We are excited you have chosen to apply to be part of our Residential Staff for next year! Below you will find the basic details of what being on Residential Staff entails.
REQUIREMENTS & RESPONSIBILITIESOur Residential Staff experience is a hands-on leadership opportunity partnered with the experience of living in an intentional Christian community. Residential Staff will live in the Gator Wesley Upper Room (1380 W University Ave) or Gator Wesley Apartment (1414 NW 1st Ave) and are committing themselves to a covenant Christian community.
Our Residential Staff Covenant will include an emphasis on personal spiritual growth, standards for character and conduct, and responsibilities of living together in community with others. Up to 10 students may be selected for a given year to live in the building and up to 4 students may be selected to live in the apartment.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS:Residential Staff in Upper Room must be enrolled full-time at the University of Florida or Santa Fe College.
Residential Staff in the apartment must be enrolled full-time in undergraduate or graduate classes at the University of Florida or Santa Fe College. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
Residential Staff is a full academic-year commitment thus precluding opportunities to study abroad or to serve in an internship that require your absence from Gainesville for an extended time.
TIME/SCHEDULE REQUIREMENTSResidential Staff is time-intensive and will require staff to balance obligations with other campus organizations and outside employment.
Residential Staff are responsible for hospitality in the building, including:
*Required attendance and hospitality for Gator Wesley programs and events including, but not limited to:
-Sunday dinner and worship
-Small Groups / Family Groups
-Fellowship events
-Bi-weekly Residential Staff meetings.
-Home football game tailgate responsibilities
-Special Events: Welcome Week, Fall Festival, Winter Formal, On-Campus Tabling, Parents Weekend, Fall Retreat, and other events designed by Gator Wesley Leadership Team each semester.
*Weekly Cleaning assignments in the residential living area as well as within the Gator Wesley building
Resident Staff are allowed 3 absences per semester from Sunday programs.
Resident Staff must attend three staff retreats: August (overnight), January (overnight), and April (Day.)
Resident Staff must attend pre-fall staff training and work days (dates will be decided once UF and Santa Fe set Fall semester schedules)
SPIRITUAL / COMMUNITY REQUIREMENTS:Residential Staff will form a covenant together to organize the residential community life. This covenant will include:
Common commitments to prayer, worship, Bible study, service, and Christian conduct (on and off-campus).
Intentional focus on vocational discernment, leadership training, mission encounters, and spiritual growth.
Participation in practical matters related to cleaning of the Gator Wesley Building, the residential areas, meals, laundry, apartment parking lot, etc.
ACCOUNTABILITY:Residential Staff are accountable to the Campus Ministry Directors. Residential Staff in Upper Room are also accountable to the Upper Room Resident Assistant Intern. The Campus Minister has the authority to guide and direct the Residential Staff program and you may be asked to serve in ways not explicitly stated in this application. However, if at all possible, responsibilities will be laid out clearly and in a timely manner. Failure to abide by the requirements outlined in this application and/or the Community Covenant may result in dismissal from Residential Staff or loss of all or part of the $200 staff incentive discount (Residential Staff in Upper Room only, see below)
COSTS:A Residential Staff Fee is assessed each semester to cover a portion of the cost of housing students in the building.
The semester fee for the Upper Room in 2024-2025 is $1,200 ($2,400 for Fall & Spring combined).
The semester fee for the Apartment in 2024-2025 is $1,200 ($2,400 for Fall & Spring combined) plus utilities.
A $200 incentive discount per semester will be given to all Residential Staff in Upper Room whose participation in activities, cleaning assignments, and communal living covenant meet the high standards asked of them. Discounts are credited back at the end of each semester by check or by discounting the balance for the following semester.
APARTMENT STAFF COSTS:
Residential Staff who live in the apartment will negotiate any fees or duties with the Campus Ministry Directors.