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Residential Life Student Leader - Academic Year 2026-2027

San Francisco State University
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Residential Life | San Francisco State University
Student Leader (SL) Application 2026-2027 

We are seeking Student Leaders for the 2026-2027 Academic Year!

About Residential Life:  
Residential Life at San Francisco State University is a department within the purview of the Dean of Students cabinet area of the division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Residential Life provides comfortable and equitable living accommodations and out-of-the-classroom learning experiences for nearly 4,000 students each academic year. 

General Position Requirements: 

  • Minimum 2.5 GPA (semester AND cumulative) 
  • Students of second year status or higher at time of employment (30 Units or more by Fall 2026)
  • Be in good conduct standing  
  • Enrolled in a minimum of 12 units undergraduate / 9 units graduate  
  • Desire and passion to help students learn and be successful here at San Francisco State University  
  • Strong ability to manage and mediate conflict  
  • Interest and/or passion for equity, inclusion, and social justice
  • It’s strongly encouraged that candidates have at least 1 semester of living in a communal housing experience by Fall 2026.

Timeline:
Applications Open: Friday, November 14, 2025 
Applications Close: Monday, January 19, 2026  
Screening Interview Scheduling: January 19-30, 2026 
Screening Interviews: February 5-6, 2026 
Second Interview Scheduling: February 9-13, 2026 
Second Interview: February 26-27, 2026 
Student Leader Offers: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 
Student Leaders accept/decline: Friday, April 3, 2026 
Student Leader Orientation: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 

Please Note: This timeline may be subject to change to accommodate University and/or department needs. However, candidates will be updated immediately if changes occur. 

 

Description of Student Leader Opportunities:
Throughout the academic year, Residential Life offers live-in leadership opportunities to approximately 140 Student Leaders; Resident Assistants (RA), Lead Desk Assistants (LDA), and Program Assistants (PA) to facilitate growth, development, and support for students across five unique residential living communities.  New applicants are only eligible to apply for the RA and LDA roles. If you’re interested in the Program Assistant (PA) role, you must have prior Residential Hall Association experience or be currently enrolled in graduate school. Please indicate your interest in the PA role if either applies to you.  

 

Resident Assistant (RA)  

Resident Assistants are directly responsible for a floor, wing or specific blocks of residential students within the community you are assigned. RAs serve to support, mentor, peer-lead, their floor, wing, or block of residents. They are responsible for creating an open, supporting, and inclusive community, managing and mediating conflict between residents, intentionally interacting and building relationships with residents, tracking and reporting of intentional interactions, offering resources to students who are struggling, upholding and enforcing the Student Code of Conduct and Community Living Standards, and assisting in crisis and emergency situations.   

The Resident Assistant role is an average 20-hour-a-week commitment. This time shall be distributed between a combination of weekly commitments, on-duty/on-call task, and administrative responsibilities. A reasonable schedule would include a combination of patterns of time including weekly commitments (i.e. meetings, advising students, etc.) and on-duty/on-call commitments (being available to residents at varying intervals during the day and night, duty rotations, responding to emergencies and crisis situations). The RA role is not easily translated into an hourly basis or reduced to specific duties, so this description is a sample of what a typical week might look like.  

 

Lead Desk Assistant (LDA) 

LDAs are driven by the desire to promote an efficient and friendly community desk program. As a LDA, you are the guiding force of customer service in Residential Life by handling valuable procedures related to desk schedules, keys, and mail. LDAs directly assist the Residential Coordinators of the Community Desks in supporting a staff of up to 30 student staff assistants who operate the community front desk and assist in running front and back end operations. LDAs are administrative managers in the making! The Lead Desk assistant is an average 20 hour a week commitment. This time shall be distributed in supporting the administrative functions of the community you are assigned during a set office hours and a separate LDA Duty Rotation. A reasonable schedule would include office hours tasks such as move-in preparation, key auditing, passive programing for residential engagement, preparing for desk staff meetings, and supporting a mail operation.  

 

NOTE: To apply for the LDA role, candidates must meet at least one of the following criteria: have prior experience as a Student Leader or Desk Assistant, be enrolled in a graduate program for the 2026–2027 academic year or have customer service experience working at a professional desk. 

 

Program Assistant (PA)

PAs are directly responsible for community-wide programs and initiatives for the areas they are assigned. PAs serve to support residential students through mentorship, peer-lead a community of residents through the lens of Academic Success and Holistic Wellness. They are responsible for creating experiences that are open, supportive, and inclusive. PAs support the daily operations of the Residential Life Resource Center through weekly office hours. PAs develop and present educational presentations related to Academic Success and Holistic Wellness, and present during Student Leader trainings. PA also supports the on-duty rotation to support residents outside of business hours. 

 

NOTE: In order to apply for the PA Role, candidates must meet one of the following criteria: having experience working as an RHA Board Member, or being enrolled in a graduate school program for the upcoming 26-27 academic year.
 

All Student Leaders (RAs, PAs, and LDAs) are expected to be available to residents and staff during evenings and weekends on a regular basis. Weekly department meetings are held on Wednesdays from 4 PM–6 PM, and attendance is required unless you have a conflicting upper-division course that is only offered during that time. This position includes weekend on-call duty and coverage during vacation and holiday periods, including but not limited to Fall Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break. Break coverage is shared among all Student Leaders within each community, so while you won’t be scheduled for every break, you will be responsible for covering a portion of one. The number of assigned days will vary depending on your community’s team size. 

 

Benefits: 

Since Student Leaders serve in on-call rotation, all live-in student leaders will receive in-kind support (compensation) in the form of a single bed space in the hall of assignment and a meal plan through the campus food services for the full academic year (Fall 2026 - Spring 2027), as well as a 7-day continuous meal plan for all effective dates of the license agreement.   

 

Application Process:

This application asks for a few items from applicants. We ask for information about you as a student and applicant to help track your application and make sure you meet qualifications. We also ask you to answer the essay questions below.  

Please note that if you would like to apply for multiple positions, you will need to answer additional questions. Based on your application responses, you will be invited to move forward in our process to participate in an interview. Information regarding the interview will be provided upon your advancement in the process. 

  

All Applicant Questions:

1. Why are you interested in the (RA or LDA) role, and what qualities or experiences do you have that would help you be successful in this position? Please explain in detail and provide examples.
2. What experiences and interests do you have that will create a welcoming community and support your residents in the residential hall? (give specific examples)

LDA applicants: Please respond to this additional question:
1. Describe a time you took initiative to improve a process or experience. What actions did you take, and how did it impact others?

PA applicants: Please respond to this additional question:
1. Describe what kind of program related to Academic Success or Holistic Wellness you want to put on for your community? Include why it would be beneficial to the residents, what would happen during the event, and who you could possibly collaborate with.

We encourage all applicants to practice the STAR Method of Interviewing and to seek support from SFSU Career Services and Leadership Development https://csld.sfsu.edu/ throughout this process. 

 

Deadline:

The application will close on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 11:59 PM 
 

Questions / Concerns:

Please direct any inquiries about the Student Leader Selection process to the SL Recruitment and Selection Committee via email at SLSelection@sfsu.edu   

 

Ready to Apply?

If you are ready to apply, please submit your application to this link: https://sfsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6YenQTYwXOhITae

(If you are a current Residential Life student leader, do not use the link above. The department will contact you via email with a different application link).