storage as necessary from 7:00pm to 11:00pm, (2) remain in their assigned building/room until 7:00am, and (3) take three rounds of their assigned building during this period.
• Between 7:00am and 7:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays, (Passive Duty), the SCA-on-duty shall: (1) conduct one morning walk-through of their assigned building before noon and (2) may be anywhere on campus, as long as they are able to respond to a call within 15 minutes of receipt.

b. Front Desk

• Operate the front desk as an initial point of contact and resource for residents in assigned hall
• Verify the identities of all individuals entering the residence hall according to departmental procedures and guidelines
• Greet residents as then enter and exit the building
• Offer assistance to those not recognized as residents of the hall
• Answer the phone and forward calls as appropriate
• Check front desk items out to residents and appropriately document these transactions
• Maintain a positive and professional demeanor at all times when working
• Maintain a clean and organized workspace
• Address policy violations as they occur
• Refer concerns to appropriate Residence Life staff as they arise
• Respond to and assist in emergency situations as necessary, within the scope of SCA training

c. Storage Management

• Control access to residence hall storage
• Appropriately document items placed into, or claimed from, storage
• Ensure storage guidelines are followed
• Assist in storage room maintenance as assigned

d. Building Management

• SCAs shall support building management tasks as assigned, including but not limited to: (1) distribution of room keys, (2) preparation of the residence halls for summer housing, (3) assisting residents during housing transition periods including summer check-in and check-out, (4) health and safety inspections, and (5) identification, documentation, and reporting of maintenance/facilities/health and safety concerns or emergencies
• Building Assignment/Oversight: (1) SCAs will be provided a residence hall assignment for their housing, (2) SCAs may be assigned to multiple buildings for consistent oversight and support which may include leaving one assigned building to go to another for rounds, and (3) SCAs may be provided temporary housing in another building is that building has to become active during the summer and requires overnight support.

e. Administrative Responsibilities

• SCAs shall support their professional supervisor through administrative tasks as assigned, including but not limited to: (1) weekly SCA staff meetings, (2) bi-weekly individual meetings with professional supervisor, (3) documentation of on-duty activities, (4) weekly reports, (5) program evaluations, and (6) adherence to any blackout dates provided by professional staff to ensure adequate staffing during high-need periods.

f. Residential Support

• Community Development and Peer Advising: SCAs shall (1) support programming initiatives as assigned by their professional supervisor, (2) develop positive personal relationships with the residents in their assigned hall through formal and informal engagement efforts, (3) role model appropriate behavior within the residence hall to students and colleagues, abiding by and upholding college policies on a campus-wide basis, and (4) provide assistance to residents in need within the scope of their training, including referral to various campus resources and triaging student concerns tot he appropriate professional staff.
• Conduct Facilitation: SCAs shall (1) understand, articulate, and uphold college and Residence Life policies and procedures and (2) address breaches of college and Residence Life policy (as outlines in the student Code of Conduct) through the appropriate confrontation of the responsible parties and documentation of these incidents.

g. Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism

• SCAs shall demonstrate a commitment to advance equity, inclusion, and antiracism at St. Olaf through methods including, but not limited to: ongoing self-reflection and recognition of one's identities in the spaces they occupy; awareness, understanding of, and sensitivity to historic and ongoing injustices against marginalized identities present in the St. Olaf community; and an openness to engage with peers of different cultural backgrounds and social identities.

Time Commitments:

a. Expected Weekly Hours:

• SCAs enrolled in summer course can expect to work between 12 and 20 hours per week
• SCAs not enrolled in summer courses can expect to work between 12 and 40 hours per week.

Note: The hours above will be negotiated if/when the position requires student leaders to perform their role in the Spring or Fall semester(s).

b. Expected Hourly Commitments:

• Up to 8 hours per week of front desk work is required as part of your employment as an SCA as part of duty. There are opportunities to pick up additional paid hours during daytime operations.
• You may be engaged in up to approximately 4 hours per week of active work while on-call.

c. Special Time Commitments

• Full participation in Staff Training. This mandatory training will tentatively take place over up to six cumulative hours in late May/early June.
• Available to assist with summer housing transition at beginning and end of the summer term.

Qualifications and Requirements:

a. Requirements:

• Students on the graduation list before the Summer Sessions are not eligible to apply for this position.
• Minimum cumulative/semester GPA of 2.5
• Good academic standing
• No open conduct sanctions

b. Essential Qualities:

• Excellent time management and prioritization skills
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to quickly evolving situations
• Demonstrated emotional maturity to cope with day-to-day challenges of employment
• Sensitivity and concern for others as individuals that goes beyond outlined responsibilities

Physical and Environmental Factors: This position requires crouching, kneeling/crawling, stooping, twisting/pivoting, reaching overhead, grasping/handling, pushing/pulling, and lifting and carrying objects up to 50 lbs. to perform the essential functions. It also requires exposure to loud noise, as well as rare exposure to respiratory factors, chemicals, wet or humid conditions indoors, extreme cold, extreme heat, and heights or cramped quarters to perform the essential functions. Protective equipment is required to perform some essential functions. Candidates must possess the ability to safely perform the physical work required of all duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

This job description is for general information purposes. It is not intended to list all duties and responsibilities of the position. This job description is subject to change at any time by St. Olaf College, with or without prior notice.