Thursday, December 16, 2021

Live-in GA Program Reinstated


To: Headquarters Staff, Alumni Advisors, Faculty and Staff Advisors, Chapter and Council Presidents, Graduate Student Senate, Graduate Student Life, NIC VP of Campus Operations, NPC Area Advisor

From: The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Affairs, Lehigh University


Date: December 16, 2021


RE: Live-in Graduate Assistant Program Reinstated


In March 2020, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority (OFSA) announced that due to the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic, the Live-In Graduate Assistant (GA) program previously scheduled to launch in Fall 2020 would be postponed. Earlier in the Spring 2020 semester, OFSA and Housing Services met with each residential fraternity and sorority’s leadership, advisors and headquarters. During these meetings, we discussed the renovation plans to accommodate a private suite for each Live-in GA within each house. We also discussed the position description, recruitment and selection timeline, and the onboarding process.


We are excited to announce that we have begun taking the appropriate steps towards reinstating the Live-In GA program and are prepared for the program to fully launch in Fall 2022.  With that in mind, we are aware that the student leaders we are working with today were very likely not a part of the conversations OFSA was having with student leaders back in Spring 2020; therefore, we have been working with Housing Services to construct a plan to best share the previously discussed implementation of Live-In GAs in each fraternity & sorority residential facility. 


The Live-In GA Position Description was crafted in Fall 2019 with assistance from various key stakeholders, including our partners in Housing Services and Residence Life. We are looking forward to starting the recruitment and selection process this month as we begin reaching out to graduate programs at Lehigh and local accredited higher education institutions. We will soon be posting the application and finalized timeline on our website fully dedicated to the Live-In Graduate Assistant Program. To best prepare for this process, we want to be sure you are aware of a few important dates to hold for the recruitment and selection of Live-In GAs.


2022 Recruitment, Selection & Onboarding Timeline

  • Week of Jan. 10 – Spring 2022 Chapter Coaching Calls, OFSA & Housing Services will meet with each chapter to review renovation and floor plans, changes to occupancy capacity standards, recruitment and selection process, and meal plan options

  • Feb. 7 – Live-In GA Q&A Resource provided to chapters

  • March 8 – Priority application deadline

  • March 10 – OFSA initial candidate screening

  • March 11 – Eligible candidates will be shared with chapters via a GoogleFolder. Chapters will be provided interview resources, including interview tips & guidelines, interview questions, interview rubric

  • March 21 – Chapters must submit candidate interview interest list via provided GoogleForm (anticipated: minimum of 6, maximum of 10)

  • March 22 – Candidates will be notified whether or not they will be interviewed

  • March 26, 11 am-6 pm – Virtual Interview Day (2-3 officers + alumni advisor and/or HQ staff)

  • April 1 – Chapters must submit candidate preferences

  • April 11 – OFSA final placements

  • April 15 – Offers extended to candidates; chapters notified once accepted

  • April - June – Contihttps://forms.gle/iWQyAJpEMU513N949nue screening and interview process, as needed

  • Aug. 1 - 17 – Live-In GA Move-In, Training and Onboarding

  • Aug. 17 - 19 – House Manager Arrival, Training and Onboarding

  • Aug. 22 – Fall 2022 First Day of Classes


We look forward to working with each of our chapters on the implementation of the Live-In GA program.  If there are any questions between now and the Chapter Coaching Calls or publication of the Q&A resource for chapters, please contact OFSA at infrasor@lehigh.edu.


Sincerely,


The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Affairs