POSITION TITLE: New Student Transition Assistant
UNIT & DEPARTMENT: YU START, Student Success Centre
ELIGIBILITY: Full-time Domestic and Full-time International
NUMBER OF POSITIONS: 3 Summer positions
RATE OF PAY: $16.55/hour
EMPLOYMENT TERM: Summer 2024 (May 1 – Sept 8)
HOURS OF WORK: Summer term = 34 hours per week
YU START
The YU START new student transition program is a collaborative program designed to support
new students during their transition to university and help them succeed in their first year. The
overarching goal of the YU START Program is to improve student satisfaction, engagement and
preparedness to successfully begin university studies by providing a planned, coordinated and
integrated set of learning activities and opportunities aimed at developing capacities. The
program includes the YU START Online Enrolment Tutorial, the YU START University 101
Platform, an online Discussion Board and online community (beginning 2021 the online
community will be hosted on the Slack app), and York Orientation Week, an on-campus event
to be hosted the week of September 8, 2024.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Reporting to the YU START program leadership, the New Student Transition Assistant plays an integral role in the operationalization of the YU START program. In conjunction with the YU START team, the
New Student Transition Assistant is responsible for coordinating the membership and support of the YU
START social media. New Student Transition Assistant also play a key role in the planning and implementation of the Doors open York during Orientation Week. At the same time, the Transition Assistants will motivate and act as team lead to a group of 30-40 YU START student leaders, as well as being an effective liaison on behalf of the program with campus stakeholders including Colleges, student governments, orientation chairs, advising units, etc.
New Student Transition Assistants will need to be comfortable using social media (both in front of and behind the camera), and the successful applicant will be expected to have working knowledge of how to use Canva, Microsoft Office, Photoshop.
In this role you will host and facilitate virtual and an in-person events for incoming York University students and their families. You will be asked to support the YU START leadership program and the successful Transition Assistant hired will be tasked to work collaboratively with campus stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition for new students from the YU START program to existing Fall/Winter peer mentorship programs. You will also be asked to create and analyse surveys for assessment purposes, as well as manage an detailed program calendar for all upcoming student events.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Competencies which the positions will develop include:
- Having an outgoing personality
- Professionalism
- Fluency in English writing
- Time-management
- Delivering presentations
- Leadership
- Punctuality
- Tact
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
▪ Understanding of needs of transitioning students
▪ Facilitation skills
▪ Written and verbal communication skills (English)
▪ Organization skills
▪ Interpersonal skills including tact and diplomacy
▪ Analytical skills
▪ Adaptability
▪ Social Media Skills
▪ Project management skills
▪ Program development skills
▪ Supervision and peer mentoring of others
▪ Working knowledge of and experience with social media platforms
▪ Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative
▪ Critical thinking skills
▪ Large event planning experience
WHAT STUDENTS WILL GAIN FROM THIS POSITION
1. New student transition expertise – Work/study students will be trained on the theory
surrounding a successful new student transition. They will be given ample opportunity
to put that theory into practice as they assist incoming students in their transition online
and in person.
2. Leading and Mentoring – The students will be trained on leadership and mentoring
theory and techniques and will be given many opportunities to apply those theories as
they lead a team of 50-60 YU START Leaders who will be managing the Facebook
communications with incoming students
3. Event planning – The students will have the chance to participate in the planning of York
Orientation Day. They will be exposed to expert event planners and learn to construct
event plans. They will be tasked with planning some elements of the day and with
implementing a great deal of events.
4. Presentation and meeting facilitation – These students will be trained on effective
meeting facilitation and presentation methods. They will have the chance to put that
training to practice as they host a variety of meetings.
MANDATORY TRAINING:
• YU START Leader Training
• Peer Leadership Training
• Orientation and Transition Leadership Training
• Joint Training/Digital Training for Summer Peers
• DEDI Training
• Assessment Training
• Difficult Conversations Training
• AODA Training
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
To apply, please submit:
- Resume
- Cover Letter
- 1000-word essay on one way that you feel York University could improve the transition
process for new and incoming students.
In this short essay please Include an example of a virtual or in-person event that could be held either before or after students physically arrive to York University in September 2024. Please be sure to explain the details of how you would realistically market, promote, and successfully run the event.