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Position Summary: 

The Orientation Leader (OL), as a peer mentor and role model, is responsible for creating and maintaining a safe and supportive environment for new students during their New Student Orientation (NSO). OLs will seek to ensure that new students attend and complete all their required sessions during NSO to help build connections and foster positive interactions, allowing students to feel comfortable and engaged within a strong Texas State community. A critical role of an Orientation Leader is to help connect students to academic support, campus resources, and their peers by facilitating small group discussions and activities. Additionally, the OL supports departmental and university initiatives, participates in evaluation processes, and complies with all university policies and procedures. The Orientation Leader must be able to physically perform the job’s essential duties, which include regularly accessing all areas of their assigned residential building and other campus areas, working in an outdoor environment during the summer heat, and lifting up to 20 lbs. The OL must be able to attend the required NSO training and work all NSO sessions during the listed dates.  

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

New Student Engagement 

  • Embody the TXST student experience by serving as a role model and resource. 
  • Create genuine, positive relationships with students and families to help foster a sense of belonging and community. 
  • Facilitate engaging student group discussions pertaining to university policies, campus resources, and institutional culture. 
  • Provide appropriate level of support to individual students’ onboarding needs and questions. 
  • OLs will facilitate small group meetings with students during meals and after informational sessions. 

Student Support & Assistance 

  • Facilitate the personal growth of new students by understanding all members of your group, their needs, and being sensitive to potential problems. 
  • Refer students to campus resources and appropriate organizations. 
  • Maintain appropriate confidentiality with student information, records, and other FERPA related information. 
  • Respond according to New Student and Family Experiences (NSFE) and university policies with all incidents at NSO during both daytime and evening hours. 
  • Confront inappropriate behavior professionally and directly address behavioral concerns with NSO attendees.  

Department Support  

  • Provide exemplary customer service to program guests, assembling participant program materials, and completing all assigned tasks. 
  • Articulate personal experiences to answer questions that may pertain to Texas State with a positive and professional demeanor. 
  • Exhibit a positive attitude while working extended hours, including early mornings and late nights in the summer heat. 
  • Serve as a point of contact for the required overnight residence hall experience. 
  • Maintain a professional demeanor by taking initiative, following instructions, remaining flexible, and being punctual. 
  • Support, assist, and participate in departmental and university initiatives, including but not limited to Bobcat Welcome Week and NSFE departmental programs. 
  • Other duties as assigned by the OL supervisor or NSFE Leadership. 

Additional Responsibilities for Returning Orientation Leaders 

  • All of the responsibilities of an Orientation Leader, and: 
  • Provide additional leadership to Orientation Leaders by chairing one of five special project committees. 

 Time Commitments 

  • Training during the Spring semester on Fridays from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. 
  • Availability to work prospective and admitted student events during the Spring semester, including but not limited to Bobcat Days (Saturday, February 21 and Saturday, April 25), Admitted Student Friday (dates TBD), and/or similar initiatives. 
  • Attend comprehensive training sessions in May before NSO sessions begin. 
  • Work 3-4 NSO sessions per week throughout June and July.
    • Note: OLs may not hold another on-campus position during NSO sessions.
  • Work up to three one-day NSO sessions in August.
  • Support setup, facilitation, and breakdown of Bobcat Welcome Week programming. 

 Required Qualifications 

  • 2.5 or higher overall GPA and 2.5 or higher overall semester GPA at time of application and throughout position.
  • 12 completed college credits at Texas State by time of appointment (Dual credit does not apply).
  • Enrolled as a full-time student at Texas State during the fall term immediately following summer 2026.
  • Not enrolled in summer coursework (at Texas State University or elsewhere).
  • No previous, active, or pending conduct record that could create a conflict with the expectations of the role. 

 Preferred Qualifications 

  • Demonstrate initiative and the ability to think critically and creatively to solve problems and make decisions.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with a varied student population to understand their unique needs and help them build strong social networks. 
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, exhibit self-motivation, and adapt to constantly changing and unpredictable environments.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to learning and willingness to receive training and feedback from their supervisors and peers. 

Benefits 

  • A compensation rate of $800 gross per biweekly pay period.
  • A supplementary amount of Dining Dollars throughout the summer.
  • The OL is expected to live on campus during NSO sessions; therefore, the compensation package includes explicitly: 
  • A residence hall bed space (mid-May through end of July NSO sessions).  

Supervision 

  • Orientation Leaders will be formally supervised by the Coordinator of New Student Orientation.
  • Orientation Leaders will be responsive to direction from additional New Student and Family Experiences staff members and New Student Orientation Student Coordinators. 

Evaluation 

  • Orientation Leaders will be evaluated on their ability to complete tasks in the manner described, including service delivery, professionalism, and knowledge recall. 

Application Process 

  • Handshake application, resume, Qualtrics survey application. In-person individual and group interviews for selected applicants.