Residence Hall Director FAQ

Full-time Hall Directors are permitted to have a cat or a fish in an aquarium no larger than 20 gallons.  If a Hall Director wishes to own a cat while living in the residence hall, prior approval from his or her supervisor is necessary.  Hall Directors, who receive approval to have a cat, will be required to undergo an apartment inspection, complete an apartment inventory form, complete a pet agreement form, and pay a one-time non-refundable fee as expressed in the pet policy.

The following persons are able to live with the Hall Director and will be considered a “roommate” for the purposes of this policy.

Heterosexual partner or same sex partner
Dependent(s)
Parent or other blood relative

Roommates will be limited to one additional adult beyond that of the Hall Director with the exception of dependent(s).  In other words, the Hall Director may share the apartment with an adult partner, in addition to 1+ dependent(s).  The Hall Director will be asked to provide the Office of Residence Life with emergency contact information of any person living with the Hall Director. Exceptions to this may be requested through the Senior Associate Director.
Current BGSU undergraduate students are ineligible to live with a full-time Hall Director unless a relationship existed between the two individuals prior to the Hall Director’s first day of employment at BGSU.  For more specific information regarding partners living on campus, please contact the Office of Residence Life.

The Office of Residence Life provides a furnished apartment for Hall Directors.   These are one to two- bedroom apartments with a full kitchen, bathroom, and living area and have the following standard furniture:

(1)sofa
(1) lounge chair
(1) end table
(1) coffee table
(1) dining table with seating for two-four  (based on the apartment layout)
(1) student desk & chair
(1) queen sized mattress set and a metal bed frame
(1) dresser
(1) nightstand
(1) XL twin bed (if available for a 2nd bedroom)

The Hall Director search process will begin in January and continue until all full-time Hall Director positions are filled.

The relationship between a Hall Director (HD) and a GHD is an important one.  The GHD will have the opportunity to learn from a professional with a Master’s Degree in student affairs and higher education or related field.  GHDs and HDs work collaboratively to support their residents, supervise RAs, and manage their buildings.  HDs help the GHDs gain a multitude of experiences needed in order to excel in a full-time position in residence life and to make connections between the GHDs’ academic coursework and their positions. When the full-time Hall Director is not available, the Graduate Hall Director should be able to step in and answer questions, as well as manage the entire building operation.

Our Hall Directors enter a variety of functional areas, positions, and institutions after their time at BGSU. We believe that the skills gained through the HD position, along with tailored professional development, prepare our staff for a wide variety of careers. Here are just a few of the titles and/or roles our former HDs have had after leaving BGSU:

• Ph.D. Programs
• Academic Advisor
• Coordinator of Student Activities
• Area Coordinator
• Assistant Director for Conduct & Training
• Program Advisor – Student Center
• Program Manager – Student Conflict Resolution
• Assistant Director of Residence Life
• Associate Director of Residence Life
• Director – Office of Student Involvement
• Director of Residence Life

GHDs and HDs are conduct hearing officers for incidents occurring in their buildings.  Cases that can be heard and sanctioned on the residential level are violations such as quiet hours, first time alcohol offenses, disorderly conduct, etc.  Cases such as drugs, burglary, repeat alcohol offenders, etc. are typically are referred up to the Office of the Dean of Students.

The Office of Residence Life directly collaborates with the Office of the Dean of Students on conduct issues.  Our conduct philosophy is educationally-focused.  Though there are some predetermined sanctions for certain offenses, the goal is to provide the students with a learning experience for the behavior, rather than just the judicial process.  

All Residence Education staff will participate in one committee per academic year. The following opportunities for the 2018-19 year* were:

Selection- Review and update position descriptions for RA, Student Desk Manager (SDM), Academic Peer Mentor (APM) and Graduate Assistant (GA), RA/SDM/APM work agreement contracts; plan Selection schedule and RA/SDM/GA Recruitment Information Sessions; devise and execute marketing plan; create interview schedule for both CSP Interview Weekends; work with Residence Education Leadership Team for selection of GAs; connect with CSP for logistics of interview process and hiring.



Training - Set RA/SDM/APM/SMART/Desk Clerk/Hall Director/Graduate Assistant/Hall Staff training schedule and overall programmatic training learning outcomes; develop, synthesis and assessment plan and frequently revisit data to make informed decisions; facilitate all training logistics (e.g., presenters, meals, room reservation, etc.).



University Committees – Our staff participate in a wide variety of Division and University committees as representatives of the Office. The committees have included:

Alumni Laureate Prescreening Committee          
Dining Advisory Board
Greek Standards of Excellence Review Board
Housing Appeals Board
It’s on Us Campaign
Latino Issues Conference
Learning Community Advisory Committee
LGBTQ+ Advisory Board
Move-in Committee
Multi-Cultural Conference
No Impact Week
Not in Our Town
Ray Marvin Leadership Awards Selection Committee
Start the Conversation for Suicide Intervention
Student Affairs Social/Gather Committee
Title IX Committee

*These committees and groups are subject to change based on the needs of the Office of Residence Life.

Typically, all Residence Education staff will dress in business casual attire while in the office.

On most days, Hall Directors will start the day at 8:00AM and end the day at 5:00PM, Monday through Friday, however due to on-call responsibilities or evening meetings, these hours may slightly vary.

We do not have a contractual salary raise each year. However, the President and Human Resources have typically provided an annual raise for Administrative Staff. That raise has ranged anywhere from 1-3%.

The benefits package at BGSU is very competitive and should be reviewed when considering overall compensation. BGSU offers many benefits including Medical, Prescription, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Life Insurance, and Disability Insurance. BGSU also offers certain tuition waiver benefits and a variety of options related to retirement planning including a state plan (OPERS) and alternative retirement plans (TIAA-CREFF, AXA/Equitable, Fidelity, Valic, Voya Financial, Lincoln Financial, and Nationwide).