RA360: Administrative Skills
TL;DR
In a student staff role you’ll have a number of administrative responsibilities–including filing reports, documenting incidents, and filing proposals. It’s important to learn how to become better at administrative work with in terms of organizing and staying on top of it, but also completing it well.
Filling out forms, filing reports, sending emails, attending meetings… these are all a part of the RA and student staff member role. They may not always be the most fun aspects of the job, but they are important and critical to make sure residence halls run smoothly. Whether you’re an administrative task wiz, or you find yourself struggling a bit, here are some tips and tricks to stay on top of your administrative responsibilities.
In this RA360…
“Go into the year with a plan, but know that you may need to adjust your plan as the year progresses. Consider setting aside time in your calendar to do administrative tasks—block it out. Add all important dates into your calendar at the start of the term. When a new task or deadline comes up, immediately (IMMEDIATELY) put it in your calendar so you don’t forget.“
Staying Organized
Starting organized and staying organized is key to handling the various responsibilities of a student staff member. But how do you do it?
- Create a Schedule: Develop a weekly or monthly planner that includes all your RA duties, meetings, and personal commitments. Tools like Google Calendar or planner apps can be invaluable.
- Allocate Time Blocks: Dedicate specific blocks of time for administrative tasks, such as paperwork or meeting preparation, to ensure these don’t interfere with other responsibilities.
- Prioritize Tasks: Identify high-priority tasks and deadlines. Use a task management system like to-do lists or project management apps to stay on track.
- Maintain Accurate Records: Keep detailed records of resident interactions, incident reports, and maintenance requests. If you’re required to submit these, do them in the moment. Don’t let them wait. You’ll save yourself some grief later.
- Post-It Notes: If it helps you to keep it analog… DO IT!
If your campus uses Roompact’s software, you’ll probably spend a LOT if your time on the platform in forms. Learn how to become a forms power user.
Time Management
Part of staying on top of administrative tasks involves good time management. For a deeper dive, check out the RA360 page:
Staying On Top Of Email
Email might feel old-school compared to texting or messaging apps, but it remains an important tool in professional communication. Whether you’re reaching out to supervisors, faculty partners, residents, or other campus departments, the way you write emails matters. It shapes impressions, clarifies responsibilities, and helps you get things done.
As an RA or student staff member, you’re not just representing yourself. You’re also representing your department and your institution. Well-crafted emails can:
- Show that you’re responsible, professional, and detail-oriented
- Help solve problems more efficiently
- Foster better collaboration with colleagues and supervisors
- Prevent misunderstandings or miscommunication
- Provide critical documentation of actions taken, when needed.
Did you know you can send emails and texts to your residents through Roompact’s software? It will depend on how your campus has your environment set-up, but it is possible.
Questions To Ponder:
- Have an honest conversation with yourself… how are your administrative skills?
- What are areas you do well?
- What are areas you could improve in?
- What different strategies do you want to try to get better and more efficient at tasks?
RA360 Outcomes:
RAs and student staff members will be able to:
- List various strategies for successful completion of administrative work.
- Apply skills for successful completion of administrative work.
More To Explore
RA360 is a set of resources organized around skills, topics and competencies relevant to Resident Advisors and similar related student staff positions in college and university residence halls.
