Description: Reporting to the Head of Summer Colleges (HSC) and the Residential Directors (RDs), the Yale Summer Session Assistant Residential Director for the Arts (ARD - A) curates a broad range of artistic and cultural activities for the Summer Colleges. Just as the arts are an indelible part of the Yale College experience, so they are of the Yale Summer Session Colleges experience. The ARD - A is a core part of the Summer Colleges team and participates broadly in the residential life program of the Summer Colleges. This position gives the ARD - A the opportunity to work alongside the Residential Directors in their work, gaining experience that will be valuable in a potential future role as a Residential Director or in similar leadership/management positions.
Responsibilities:
- Regular Activities: Plan and lead regular artistic activities, such as a stand-up comedy group, summer theater, a summer a capella group, or instrumental jam sessions. The ARD – A will need the assistance and expertise of other Summer Colleges staff members to pull these off. One way of thinking about these is that they are themed artistic “clubs.”
- One-off Activities: Plan and lead one-off artistic activities open to the broader Summer Colleges community. Some examples might be a painting night, one-night comedy workshop, or a talent show. There should generally be one of these activities each week.
- Recruitment: It is unlikely that any candidate hired for this position will possess the broad range of artistic abilities necessary to lead a successful arts program alone. Instead, it is expected that the ARD – A will recruit counselors to a Summer Arts Committee who will help lead activities. These counselors will receive a lighter load of other duties for helping.
- Off-Campus Trips: Lead YSS off-campus trips as the Yale purchasing card holder.
- Residential Director Assistance: Assists residential directors in their duties, such as on-call, office, and curfew duties, not more than several times per week.
- Assistant Residential Director Backstopping: Sometimes, other ARDs need extra help, and the ARDs are expected to pitch in in those cases.
- Leadership: Serves as a member of the Summer Colleges leadership team, assisting an RD in their duties with a Summer Counselor group.
- Policies and Conduct: Follows all Yale Summer Session and University policies and models exemplary behavior as a member of the Summer Colleges community.
- Other Duties: May perform other duties as assigned.
Preferred Experience: Prior event organizational experience and leadership preferred.
Required Education and Experience: Any currently enrolled Yale College undergraduate or graduate student in good academic standing or any Yale alumnus is eligible to apply. The ideal candidate will have spent one or two years in a residential college. Applicants should be mature students who enjoy working with others and who feel committed to the intellectual and social values of residential college life. The job also requires resourcefulness, integrity, good judgment, and energy. Previous YSS experience is a plus. Prior involvement in Yale College Arts is highly recommended. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Yale College alumni who studied at Yale on a student visa should proactively check with the Office of International Students & Scholars about their eligibility for employment in this role.
Compensation: The ARD - A is given free room and board for the orientation period and the ten weeks of the program (approximate value of $8,260), plus a tuition reduction for the equivalent of one summer course credit (value of $5,480). If the ARD - A decides not to enroll in a summer course, this tuition reduction cannot be converted into a stipend. The ARD - A will also receive a stipend of $3,875.
Additional Information: The ARD - A will be expected to begin the training and planning work for this position during the months of April and May.
Summer Colleges staff must attend mandatory training sessions before the summer classes begin, and must be on campus at Yale by 4:00 p.m., Thursday, May 21, 2026, for the start of training. Training starts on Thursday evening and is held all day on Friday and Saturday, ending with the first move-in of counselees on Sunday. This training cannot be missed, made up, or sacrificed due to conflicts with other programs’ commitments or training sessions. Inability to make the training sessions will result in the forfeiture of the position. Many graduation events at Yale and other schools fall during this period; please ensure you are available for the entirety of the training prior to applying. Summer Colleges staff duties continue through Sunday, August 2, 2026.
To be effective in their work, Summer Colleges staff should be familiar with the academic, dormitory, and dining hall regulations of Yale Summer Session. The Summer Colleges staff pledge to uphold these regulations and ensure that Summer Session students comply with them as well. This obligation is especially strong with regard to monitoring the protection of personal and university property, the residents’ right to safety and quiet, and the legal control of alcohol and other drugs.
Each session includes an all-hands-on-deck event, which all Summer Colleges staff must attend unless it falls on their assigned weekend off. Session B Transition Weekend is also considered a major weekend and requires full staff participation. In addition, all Summer Colleges staff must be on campus for the mandatory All-Staff Meeting each Sunday night; this meeting must be attended in person. Weekend-off assignments are determined by the RDs based on counselor preferences and overall program needs. All Summer Colleges staff must be in residence during registration, move-in, and move-out periods
Summer Colleges staff may only take one course per each five-week Session. Any more coursework may only be undertaken with the written permission of the HSC.
General Conduct Statement: Yale Summer Session is an academic community dedicated to the advancement of learning and abides by similar guidelines detailed by Yale College’s Undergraduate Regulations as follow: 1) All staff and students should be committed to protecting free expression and peaceful dissent and to preserving mutual respect and charitable relations among all members of the Summer Session community. 2) Physical restriction, coercion, or intimidation of any member of the YSS community is contrary to the basic principles of the University. 3) Violations of these principles may result in immediate and permanent separation from Yale Summer Session.