Housing Facilities Assistant (HFA) Program
Overview
HFA student staff members play an important role in supporting student community development, providing general support & customer service to UR residents, performing a wide variety of administrative duties (processing building access credentials, database updates, varying audits, sustainability initiatives), and special projects focused on supporting residential communities while also intentionally developing student staff skill sets.
HFAs also work closely with UR Residence Life staff to promote an environment where residents feel supported and safe to engage in student development and learning through University Residences Initiative for Student Engagement (URISE). By ensuring that public and private living spaces residents occupy are well maintained, students can focus on maximizing their academic success and social/personal growth experiences while at WWU.
For full job description and information on how to apply, visit the link below:
Areas of Support
Student employment opportunities are available in five (5) focus areas within this program designed to provide support to UR residential communities while also offering HFA students a wide variety of work opportunities aimed at preparing for future employment after they leave WWU.
- Customer Service: Provide focused support of assigned UR communities ensuring that maintenance requests submitted by residents are processed in a timely manner, conducting outreach actions as needed, and providing sustained client advocacy efforts that maximize customer service.
- Community Engagement: Provide residents in-person, facilities-focused support within each community and attend varying meetings (Hall Staff, Hall Counsel, and Residence Hall Association).
- Building Focus: Review detailed building audit reports, determine if adverse trends need attention, and work with UR management to ensure issues are resolved in a timely manner.
- Student Feedback: Solicit resident input and participate in focus groups supporting facilities projects.
- Building Access Credentials: Assist with credential audits (work/take home/vendor rings, electronic access fobs & cards, brass keys), electronic key box system, and related database updates.
- Office Help: Assist with resident damage billing, create maintenance requests/generate work order backlog reports, review/analyze maintenance backlog provide recurring aging reports to engagement assist with clerical duties (office supply, filing, mail distribution, meeting support).
- Lockout Support: Provide resident lockout service.
- Education & Awareness: Collaborate with campus partners to develop and/or execute presentations, training, engagement efforts, communications (monthly newsletters, e-mails) promoting Sustainable Living within residential communities.
- Solid Waste Audits: Perform external (trash, composting, recycling dumpsters/toters) and internal (public space sorting stations, community bathroom/public restroom bins) inspections to assess pickup schedule optimization, contamination, and other items of interest.
- Resident Checkout Program (RCP): Provide logistical (cycle count, condition assessment, storage optimization) and administrative (order fulfillment, database updates, advertising, usage analysis) support for short term and long term (Residence Hall Reuse).
- Building Inspections: Perform detailed inspections (public amenities, entry points/pathways, community bathrooms/kitchens, restrooms) focusing on safety, appearance, functionality, and cleanliness.
- Asset Audits: Perform cycle counts & condition assessments during the academic year and/or summer period on specified assets (furniture, appliances, gaming/music/media equipment, art, other).
- Vacant Space Readiness: Perform housing checkout inspections and Health safety check inspections as directed. Inspect vacant spaces to ensure they are cleaned and ready for new occupant.
- Transport: Assist in loading & unloading vehicles, process items for transport (pack, crate, prepare, label, obtain receipts), perform other required tasks (unpack, check assemble, store items) as needed.
- Warehouse: Assist with central warehouse and/or remote storage space inventory actions.
- Furniture Projects: Assist with relocating, and/or assembling/dismantling, furniture as needed, and installing/adjusting furniture as needed.
Community Engagement
Residence Life Hall Staff Meeting
Attend RD meeting at the beginning of the quarter and one staff meeting at the end of the quarter.
Hall Council Meeting
Attend twice per quarter
Residence Hall Association (RHA) General Meeting
Attend twice per quarter
Community Desk Weekly Presence
See matrix to the right
Desk Presence (5:00 pm - 6:30 pm)
| Community | Desk Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Mathes | Main lounge | 03/29 and 04/24 |
| Nash | Front entrance hallway | 04/03 and 04/26 |
| Edens-Higginson | Edens front hallway above front desk | 04/05 and 05/01 |
| Ridgeway | Across from Ridgeway Commons entrance | 04/10 and 05/03 |
| Fairhaven | Fairhaven lounge across from front desk | 04/12 and 05/08 |
| Buchanan Towers | Front hallway across from front desk | 04/17 and 05/10 |
| Birnam Wood | Community Building (Main lounge) | 04/19 and 05/15 |
Position Benefits
Our goal is to develop HFAs by providing them valuable work and life related experiences that enhance their resume/overall portfolio while providing HFAs skills that support their personal development/prepare them for their professional careers while also serving the critical needs of the students that live within UR communities. HFAs will learn or further develop expertise that make them marketable and employable to perspective employers:
- Analytical thinking.
- Building relationships with different people and community development.
- Business related skills.
- Communication and self-awareness.
- Cultural competencies and social-perspective taking.
- Leadership development.
- Personal development.
- Role modeling for peers.
- Safety and crisis response.
- Teamwork experiences and collaborations.
- Time management.
Maintenance Requests
Emergency facilities issues should be reported to Facilities Development and Operations(FDO) customer service center (360-650-3420) during normal business hours (weekdays 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. excluding holidays). Otherwise, contact University Police Department (UPD) dispatch at 360-650-3555.
All other maintenance requests should be entered in ReADY.
Leadership Development
HFA staff members who have been employed with URF for more than eighteen months are eligible for promotional opportunities working as Focus Area Leads on a competitive basis (one lead per area). Besides performing routine duties assigned to other staff members, Leads also work closely together with each other and/or URF management to ensure that program objectives are met, to explore/pursue initiatives that increase overall productivity & customer service, and to support other improvement efforts as directed.
Questions?
If you have any questions, email us at URFacilities@wwu.edu or contact us at 360-650-3556.