Hall Advisor

The Hall Advisor position is a full-time staff position with the university. Residence Life does not hire couples as Hall Advisors. Openings for the Hall Advisor position are posted through the BYU Administrative and Staff Employment Services website, and all applications must be submitted online through this link. Employment Services accepts applications for posted positions only.

Often, the most rewarding aspect of the hall advisor position is the opportunity to influence the lives of college students. Because of the direct daily contact with a large number of students, a hall advisor can have a definite impact on their spiritual, academic, and developmental growth. The hall advisor's primary role is that of educator-a role supported by BYU and BYU Residence Life.

If you have further questions on the Hall Advisor position, please contact the Office of Residence Life at (801) 422-2810. A vacancy occurring in a specific on-campus area does not guarantee placement of a new hire in that area.

Apartment

Furnishings

The hall advisor's one-bedroom apartment comes furnished with refrigerator, stove, and curtains or blinds. In Heritage Halls, the hall advisor's office is located in the apartment living room and comes with office shelves, a desk, a chair, and a computer. Apartments may also come with bookshelves, a microwave, kitchen table and chairs, or a TV stand.

Hall advisors need to provide their own additional furnishings for the apartment. Flowers may be planted in pots on the patio.

Limited storage space is available, along with common laundry facilities shared by student residents.

Utilities

Utilities are included with the apartment. However, hall advisors who elect to get BYU long distance, BYU phone mail, or Ethernet for their personal telephone or computer pay for these items. The apartment includes one digital telephone, telephone jack, Ethernet port, and BYU cable.

Meals

A board plan (currently 20 meals per week) is provided for the Hall Advisor at the Cannon Commons cafeteria (Helaman Halls). These meals may be used at the employee’s discretion, including providing meals for family members – up to a total of 20 meals per week. Hall Advisors are expected to help monitor the quality of food and service provided for the resident tenants and to assist in fostering a sense of community by eating in the Residence Life dining facility.

In-Home Businesses

If you or your spouse has questions about operating an in-home business in the residence halls, please talk to the area management.

Helaman Halls Hall Advisor Apartment

The hall advisor apartment in Helaman Halls has two entrances. The front door opens from an outside patio to the living room side of the living room/kitchen area, while another door opens from the hall office into the kitchen.

The apartment is located on the ground floor, in the center of the building. The apartment bedroom is adjacent to the one of the building's main entrances. The hall office looks out into the building lobby on one side and the main corridor on the other.

Heritage Halls Hall Advisor Apartment

Hall advisor apartments in Heritage Halls (Upper Heritage, Lower Heritage, New Heritage) may be one of two different floor plans, depending on the area where the building is located. Buildings in upper Heritage have three stories and a basement, while buildings in lower Heritage have only two stories and a basement.

In both areas, the hall advisor apartment is located on the ground floor off the hall lobby and next to one student apartment. The apartment door, just inside the building front doors, also serves as an office door. There is no exterior entrance.

The hall advisor office is located in the front half of the living room. In lower Heritage, bookshelves divide the office and living room space. In upper Heritage, the office desk and shelves are along the wall next to the front door.

Wyview Park Hall Advisor Apartment

The hall advisor apartment in Wyview Park is a two-bedroom apartment. The apartment is located on the first floor on the end of the building. There is no specified office location for hall advisors at Wyview Park.

Parking

As full-time university employees, hall advisors can register for a faculty/staff parking permit that will allow them to park one vehicle at a time in faculty/staff parking areas on campus. State law requires that employees with staff parking permits register their car in the state of Utah.

The hall advisor also has one reserved parking space within the housing area near the hall advisor apartment. Once registered, additional cars may park in the on-campus parking lots.

Community Development

The mission of Residence Life is to "enable individuals to live, learn, work and grow in Gospel-centered communities." Learning to live as a member of a community is an important part of personal development for college-age adults. As students live away from home in a community setting, they must learn to respect others' needs and expectations, voice their own expectations and concerns about community life, and resolve differences and conflicts peacefully. Hall advisors have a major responsibility for facilitating community development as part of this learning process.

Community Development Training

Hall Advisors participate in extensive community development training to prepare to help communities develop within the residence halls. They learn about the role of the community in student development, natural community progression, developing healthy communities, and facilitating dialogue between individuals. Hall Advisors also learn about community standards, a program developed to help residents learn to live in a healthy community. They, in turn, are expected to train and support the Resident Assistants, who facilitate the community development process within the residence Halls.

Community Standards

Throughout the year, residents meet in apartment, floor, and hall groups with the resident assistants to establish standards for their living community. Residents also develop goals for their community and establish ways to approach concerns about community life. Resident assistants teach residents about living in a community and act as facilitators in the community standards process. Hall advisors play a vital role by preparing R.A.s to facilitate community development, and by continuing to teach and support R.A.s throughout the process.

Housing Areas

Helaman Halls

Helaman Halls are traditional room and board style facilities. Each hall contains student lounges, study rooms, shower and restroom areas, and laundry and storage facilities. It can accommodate students with disabilities.

Helaman Halls houses 1135 women and 916 men in nine buildings. Each building has three floors, with about 74 students and two resident assistants per floor.

Heritage Halls

Heritage Halls provides apartment-style housing for 938 women and 756 men. Traditional style apartments have a combination kitchen-dining-study room, three bedrooms (designed for two people each), and a bathroom. Newer apartments have a kitchen, living room, three bedrooms (designed for two people each, and two bathrooms with a hallway vanity. Apartments are furnished, except for bedding and kitchen items.

Heritage Halls has 14 traditional style halls with 60-75 students (including a resident assistant in each hall). Each traditional style hall has 10-14 apartments, a large lobby/living area, recreation room, laundry, and storage facilities. Heritage also has 4 new four-story halls, with 40-50 students (including a resident assistant) per floor. Each new hall has a large activity room on the first floor, with smaller activity rooms on the other three floors. They also have laundry and storage facilities in the basement, and music practice rooms throughout the building.

Wyview Park

Wyview Park provides apartment living for 775 Women and 526 men. A few apartments accommodate students with disabilities. Two and three bedroom apartments have both single and shared bedrooms, one bathroom, living room and kitchen. Apartments have beds, desks, drawers, living room and kitchen furniture; but residents provide their own bedding and kitchen items.

Wyview Park has thirty buildings with approximately 39 to 56 residents per building, and a resident assistant in most buildings. A central laundry and Creamery store are located in one facility, with a multi-purpose building just a few steps away where music practice rooms, wireless internet connections, study rooms, and church facilities are available.

People to Know

Hall Advisors

Hall advisors are responsible for 150-264 students living in one or more buildings in a housing area. They supervise resident assistants and advise hall councils for these buildings and live in one of the assigned buildings.

Resident Assistants

Resident assistants are responsible for 36-75 students living on their assigned floor (Helaman Halls, Heritage Halls) or in their assigned building (Heritage Halls, Wyview Park, & FLSR). Resident assistants live on the assigned floor or in the assigned building.

Hall Presidents

Hall presidents are the Residence Halls Association officers at the hall level. Hall presidents lead the hall council in organizing recognition and programming activities for hall residents. They also serve as members of the area council, which organizes recognition and programming for residents in the housing area. Hall presidents work closely with the hall advisor and resident assistants.

Area Management

Area management consists of managers and assistant managers for Helaman Halls, Heritage Halls, and Wyview Park. The FLSR is managed by the assistant director of Residence Life. Area management supervises the hall advisors and is responsible for all the students living in the housing area. Area management offices are located in the central building for each area.

Residence Life Administration

Residence Life administration includes a director, an assistant director, and the area managers. Directors oversee the overall operations of Residence Life, including on-campus, off-campus, and family housing. They also direct and coordinate area management. Residence Life administration offices are located in the Student Auxiliary Services Building at the north end of campus.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree is preferred or equivalent work experience in youth leadership and interpersonal relations.
Additional experience in student development and programming, personnel supervision, facilities management, and teaching is preferred.

Professionalism

Must be mature and emotionally stable, and uphold the standards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of Brigham Young University.
Must be willing to represent BYU and Housing Services to students and visitors.

Dress Standards

Hall Advisors are expected to observe high standards in modesty, taste, judgment and appropriateness of dress and grooming, in line with the Dress & Grooming Standards found in the BYU Employee Handbook.

For female Hall Advisors, slacks and skirts or dresses are to be modest and neat, with skirt hemlines below the knee; hairstyles are to be clean and neat - avoiding extreme styles and colors; and excessive ear-piercing (more than one earring per ear) and all other body piercing are not acceptable.
For male Hall Advisors, hairstyles are to be neat, clean and trimmed, and men are expected to be clean-shaven. Beards are not acceptable, except for medically documented reasons, and mustaches are not encouraged. If mustaches are worn, however, they are to be neat and trim. Earrings, and all other body piercing, are not acceptable for male employees.
Apparel for non-office personnel of both genders should be neat, clean, modest, and appropriate for the work being performed.

Health

The employee must be able to physically fulfill all regular duties including frequent negotiation of stairs to visit rooms and inspect facilities, as well as the ability to actively respond to emergency situations.

Family Status

Hall advisor family size is limited to three or four family members (hall advisor, spouse, and two children) due to apartment size and nature of responsibilities.
Dependant children must be under the age of six.
Normally a hall advisor will be permitted to complete the academic year (September-April) if family status changes during that time.

Responsibilities

Student Development

Educate residents within the Aims of a BYU Education.
Instill values outlined by the Residence Life Educational Outcomes in each assigned resident.
Lead residents by personal example in spiritual integrity, academic commitment, moral character, and emotional maturity.
Assume responsibility for facilitating community development within the assigned residence halls.

Resident Leadership

Become acquainted with residents in assigned hall(s).
Be regularly available for consultation with individuals and resident groups.
Work with area central office in making student referrals to other campus agencies.
Advise hall programming council(s) and participate in hall and area activities.
Promote a wholesome and cheerful atmosphere and encourage an academic environment in the hall(s).
Supervise resident assistants and student staff.
Participate in workshops and training sessions.

Safety And Security

Promote hall safety and security and resident personal safety by educating residents on safety and security issues.
Be available to direct emergency procedures and solicit the necessary help of available housing personnel.
Contact University Police immediately for situations requiring medical attention.

Physical Facilities

Work closely with custodial and maintenance personnel in maintaining the hall(s).
Conduct regular housekeeping and safety inspections.
Report needed repairs to Auxiliary Maintenance.
Act as the emergency building coordinator for all assigned buildings in case of a large-scale disaster.

Reporting

Receive daily verbal reports from resident assistants assigned to the hall(s).
Maintain daily contact with the area management to report special needs, problems, damages, or emergencies relative to residents or guests.
Meet bi-weekly with area management to follow up on verbal reports and discuss hall and area concerns. Prepare a report for the area management in advance for this meeting.
Conduct weekly one-on-one meetings with individual resident assistants to receive reports and discuss performance.
Prepare an agenda for and conduct weekly staff meetings with resident assistants.
Attend weekly hall advisor staff meetings, training meetings, and other meetings as assigned.

Other Responsibilities

Become fully acquainted with and supportive of housing guidelines.
Act under the supervision of area management. Support area management and other area staff in their responsibilities.
Facilitate summer conference programs and host education week guests.
Fulfill other assignments as directed by area management.

Rewards

The hall advisor position offers many opportunities for professional development. Hall advisors develop and refine interpersonal skills in public relations, counseling, mediation, and conflict resolution. As a supervisor of 2-6 resident assistants and as advisors to student leaders, hall advisors expand skills in interviewing, training, and personnel supervision. Hall advisors also sharpen computer skills, participate in emergency training, and attend professional development seminars throughout the year.

The hall advisor position also offers many intangible rewards. Hall advisors have the opportunity to mentor students at a pivotal point in their lives, helping them develop values and skills they will carry into their homes and communities following the university experience. Often, hall advisors receive thank-you notes from former students for the way they have touched their lives.

Although hall advisors get to know between 150-264 students each year, they still have time to counsel with many students on an individual basis. Helping students weather personal crises is a rewarding experience. A hall advisor may spend many hours with a student who is struggling academically, emotionally, or spiritually-counseling the student and helping him or her gain access to university services. Hall advisors find joy in seeing these students overcome challenges and reach their goals.

Being a hall advisor can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding, but it offers many opportunities for personal and professional growth. Skills developed in this position provide invaluable experience for many of life's opportunities.

Schedule

Day	On-Call Hours	On-Duty Hours
Monday	10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Tuesday	10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday	10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Thursday	10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Friday	10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Saturday	10:00 a.m - 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 10:00p.m.	7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sunday On-Duty	10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.	5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Hall advisors have a set day off each week (on Wednesday or Thursday from midnight to midnight). They also take every other weekend off from Friday at 5:00 p.m. to Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

A Typical Day in the Life of a Hall Advisor

7:00 a.m.	Your daughter wakes you up saying, "I'm hungry." You make breakfast for the family, get dressed, and straighten the house.
8:30 a.m.	You get your daughter dressed and the two of you go to the grocery store. On the way to the car, one of your hall presidents sees you and runs over to say that she can't make the hall council meeting that night because she has a date. You set up a time to meet with her individually. You also make a mental note to talk to her at the meeting about planning effectively.
9:30 a.m.	You are unloading your groceries. Some of the young men from your men's hall see you and come over to help. You have been trying to reach one of them for a week. Once inside you ask if he can stay a minute. You tell him you are concerned because the back door of his building was propped open several times in the last two weeks. You explain that this is a fire code violation and needs to stop. He says he lost his keys and hates going around to the front of the building to get in. You issue him a temporary key and write up a charge slip for his lost key. You make a note to yourself to submit a lock change when you go to staff meeting.
11:30 a.m.	You and your daughter meet your husband for lunch at the Cannon Commons.
12:30 p.m.	You put your daughter down for a nap, and then make a few phone calls to the R.A.s and hall presidents to remind them about tonight's fire drill. You decide to lie down and rest for a few minutes.
1:50 p.m.	Your babysitter arrives and you gather your planner, cell phone, and rove log for the Tuesday staff meeting. Before going into the meeting, you see the note about the lock change and grab a key request form the area office.
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.	Staff Meeting
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.	R.A. Class. Shortly after class starts, your cell phone rings. The call is from a resident who is locked out of her room and wearing only a towel. You quickly run over to the hall to open the door, and make sure she has her keys before returning to class. When class ends you hand off the cell phone to the on-duty R.A.
5:00 p.m.	You return home, pay the babysitter, and go to the Cannon Commons for dinner with your family.
6:50 p.m.	You leave your daughter with your husband and meet the R.A.s outside to coordinate for the fire drill.
7:00 p.m.	The R.A.s begin the fire drill. You take roll as the residents exit.
7:30 p.m.	The fire drill is completed. You turn in the fire drill reports and return home to finish the agenda for the R.A./hall council meeting.
8:00 p.m.	You meet with the R.A.s and hall council. You plan an upcoming activity and excuse the hall council. You review mediation skills with the R.A.s and discuss hall concerns, including an outbreak of prank wars. You distribute duty sheets for next week's cleaning inspections.
9:00 p.m.	You sit at your computer to work on a project for Friday's TEAM meeting. A resident from one of your women's halls stops by to talk about a conflict with her roommates. She feels like they don't accept her. There have been several disputes in the last week. You coach her on how to peacefully resolve a conflict. She asks for your help with an apartment meeting.
10:00 p.m.	You hand off the cell phone and remind the R.A. to watch for pranks.
11:00 p.m.	You go to bed.
1:00 a.m.	Screaming outside your window wakes you up. You look out and see a large group of students running and sliding through puddles in a sudden downpour. You throw on some clothes and go outside. When you finally get their attention, you remind them that quiet hours began at 11 p.m. and that some of their friends in the hall have early classes and are trying to sleep. They apologize and quiet down.

Frequently Asked Questions

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