ResLife Handbook
Table of Contents
 
  Foreword
 
  Rights and
  Responsibilities
 
  ResLife Staff
 
  STEPS Model
 
  Facilities and Services
 
  Procedures
 
  Policies
 
  Health, Safety, and  
  Security Measures
 
  Student Conduct

The entire ResLife staff works with and for residents to create an environment conducive to personal growth and academic achievement.

Resident Assistants
RAs are employees of South Dakota School of Mines who live on each wing with their fellow residents and receive special training to assist residents in a variety of ways. As university employees, RAs have the responsibility and the authority to ensure the safety and security of all residents and the residence hall facilities. Failure to comply with RAs may warrant appropriate disciplinary action. RAs facilitate wing meetings, help initiate and organize programs and activities, are a resource for campus information and deal with university policy violations. Because RAs may be asked to help with a personal problem, they are selected cause of their maturity and concern for you. If you need a good listener, try your RA. RAs are scheduled to be in their halls and available to students. They do, however, have academic responsibilities and social interests, just like any student, and will not be available all the time. If you are interested in being a resident assistant, the RA selection process takes place during the spring semester.

FIRST Assistants
Like RAs, FAs are employees of the university, but also students. FIRST Assistants provide support to the students in the FIRST program.  FAs provide academic support to the FIRST participants through peer tutoring, checking in with each student on an individual basis, organizing study groups and more.

Apartment Managers
AMs are live-in Sr. Staff who have been selected on the basis of experience in residence life, ability to do light maintenance  and an interest in and concern for people. The AMs are responsible for their assigned apartment complexes through supervision of the facilities and their surrounding groups, administration of the complexes and dealing with violations of university policy. Their primary focus, however, is meeting student needs, developing student responsibility and the overall welfare of the apartment community. The AMs are available to help you with personal and group problems, and as they reside in the apartments, they often handle emergency situations..

Assistant Hall Director
As Peterson Hall is the largest hall on campus housing almost 300 students, the building has an assistant hall director. The AHD is student with at least one year of experience as a resident assistant. The AHD provides supervisory support and management of the residence hall. The AHD’s primary responsibility is working with the FIRST program.

Hall Directors
HDs are live-in Sr. Staff who have been selected on the basis of educational background, experience in residence life and an interest in and concern for people. The HDs are responsible for their assigned residence hall through supervision of student staff, administration of the hall and dealing with violations of university policy. Their primary focus, however, is meeting student needs, developing student responsibility and the overall welfare of the hall community. The HDs are available to help you with personal and group problems, and as they reside in the hall, they often handle emergency situations.

Other Staff
ResLife staff also includes many others—the senior secretary, the project specialist, mailroom specialist, maintenance and custodial staff, the “Summer Crew” and the director—whose contributions are equally important to the overall success of the residence halls. The director and the senior secretary for Residence Life are located in Surbeck Center near the main desk.