Student employment

For 2026-27 academic year applicants:

November 20 - Application available

December 19 - Priority deadline for Assistant Hall Director applications

January 5 - Priority deadline for completed RA applications

Mid-January - Assistant Hall Director interviews

Early February – Interviews for new applicants

Prior to March 1 – Offer decision letters emailed

Student Staff Employment Agreement  

By signing this Student Staff Employment Agreement, I accept these expectations as Residence Life Student Staff at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.  I agree to live on campus in my assigned residence hall, and follow the applicable position description(s).  As a Residence Life employee, I agree to foster an inclusive environment, and I will be respectful, supportive and be a resource for all students; valuing the unique experiences and perspectives of all backgrounds.  Initial each section below indicating you agree to the following expectations:    

Period of Employment  

The 2026 - 2027 employment period begins when you sign and submit this employment agreement and ends on Sunday, May 16, 2027.  If you have been hired for Fall Semester only your employment period ends on December 23, 2026.  By signing this document, you assume the responsibilities of being a student staff leader within Residence Life.  The full extent of your position description will be during the 2026-2027 academic year, however there are some responsibilities that you will be expected to complete during the remainder of spring semester, as well as over the summer.   

Newly employed student staff are appointed for a probationary period of one semester.  Continuation of employment into Semester II is based upon successful job performance measured through your supervisor, staff team and resident feedback.     

All student staff are required to participate in Fall Training and be available for Residence Hall Move-In Days. 

Student staff are expected to be available at the end of the spring semester (May 14 – 16, 2027) to close their residence hall and complete all necessary check out procedures. 

Academic Support Policy 
Student Staff must be in good academic standing when they assume their duties as Student Staff.  Student staff are expected to maintain a 2.50 or above semester grade point average during their time of employment.  If, while employed, a student’s semester GPA is less than 2.50, they will be placed on Residence Life academic probation and an Academic Success Plan will be completed to support academic success.  If a Student Staff’s semester GPA is less than 2.50 in two consecutive semesters it will result in termination. 

If an individual is declared “academically ineligible” or suspended” with the University, they will be unable to remain in the student staff position even if re-admitted. 

Major Academic Time Commitments  

Professional Staff in Residence Life have a responsibility to ensure that Student Staff are successful as they complete major coursework requirements and/or take part in important career preparation opportunities.  In consultation with academic campus partners, we have determined that some academic time commitments or career opportunities are too important and demanding to do them well while also performing the job responsibilities as Student Staff.  Therefore, Student Staff cannot Student Teach, cannot intern full time (40 hours/week), cannot be a Theatre Stage Manager, cannot be in their second year of the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program, or cannot be their final year of Athletic Training at the same time as being a Resident Assistant or Senior Staff.   

A request for any other type of internship, fieldwork, clinical experience, athletic sport, or another activity which requires a major time commitment while employed as student staff must be approved the Associate Director for Staffing, Training and Development.  These requests are often denied as a mean to support academic goals. 

Due to the demands of the position, newly hired Student Staff are not allowed to take more than 18 credits in their first semester of employment.   

Staff Class Requirement  

All newly hired Student Staff in their first full semester of employment are required to take Staff Class (UWL 260: Residence Life Problem Solving and Critical Thinking).  The exact day and time will be shared in the hiring offer letter. 

Belonging and Inclusivity 

We value building inclusive communities, creating a sense of belonging for all students, and promoting civil discourse among students living on campus.  This will be a central part of all of our work and will be integrated throughout our training sessions, staff meetings and staff developments. Engagement with, and participation in, these topics is an expectation of the student staff position. 

Adhering to Residence Hall Policies, University Police and State Law 

Student staff are responsible for adhering to residence hall policies, university policies and state law as well as communicating and enforcing these policies to students in our residence halls. Student staff in violation of residence hall policies, university policies and/or state law whether it be on, or off campus, including social media, will result in disciplinary action and may include termination.  Student staff under investigation for a Title IX sexual misconduct allegation and/or placed on University Probation through the Student Life Office may result in job action including interim suspension or termination.   Student staff failing to uphold and enforce residence hall policies and university policies on campus will also result in disciplinary job action and may include termination.  In addition, Student Staff are granted privileges and have access to information (for work-related purposes) that is private in nature.  Misuse of any of the following will result in disciplinary job action which may include termination: retainer and/or master keys, university property, databases including StarRez and Maxient, building access, and departmental funding including Festival Food card purchases.  

Student Staff who are terminated, interim suspended, or resign from their position are restricted from continuing to live in the Residence Hall in which they were a Staff Member for the remainder of that academic year.   

Prior to the start of the 2026-27 academic year, students terminated from other positions in Residence Life or on campus may result in this student staff employment offer being rescinded.  For returning student staff, performance issues that arise, or concerns about the current Student Staff Employment Agreement, can result in this student staff employment offer being rescinded.   

Training, Meetings, Staff Development, Committees  

Residence Life Student Staff are required to be trained on topics related to sexual assault, suicide ideation, policy enforcement, alcohol and drug confrontation and other difficult content areas.  These trainings may take place online, in person, or in small group settings.  In order to best serve our residents, student staff must be trained to provide support and refer to necessary campus resources.  Therefore, student staff cannot opt out of training sessions. 

All student staff are required to participate in all of August Training.   

• Fall Training for all Resident Assistants will begin on Sunday, August 23, 2026. (Move In on Saturday, August 22,). 

• Assistant Hall Directors arrive early for additional training starting on Monday, August 17. (Move In on, August 16).  

All Student Staff are required to be available for Residence Hall Move-In Days: September 2-September 7.  

During the academic year Residence Life Staff Meetings are on Tuesday Nights between 8pm – 10pm.  It is expected that you build your academic course schedule and other involvements around this, to be sure to be at these weekly meetings.  

Time Away and University Breaks  

In addition to official university breaks, student staff are allowed time away from campus over the course of the semester. Time away must be scheduled with and approved by your supervisor. 

Student staff may need to remain on campus until the day a university break begins, and may need to return to the residence hall prior to the university break ending.  Specific staffing needs will be determined by your supervisor.  Additional compensation will be awarded for student staff who are selected to serve in the capacity of Break Assistants over Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break and Spring Break. 

Additional Employment 

In order to comply with UW System policy students may not hold on-campus positions which total more than 25 hours of weekly employment for domestic students and 20 hours of weekly employment for international students (due to Visa limitations).  Student staff are limited in their ability to hold another on-campus job.  In order to hold another job on campus you must get approval from the Associate Director for Staffing, Training and Development.  Additional employment off campus while serving as a student staff member may be permitted with advanced permission from your supervisor. Decisions on additional employment are based on UW System Policy, academic load, job performance and other commitments.  Effects of outside employment will be reviewed periodically by your supervisor.    

Extracurricular Activities  

Extracurricular activities which require excessive amounts of time (especially nights and weekends) are strongly discouraged.   Student staff should submit a request in writing to their supervisor to obtain approval for all desired activities of involvement and the approximate amount of time that is required of each activity. Student staff are to limit their participation in extracurricular activities.   Due to the time commitment and potential for a conflict of interest, student staff are prohibited from holding a paid student government association position.   

As a general practice, all outside involvement and employment hours should not exceed an average of 10 hours per week.  Student staff will regularly review academic time commitments and outside involvement (including additional employment) with their supervisor to ensure their ability to satisfactorily perform responsibilities.  When conflicts arise in student staff duties and extracurricular activities, student staff responsibilities take priority. 

Compensation 

The Compensation Package for Residence Life Student Staff includes the following while employed: 

• A single room in your assigned residence hall paid for by Residence Life.  Due to student staff responsibilities that involve private conversations with residents you are not able to have a roommate within your individual room.   

• A meal plan paid for by Residence Life through Chartwells. 

• A lump sum stipend.  The amount and timeline are as follows:

• The August training stipend is earned by being present for all of training in August (See Section 1 & 7)/
• Semester stipends are earned by completing job responsibilities through the end of each semester. 
• Student Staff hired mid-year are only eligible for the stipend in the semester they are working. 
• In addition, Student Staff who choose to work the Residence Hall Front Desk in their assigned building can work up to 4 hours/week and earn $9.00/hour. 

In acknowledging this Student Staff Employment Agreement, you acknowledge your understanding that if employment is terminated or resignation, you are not entitled to any compensation or reimbursements as defined in this document after the date in which your employment concludes.    

Reasonable Accommodations 

Student employees should consult with Human Resources if they would like to know more about the workplace accommodation process.  In addition, housing accommodations for all students, inclusive of student staff, must go through the UWL Disability Resource Center approval process.

Human Resource Onboarding 

Student employees are required to complete a number of steps as part of the Human Resource onboarding process.  This includes completing an I9 and providing required documentation.  Hired employees who fail to complete all onboarding steps within the required time frame will have their hire rescinded.   

Student staff employment requires a criminal background check.  A pending criminal charge or conviction will not necessarily disqualify an applicant. In compliance with the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse does not discriminate on the basis of arrest or conviction record. 

Having read your student staff position description(s) and responsibilities, this Student Staff Employment Agreement, and understanding the content, I agree to all expectations and accept this appointment beginning now – May 16, 2027.  I also understand that if I do not comply with these expectations or provide false information that is contrary to this agreement, I may be released from my position.  Furthermore, I understand that my performance will be evaluated by my supervisor and that my appointment may be terminated if my performance is unsatisfactory.  In addition, both the University and the Employee have the right to terminate this agreement without having to show cause.  Every effort should be made to give advance written notice by either party prior to termination of employment.  A termination of this agreement terminates any obligation of the University under this agreement and the Employee shall not be entitled to any payments of compensation from the effective date of the termination.   

New applicants should complete the general application.

Applicants interested in being considered for any spring 2027 vacancies should complete the same application. Spring 2027 interest can be indicated on the application. These vacancies are limited and currently unknown.

Once the online application is complete, applicants will receive an email with instructions on completing an essay/video prompt based upon the positions applied for.

Based upon submitted materials, some applicants will be invited to participate in in-person interviews in early February.

Current or former Student Staff should complete the general application.

Once the application is completed, applicants will be sent an email with further instructions based upon the positions they are interested in.

Those interested in Assistant Hall Director Positions will be asked to schedule a virtual interview with 2 Hall Directors. Priority deadline for Assistant Hall Director applicants is December 19, 2025.

As most Desk Assistant positions are currently filled, please reach out to your Hall Director if you are interested in any open positions.

For the 2025-26 academic year, Desk Assistants are paid $9 per hour.

To be eligible for a Desk Assistant position, you must be living in the residence hall for the academic year in which you apply. DAs will also need to pass a Criminal Background Check (CBC) that is conducted through our Human Resources Department at UWL. You can find more information about student employment on the Human Resources website.

For the 2025-26 academic year:

• Applications for the Desk Assistant position are due August 8, 2025.
• Interviews will take place, virtually, the week of August 11, 2025.
• If chosen to take part in an interview, applicants will be contacted by their Hall Director and Assistant Hall Director via their UWL email during the week of August 11, 2025.  
• Anticipated start date for the DA position is between September 8-12, 2025 dependent on successful CBC, HR paperwork completion, and DA training.

Application Link Below 

Residence Life Custodial Assistant Application

Applicants should be attentive to their UWL email as an invitation to interview will be shared there based on application materials.

Custodial Assistants are paid an hourly rate of $11.

Custodial Assistants will need to pass a Criminal Background Check (CBC) that is conducted through our Human Resources department at UWL. You can find more information about student employment on the Human Resources website.

Applications will be reviewed near the start of the academic year.  Interview offers will be extended at that time.

Late applications are welcome and will be reviewed on an "as-needed" basis.