Duty Presentation Summer 2014

2. 
 An integral part of the RSA position
 An 12 hour shift when a RSA or pair of RSAs are
responsible for maintaining the safety and civility of
the residence hall
 RSAs on duty are the first responders to a crisis
situation.
What is Duty?

3. 
 Duty is EVERY night starting at 8:00pm and ending
at 8:00am the following morning
 Active Duty on Weeknights is from 8:00pm till
1:00am
 Active Duty on Weekends is from 8:00pm till 2:00am
 When not on Active Duty RSAs are on an “on-call”
basis until 8:00am
When is Duty?

4. 
Active Duty vs Inactive
Duty
 Weeknights 8:00pm-
1:00am
 Weekends 8:00pm-
2:00am
 Doing rounds of the
building/buildings
 Ensuring the safety and
civility of the residence
hall
 Weeknights 1:00am-
8:00am
 Weekends 2:00am-
8:00am
 No Community Walks
 Being available to
residents
 Ability to respond to
incidents outside of
active duty

5. 
 Conduct Community Walks
 The formal name for a “round”.
 An observation of your entire building/area
 Should be conducted based on the area’s need (3 to 4
walks)
 Based on the area, RSAs are expected to be in the
RSA office for a portion of the evening.
 Respond to and document all policy violations
and/or area damages
Duty Responsibilities

6. 
 Build Community
 Interact with Residents
 Do not patrol around like a security guard
 Take the opportunity to meet new residents
 Promote university and building programs
 Serve as a resource to all residents
 Complete Guest Passes
 Answer questions and concerns
Duty Expectations

7.  Be prepared to deal with incidents that can possibly take over an
hour to resolve. This can take away from all the tasks you wanted
to complete while on duty.
 Make sure that you have done your homework before duty.
 Some incidents may take away from the time you were intending to
use on homework
 Arrive to duty well rested
 Remember you are on duty for 12 hours and even though you may
have left from your active shift, there could be a possibility that you
required to respond to an incident at 7am.
 Know your duty schedule.
 It is your responsibility to know your duty schedule
 RSAs who are constantly late or fail to make it to duty will have a
conversation with their hall directors or someone from the central
office
Pre-Duty Preparation

8. 
 Come in with the Proper Attire
 Wear Closed Toe Shoes!
 Weekends-Wear SHU Res Life Apparel
(Polo's/Sweatshirts)
 Arrive early
 7:50 – 8pm
 Call the DOD from the duty phone
 Duty Phones are located in the RSA Office
 Start your Community Walk after you call the DOD
 Don’t Forget to Change the who’s on Duty signs!
How to start Duty?

9. 
 Call the Director on Duty (DOD)
 Use the RSA duty phone (not a personal phone)
 When calling in say the following: “Hello, this is
RSA Suzy from Roncalli Hall and I am calling in for
duty with RSA Jack”
 If the DOD does not answer the first call, please
make a second attempt
 If the DOD does not answer the second call leave a
detailed message
Calling into Duty

10. 
The Do’s of duty
 While on active duty
you can:
 Interact with residents
 Homework
 Work on Bulletin
Board/Doortags
 Plan Programs
 Read
 Watch TV
 While on inactive you
can:
 Sleep
 Separate from your
duty partner
 Not required to
remain in he RSA
office

11. 
The Don’ts of Duty
 While on active duty you
cannot:
 Leave your Area
 Drink Alcohol
 12 Hour Rule
 Separate from your duty
partner on rounds
 Leave non-res life
personal unattended in
the office
 Sleep
 While on inactive duty
you cannot:
 Leave your Area
 Drink Alcohol
 Ignore knocking on
your door
 Ignore the duty
phone/cellphone
 Leave non-res life
personal unattended
in the office

12. 
 Drugs, Weapons, Assaults, Unruly Guests, Aggressive
Individuals, Large gatherings, Possible Transports, and
any situation you feel you need backup
 When approaching these situations call Public Safety first
 Followed immediately by calling the DOD
 Crowd Control and Gathering Information are RSAs
primary responsibility in these situations
 The RSA are also expect to assist the DOD and Public Safety
whenever their help is require
When to Call the DOD or
Public Safety

13. 
 Lock the RSA office door when you leave
 Bring necessary materials with you (clipboard,
paper, pen, duty phone, etc.)
 Make sure the residents know where to find you
Leaving the office for the
night

14. 
 Report all policy violations and any damage
 All documentations must be submitted by 12:00pm the next day
 Duty Log
 New duty log system will be available on Blackboard
 Report all the events of the night including documentations and MOPS
 Conduct Coordinator (COCO)
 Documenting any policy violations through COCO Judicial System
 Detailed information of exactly what happened in a documentation
 Be Specific!
 Write objectively!
 Specific session will occur during Fall training regarding COCO
 MOPS Request
 Report any Building Damage to Campus Operations (MOPS)
Duty Documentation

15. 
 Keep calm when entering a situation
 Never assume
 Ex: If you confronting a loud room, don’t assume that you are
dealing with a drug alcohol situation.
 Assess the situation
 Collect and record important information
 Residents’ names, student numbers, area/room they live in
 If necessary (drugs, alcohol, physical altercation, etc) collect the
SHU cards of the involved party (Li
 Record the time and date of the arrival of Public Safety,
Ambulance, DOD, etc.
 Make sure to observe and collect information
 Assist these individuals in dealing with the issue
How to Confront on Duty

16. 
 RSAs Jack and Suzy were conducting a community
walk through Roncalli Hall when they heard loud
music coming down the hall. RSAs Jack and Suzy
approached the room and knocked on the door.
Resident Bryan opened the door, and RSAs Jack and
Suzy explained that it was past Quiet hours and
asked to turn down his music. The RSAs also gave
resident Bryan a warning, stating that they may have
to take Judicial action if they were to return to his
room.
True Stories Noise
Violation

17. 
 RSAs Jack and Suzy were in the RSA office in Roncalli Hall
when resident Sally approached and asked for help with a
friend of hers, who was throwing up in her bathroom. RSAs
Jack and Suzy followed resident Sally to her room where they
found her friend Bryan on the floor of the bathroom with vomit
on himself and in the toilet. RSA Jack asked if he had anything
to drink tonight, resident Sally said she he had. RSA Suzy
called Public Safety for an Alcohol Assessment. RSA Suzy then
called the DOD. Within 10 minutes, both Public Safety and the
DOD arrived on the scene. Public Safety attempted to
communicate with Bryan. Bryan was mumbling too much for
anything to be understood. Public Safety called for an
ambulance for resident Bryan. Fifteen minutes later, the
American Medical Response Team (AMR). Both public safety
and AMR had decided that resident Bryan should be
transported to the hospital.
True Story

18. 
 RSAs Jack and Suzy were in the RSA office during office hours
when they smelt the scent of Marijuana. RSA Jack looked out the
window to see 3 residents smoking outside. RSA Suzy called
Public Safety and the DOD . RSAs Jack and Suzy went outside to
confront the 3 residents. One of the residents attempted to run.
RSA Jack, knowing the resident and called out for Matt. Matt then
stopped and returned to talk with the RSAs. Public Safety and the
DOD arrived. After talking to the residents, it was revealed that
they all live on the 3rd floor of Roncalli. Public Safety, the DOD,
and RSAs followed residents Matt, Mark, and John to room 313.
The DOD administrated a drug search of the residents’ room and
discovered 6 small individual bags of Marijuana and a weighing
scale. The drug paraphernalia was confiscated and the residents
were brought to Public Safety for further questioning.
True Story Drug
Violation

19. 
 While there are 12 hour Duty Shifts, a RSA is always “on-duty”
 Any time throughout the day a RSA is responsible for
confronting any situation that may present itself to them
 By being a presence in the building allows you to be a resource
and help residence make healthy life choices
 Reporting any building damages to MOPS
 Let your residents know your availability
 Creates boundaries
 Increases Communication
 When necessary call the DOD and Public Safety
 When confronting a situation in which you need backup call
this number: (203) 449-1961
 Do not share this number with non Res Life personnel
The 24 hour duty theory

20. 
 You will gain a level of comfort in confronting your peers
for not following community standards
 may indicate to a future employer that you will hold others in
the workplace accountable to the standards set by the
management or team.
 Since you have many different issues that can arise in one
duty night, you will no doubt demonstrate a mastering of
how to juggle multiple, important tasks at once.
How Duty Can Benefit
Your Future Career

21. 
 Remember that you are not alone
 You are on a team, you are in this together
 There is no situation too big for you to handle
 You can always call a fellow RSA or a RHD for help
 The University embodies a great deal of trust in you and
your judgment to show leadership and positive
representation in any situation.
Team and Support