Housing Graduate AssistantResource Guide 2013-2014

A Letter from the Director of Housing

Prospective Candidate:

Thank you for your interest in working for Housing & Residence Life at Grand Valley State University. We are committed to finding exemplary staff through our national search process- especially candidates who represent our values of liberal education, intercultural competency, and sustainability. As we strive to learn more about you, we appreciate you taking the time to learn about our department as well. You can do this through utilizing this employment guide, meeting our professional and graduate Housing staff at conferences, scheduling a campus visit, and by checking out our website (www.gvsu.edu/housing).

Grand Valley State University is a liberal arts institution with over 24,000 students, predominantly located in Allendale, Michigan. Grand Valley offers more than 200 areas of study (81 undergraduate majors and 29 graduate program). U.S. News & World Report has named Grand Valley an “up and coming” university. The Housing & Residence life department aims to serve students at the university, especially the 6,000 students currently living with us on campus. In addition to providing safe and state of the art facilities for students to live in, we partner with other faculty and staff to provide on-campus programming and living-learning communities (Frederick Meijer Honor’s College, Art Housing, Movement Science House, International House, Women’s Leadership House, & Women in Science & Engineering).

If you find that Housing & Residence Life at Grand Valley State University would be a good fit for you, please visit www.gvsu.edu/housing/employment. There you will find the exact steps to take in order to apply for our graduate and professional staff positions.

Thank you again for your interest in our department!

Sincerely,

Andy Beachnau, Ph.D.Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs & Director of Housing and Health Services

Housing & Residence Life103 Student Services BuildingAllendale, MI 49401 (616) 331-2120

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Department Mission

Facts About Grand Valley

Graduate Assistant Description

CSAL Description

Where’s Allendale?

Shopping Resources

Housing Building Stats

Living-Learning Communities

Campus Map

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“While there are various assignments that require a good time commitment, the great

thing about this program is that many of the professors allow you to be creative and interpret

the content as you see fit. This makes it less difficult while still brain stimulating. I am

looking forward to the more challenging courses that may be presented during second year because it will keep me on my A game!”

- Justine Easter GA for the Johnson Center for Philanthropy CSAL Class of 2014

Housing Mission Statement: Collaborating to provide opportunities for student learning and success through inclusive residential communities and experiences.

Values:• Liberal Education• Intercultural Competency• Sustainability

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“You put into it what you get out of it. If you choose to prioritize and do you work in a timely manner, you will ex-cel. It is as difficult as you make it to

be. Don’t try to juggle too many things at the start of your first semester, but rather wait until you’ve figured out

the workload and the expectations of your professors. ”

- Justine Easter GA for the Johnson Center for Philanthropy CSAL Class of 2014

DEPARTMENTMISSION

• Colors: Blue, Black, and White

• Nickname: The Lakers

• Mascot: Louie the Laker

• For the 15th year in a row, Grand Valley was named one of “America’s 100 Best College Buys” by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc.

• Grand Valley is listed as one of “America’s Best Colleges” in 2010 by Forbes magazine

• Grand Valley is ranked seventh in the “Top Public Regional Universities in the Midwest”

• Grand Valley is ranked third and 34th among Midwest regional universities in the “Up-and-Comers” and “Best Regional Universities” categories, respectively, all by U.S. News & World Report

• Grand Valley was named one of the best universities in the Midwest by The Princeton Review

• Grand Valley State University was chartered by the Michigan legislature in 1960 in response to the need for a public, four-year college in the state’s second largest metropolitan region

• 18 intercollegiate sports - ten for women and eight for men

• Winner of Director’s Cup (Best NCAA division II Athletic Program in the Nation): 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

• Total students: 24,662

• Undergraduate students: 21,236

• Graduate students: 3,426

• Alumni: 80,860

• Faculty (regular): 837

• Support staff: 1,148

• Areas of Study: 200+

• Undergraduate Degrees: 81

• Graduate Degrees: 29

• Average Class Size: 27

• Student Organizations: 342

• Study Abroad Programs: 4000+

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Enrollment Figures

FACTS ABOUT GRAND VALLEY

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Grand Valley Apartments

Hills

Hoobler

Johnson

Kirkpatrick

Kistler

Laker Village

Murray

Niemeyer

North A

North B

North C

Ott

Pew

Pickard

Ravines

Robinson

Secchia

Seidman

South Apartments

Stafford

Swanson

VanSteeland

Weed

West A

West B

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LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Art HousingCalder Residence

The Calder Residence provides academic housing for art major.

International HouseMark A. Murray Living Center

Provides international business, international relations, modern languages, and political science students an opportunity to live with their peers.

Movement Science House South D Living Center

Provides opportunities for students to engage in the movement sciences while enhancing their academic, social, and professional development.

Women’s Leadership HouseRonald VanSteeland Living Center

Offers leadership development programming and interaction with WGS faculty, Women’s Center staff, housing staff, and TRIOTA members. Women in Science and Engineering (WISE)

South C Living Center

A supportive, interactive environment for female students pursuing careers in science, math and engineering.

Frederik Meijer Honors CollegeGlenn A. Niemeyer Learning and Living Center

Students in the Frederik Meijer Honors College have the unique opportunity to live here if they enjoy the optimal environment for intellectual growth and become part of a nurturing learning community.

Housing & Residence Life offers living-learning communities in a number of our on-campus apartments. Students living in these buildings have chosen to expand their education through shared learning experiences, and each community is built upon a specific theme, major, or area of interest. Professional and graduate staff work closely with a faculty coordinator in these communities to provide a rich living-learning experience that extends outside of the classroom (programs, events, field trips, research, etc.). Read on to learn more about the communities we offer!

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GRADUATE ASSISTANTHalf-time positions responsible for sharing and/

or providing the administrative leadership of a

residential area housing 500 to 700 students.

Graduate Assistants serve as the primary advisor to

the Community Council and report directly to a Living

Center Director. Individuals should demonstrate

critical thinking skills and the ability to balance

personal, academic, and work life in a healthy fashion.

• Requirements

BA/BS required & acceptance to the

GVSU Master of Education Program with

an emphasis in College Student Affairs

Leadership. Ability to handle multiple

tasks, work on an individual level and in

a team setting and demonstrate excellent

communication skills.

• Compensation

$6000.00 stipend/10 month, tuition waiver of

24 credits per year, housing and meal plan.

“The most important thing is making sure that you appropriately budget your time so

that you can make sure to have enough time for each and every assignment.”

- Devin Steur GA for Admissions CSAL Class of 2014

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College Student Affairs Leadership The College Student Affairs Leadership (CSAL)

curriculum prepares students for professional positions

in institutions of higher education in a variety of areas

such as admissions, student orientation, housing,

student life, academic advising, recreation, financial

aid, multicultural affairs, career services, international

affairs and judicial affairs.

• Course load: “Each student admitted into

the CSAL program is required to take three

courses their first semester for a total

of 9-credit hours. Each class meets once

per week, often in the evenings, for three

hours. The class sizes are capped around

20 students per section and most of your

classmates will be fellow CSAL students

within your cohort.” Erin Ash

• Expectations: “In the CSAL program, we’re

consistently told that school comes first. We

work approximately 20 hours per week but

our supervisors are flexible with when those

hours occur based off of what’s going on

academically. We’re expected to work and

act as professionals and to communicate

with our supervisors and students

appropriately. We are expected to hold office

hours, to respond to student needs, and

take approximately 3 weeks/semester of

on-call duty rotation. We are also typically

responsible for supervising our building’s

community council and working with them

to plan programs.” Sarah Joslyn

“The professors in the CSAL program are always open to working with students outside of the classroom and serve as excellent academic and professional

resources. The support I have utilized the most as a CSAL student are my fellow cohort members and classmates. The cohort model

facilitates a great environment to work closely with the students in your classes and

learn from everyone’s experiences!”

- Abigail Johnson Laker Academic Success Center GA CSAL Class of 2014

Current graduate students gave their opinion on:

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Howf ar

WHERE’S ALLENDALE?

Demographics of the Allendale

• In 2010, Allendale had a population of 17,579, with a median resident age of 20.9 years old (many being Grand Valley students).

• While Allendale is a small town it boasts a median household income of $47,106.00.

• Allendale has all four season, and is near Lake Michigan thus the weather is unpredictable due to the lake effect.

• According to the census, Allendale’s population identifies as the following:

88.3% white4.8% Hispanic3.2% African American1.9% multiracial1.4% Asian.03% Native American

Grand Rapids, the largest city nearby has much more increased diversity.

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Grand Rapids • Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM)

Changing exhibitions feature local, national and

international artists.

• Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Discover the beauty and splendor of our botanic garden

and internationally acclaimed sculpture park in Grand

Rapids, MI.

• Grand Rapids Public Museum

Plan a visit today and enjoy a world class facility full of

exciting, entertaining, and educational exhibits!

• ArtPrize

Part arts festival, part social experiment--this international

contest is decided solely by public vote annually each fall.

Grand Haven

• Grand Haven State Park

The park consists entirely of beach sand and provides

scenic views of Lake Michigan and the Grand Haven pier

and lighthouse.

How far to...

Chicago, IL

Cincinnati, OH

Cleveland, OH

Columbus, OH

Detroit, MI

Grand Haven, MI

Indianapolis, IN

Lansing, MI

Louisville, KY

Memphis, TN

Milwaikee, WI

Nashville, TN

New York, NY

Toledo, OH

Traverse City, MI

Washington, DC

173 miles

278 miles

315 miles

337 miles

172 miles

20 miles

246 miles

82 miles

365 miles

668 miles

259 miles

538 miles

760 miles

199 miles

155 miles

669 miles

Holland• Holland State Park

Holland State Park offers an expansive,

sandy beach along Lake Michigan, two

large campgrounds and a beautiful

view of sailboats and sunsets.

• Holland Tulip Time Festival

Our annual celebration of Dutch

heritage and culture is a multi-

generational event that has something

for everyone. (Only occurs during May).

• Muffler Man, Standale

• Tolman’s Auto Service, Allendale

• Quaker State, Allendale

• Bank of America, Chase Bank, Fifth Third Bank, and PNC Bank – on-campus

• Aveda Institutedowntown Grand Rapids – discount beauty & hair salon

• Great ClipsGrandville – men’s & women’s hair salon

• HairacyKentwood – ethnic hair salon

• Sally’s Beauty SupplyGrandville – hair & beauty products

• The Beauty HouseWyoming, downtown Grand Rapids – ethic hair supplies

• ReflectionsGrand Rapids, ethic hair & nail salon

Auto Services

Beauty

Bank Services

SHOPPINGRESOURCES

• Office of Multicultural Affairs• Women’s Center• LGBT Resource Center• Padnos International Center • Disability Services• Inclusion and Equity

• ArtPrize • Beer and Wine Festival• Coastguard Festival • Festival of the Arts• Hispanic Festival• Juneteenth• Laugh Fest• Polish • Taste of Grand Rapids Festival• West Michigan Pride Festival• And Additional Ethnic Festivals

• Grand ConeyGrandville, Allendale – Detroit-style chili dogs/American-style grill

• Hop CatGrand Rapids – great appetizers and drinks

• On the Border Mexican Grill Grandville – authentic Mexican food

• Palace of India Grand Rapids – authentic Indian food

• Stella’sGrand Rapids - #1 burger in the nation

• The 8th Street Bar Holland – soupbar and beer

• The Crooked GooseStandale – sports bar

• The KirbyGrand Haven – rustic bar and grill

• Uccello’s Italian RestaurantStandale, Grandville – fun, sporty atmosphere

• Wolfgang’sEast Town – breakfast foods

• Family FareAllendale (3 miles away) – Student perks

• Meijer Walker (7 miles away) – M Perks

Campus Resources

Festivals

Dining & Restaurants

Grocery

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• Grand Valley Health Center

• GVSU Recreational Center

• GVSU Counseling and Career Development Center – Free to all students and staff

• Holland Hospital

• Spectrum Butterworth HospitalDowntown Grand Rapids

• St. Mary’s HospitalDowntown Grand Rapids

• Zeeland Hospital

• Celebration! CinemaGrandville, East Beltline, 28th StreetStudent discount

• Kirkhof Spotlight Campus Theater

• FedExWalker, Grand Rapids

• U.S. Post OfficeAllendale & Standale – Stamps can be purchased at the University Bookstore with multiple dropbox locations on-campus

Healthcare & Wellness

Movie Theater

Postal Office

Places of Worship

• Multiple religious centers throughout Greater Grand Rapids, services offered in multiple languages (gvsu.edu/pic/compass)

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Shopping

• Best BuyGrandville – electronics, media & entertainment

• Centerpointe Mall28th Street

• CostcoGrandville – wholesale

• Mediterranean IslandKalamazoo/36th street – international grocery

• MeijerStandale, Jenison, Grandville – department store

• TargetGrandville – supercenter

• Rivertown Crossings MallGrandville

• Woodland MallEast Beltline

• World MarketGrandville - international items

• Amtrak Train Station

• Gerald Ford International Airport

• Greyhound stations –Mega Bus station

• The Rapid – local free bus system

• Yellow Cab Taxi Company

Public Transportation

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1 Alumni House & Visitor Center2 AuSable Hall3 Alexander Calder Fine Arts Center4 Art Gallery Support Building 5 Calder Residence6 Campus Health Center7 Central Utilities Building 8 Children’s Enrichment Center9 The Commons 10 The Connection 11 Cook Carillon Tower 12 Cook-DeWitt Center 13 James M. Copeland Living Center

14 Richard M. DeVos Living Center 15 Fieldhouse 15a Recreation Center 16 Football Center 17 Edward J. Frey Living Center Grand Valley Apartments: 18 Benzie 19 Keweenaw 20 Mackinac 21 Oakland 22 Office 23 Tuscola 24 Wexford

25 Grand Valley State University Arboretum26 Great Lakes Plaza27 Henry Hall 28 Arthur C. Hills Living Center 29 Icie Macy Hoobler Living Center 30 Paul A. Johnson Living Center 31 Kelly Family Sports Center 32 Russel H. Kirkhof Center 33 William A. Kirkpatrick Living Center 34 Robert Kleiner Commons 35 Grace Olsen Kistler Living Center 36 Lake Huron Hall 37 Lake Michigan Hall

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Calder Drive

Pierce Street

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38 Lake Ontario Hall39 Lake Superior Hall 40 Laker Village Apartments 41 Loutit Lecture Halls 42 Arend D. Lubbers Stadium43 Mackinac Hall 44 Manitou Hall 47 Multi-Purpose Facility 48 Mark A. Murray Living Center 49 Glenn A. Niemeyer East Living Center 50 Glenn A. Niemeyer Honors Hall 51 Glenn A. Niemeyer West Living Center 52 North Living Center A

53 North Living Center B 54 North Living Center C 55 Arnold C. Ott Living Center 56 Outdoor Recreation and Athletic Fields57 Seymour & Esther Padnos Hall of Science 58 Performing Arts Center 59 Robert C. Pew Living Center 60 William F. Pickard Living Center 61 Ravine Apartments 62 Ravine Center 63 Kenneth W. Robinson Living Center 64 Seidman House 65 Bill & Sally Seidman Living Center

66 Service Building (Public Safety inside) 67 South C 68 South D 69 South E 70 South Utilities Building 71 Dale Stafford Living Center 72 Student Services Building 73 Maxine M. Swanson Living Center 74 Ronald F. VanSteeland Living Center 75 Ella Koeze Weed Living Center 76 West Living Center A 77 West Living Center B 78 James H. Zumberge Library