How long does my contract last?
The Resident Mentor contract lasts from 8/4/2008 – 5/15/2009.

What is the timeline for training?
Training begins August 4th and will last until August 17th.

How often can I go home on the weekends?
Supervisors have different expectations for their staff. Please consult them directly to find out what they require of you.

When can I leave for breaks?
RMs must remain in the building until all residents vacate the area before she/he may leave for vacation periods and returning early to help open the building after vacation periods.

Staffs in 9-month buildings serve on-call on a rotation basis for holidays.

Staffs from the Horseshoe, Bates House, Bates West, Roost, South Quad, West Quad, and East Quad are expected to work during Winter, Spring and Thanksgiving Break periods.  

What is the evening and weekend duty expectations?
Resident Mentors will be required to assist in duty coverage with other RMs in the building/area. During on-duty time, the RM is required to stay in her/his building except when doing rounds or when she/he is confronting an incident. They are also expected to carry a pager and communicate with the resident hall director on duty.

Resident Mentors are also required to cover desk duty and/or office duty for a minimum of four hours per week and assist, on a temporary basis, at certain key times of the year (i.e. the time periods immediately after opening and before closing).

Why does VIP not show my housing assignment?
When you were hired, you were placed in your building but actual room assignments were not made until later. Therefore, the database may not always be up to date. You have a room assignment. The database will be updated soon.

If you are concerned about this, please contact Joe Fortune at jfortune@mailbox.sc.edu.

How do I register for the Resident Mentor class?
All first year RMs are required to take the course. The RM Class is course code EDHE 600. A passing grade is required for subsequent employment.

You may register on VIP to take the class for credit or call the Office of Resident Student Learning at 777-2481 to register to take the class for no-credit.

How do I sign up for Direct Deposit?
Login to VIP using both the student & staff passwords. This will allow you to view the Employment Tab.

Click the employment Tab.
Click on Payroll Direct Deposit.
Follow directions to enroll in Direct Deposit.

You will not be able to sign up for Direct Deposit until all your hiring paperwork is complete and you are hired in the system.

How do I set up my room voicemail?
For questions related to room voicemail, please go to: http://uts.sc.edu/infrastructure/telephoneVoiceMail.shtml.

Where and what is the Office of Resident Student Learning?
The Office of Resident Student Learning is located in Sims Residence Hall and is open from 8:30am-5:00pm.

The Resident Student Learning office houses the Resource Room which includes everything RMs need to create bulletin boards, door decs, and banners. It also includes a large resource library filled with program ideas and resources. All purchasing occurs in this office as well.

The Residence Hall Association office is also located within the Office of Resident Student Learning.

For more information call us at 777-2481

Can I have another job besides being an RM?
During the first semester as an Resident Mentor, RMs are to accept no additional employment on or off campus, except as Desk Staff in their respective building. Some minimal outside employment may be allowed after the first semester if approved by the appropriate RLC/RHD and AD.

Can I be involved in other organizations on campus?
After the first semester on staff, any employment or participation in activities such as student teaching, internships, pledging a social organization or holding office in a club or organization must be approved by the RLC/RHD and AD. RMs may not serve in an elected position with any Residence Hall Government.

What happens if my GPA drops below a 2.75?
Resident Mentors must maintain a University of South Carolina system cumulative GPA of 2.75, a semester GPA of 2.75, and notify their supervisor at any point at which their GPA falls below this minimum.

How much do I get paid?
First year Resident Mentors will receive a stipend of $2190 per year, 50% discount on housing fees, 25% discount on 14-or-higher meal plans.

Resident Mentors who have completed 2 semesters of work with University Housing will receive a stipend of 2317.50, 50% discount on housing fees, 25% discount on 14-or-higher meal plans.

How long do I have before I must submit incident reports?
Resident Mentors have 24 hours to submit incident reports to the RLC/RHD.

Who is my direct supervisor?
Resident Mentors are to report to the RLC/RHD regularly, and assume the duties of an RM under the direct supervision of the RLC/RHD assigned to their building. RMs are to cooperate with the RLC/RHD to fulfill all duties listed and all other duties, which the RLC/RHD and/or the appropriate Assistant Director may assign.

How is campus divided?
North Campus:Capstone, Columbia Hall, Horseshoe, Maxcy, Preston
Interim Assistant Director: Colin Chadwick

Central Campus:McBryde, McClintock, Patterson, Sims, South Tower , Wade Hampton
Assistant Director: Sherrigan Feaster

South Campus:Bates House, Bates West, East Quad, Roost, South Quad, West Quad
Assistant Director: Stephanie Carter-Smith

Who is in charge of what?
University Housing organizational chart can be found at: http://www.housing.sc.edu/department.asp

What do all of these housing terms mean?
ACE Labs: University Housing collaborates with the departments of Math and English to bring academic services directly to University of South Carolina students in their living community. Mondays through Thursdays, resident students can free assistance in several of the residence halls.

ARLC: Assistant Residence Life Coordinator: Graduate student who works with the RLC to manage a residence hall. Additional responsibilities include advising hall government.

DA: Desk Assistant: Student University Housing employee that monitors the front desks of residence halls. Responsibilities include checking student identification cards/keys of residents and checking guests in/out.

GA: Graduate Assistant: University of South Carolina graduate student employee who receives a tuition supplement.

Hall Government: Government within each residence hall responsible for event planning and allocation of funds. The hall government president and two representatives serve in the RHA senate.

Out to Lunch: The Out to Lunch Program is designed to promote faculty and student interaction outside the classroom setting. Students can pick up an Out to Lunch ticket at any University Housing area office and take their professor to lunch for free at a campus dining facility. Over lunch, students and faculty can get to know each other better and discuss many topics such as: a class topic or assignment, joining the class study group, or how the professor's academic career has developed.

Perception Study: The Perception Study is an annual survey University Housing conducts to find out how students perceive their living environment on campus.

RM: Resident Mentor: A Resident Mentor (RM) is an important staff member of University Housing who is responsible for an assigned section or floor of a residence hall or area. Principal RM duties involve four areas of responsibility: (1) Student Development, (2) Community Development, (3) Floor Management and Administration, and (4) Building and Departmental Responsibilities. This position may also be referred to as Peer Coordinators (Preston) and Peer Mentors (Capstone). Some of their responsibilities differ from those of an RM.

Living and Learning Communities: http://www.housing.sc.edu/rsl/rescom.html

RHA: Residence Hall Association is a student government exclusive to on-campus residents of the University of South Carolina. They represent and look out for the interests of those who live at the University of South Carolina. As a governing body, they look to represent their constituency by addressing all issues pertinent to the experience of living on campus and bring such issues to the proper administrative authorities for review and possible change.

RHD: A Residence Hall Director is a graduate student hall director that supervises RMs and oversees management of an individual building. Additional responsibilities include advising hall government.

RLC: A Residence Life Coordinator is a professional hall director that supervises RMs and oversees management of their individual building. Additional responsibilities include advising hall government.

US Security : US Security is a contracted security company providing desk coverage from 12am – 9am.

Student Success Initiative (SSI): One priority of the University of South Carolina’s Freshmen Center programs is to enhance student success through interpersonal relationship building between Resident Mentors and students. To aid RMs in this process, a workbook was created to assist RMs in developing intentional relationships with each of their residents. The SSI workbook guides RMs and students through a series of four structured, one-to-one, interactions. RMs discuss common first-year student issues, such as transitions, campus involvement, connection to the university, and academic success with their residents. The workbook also includes perforated resource pages for RMs to discuss and give to students.

The Sophomore Initiative (TSI):
For sophomore residents, these SSI conversations include discussions on common issues in the second year, such as financial concerns, increasing course difficulties, and finding their place within the University. First year students living on campus will receive a TSI planner near the end of their first year that will help them map out a successful second year at the University of South Carolina.
The TSI calendar is available at: http://www.thezonelive.com/
More information for sophomores can be found at: http://www.sa.sc.edu/tsi/

For more information regarding University Housing, please visit http://www.housing.sc.edu/