Graduate
Resident Tutors (GRTs) have been an essential
component of MIT's residential system ever since that system was inaugurated in
the 1960s. Although they are not tutors in the academic sense, they most
assuredly serve as tutors in the broader, more humanistic sense of caring for
the welfare of others. Tutors at MIT are graduate students (and often their
spouses or partners) to whom the care of undergraduates has been entrusted.
GRTs serve within the residential
life system at MIT as members of the House Team. Each residence has its own
independent House Team led by Housemasters. At least one of the Housemasters is
a member of the MIT faculty or staff. GRTs also work
directly with their House Team's Residential Life Associate (RLA), a
professional staff-member who acts as a support and a liaison between House
Teams and the many resources offered to students by MIT. Typically a GRT is
assigned to a particular area within a residence, such as a hall, floor or
entry. The purpose of the House Team is to develop and support a residential
community, and the GRT plays a primary role in this support.
The job of
the Graduate Resident Tutor (GRT) is to foster a supportive, safe, and positive
living environment and to build a safe, welcoming, and inclusive community
atmosphere among undergraduates in MIT residence halls. This responsibility
includes encouraging personal growth, providing outlets for managing stress,
and facilitating positive interpersonal relationships. GRTs
are also responsible for implementing community standards, enhancing security,
and promoting mutual respect among the residents.
Eligibility and requirements
To be
eligible, candidates must have been at MIT for at least one academic year
before becoming a GRT. (i.e. students entering their
first year as a grad student at MIT are not eligible unless they were also at
MIT as undergrads.)
General
requirements for the Graduate Resident Tutor position include evidence of solid
judgment, sensitivity, and the ability to work with students, colleagues, and
faculty. This position is considered employment of approximately ten hours per
week.
All
candidates must be available to be on campus and in residence from mid August
through Commencement (early June).
To be
eligible to apply for a Graduate Resident Tutor position, individuals must be
full-time enrolled graduate students registered at MIT, or in a combined
program with MIT and another institution. A Bachelor's degree is required to be
a GRT.
Students
applying must also be registered in a multi-year program and be at a point in
their studies where they will likely be staying at MIT for several more years. Students who will be graduating in one or
two years are eligible to apply but are less likely to be chosen. MIT undergraduates may apply in their
senior year but must be admitted to graduate school at MIT prior to accepting a
GRT position. Anyone who was an undergraduate at MIT may not serve as a GRT in
the same house where s/he lived as an undergraduate unless s/he has been living
elsewhere for at least three years. Students in a one-year Masters program are
not eligible.
Appointments
GRT
appointments are for one academic year commencing mid-August 2012 and ending
early June 2013. During that period (and in succeeding years) you will be evaluated
and, based on a positive recommendation from your Housemasters, you will be
offered re-appointment for another year. You will not be eligible to continue
if you cease to be a graduate student at MIT.
An
appointment may be terminated at any time if it is determined
by the Housemaster of your residence and the Residential Life Programs (RLP) office
that you are not fulfilling the responsibilities set forth in the position
description and the position contract.
Remuneration
The
compensation for a GRT position includes free use of a room/apartment in the
assigned residence during the appointment plus a stipend of $730.00 per
semester (which is taxable).
Supervision
The
Housemasters of the assigned residence are your immediate supervisors. GRTs should consider them to be sources of guidance.
Spouses and Partners
If
you have a spouse or partner who will be living with you during your time as a
GRT, he or she will also be a member of your residential community. Therefore he or she will need to fill
out a special section of the GRT application and will need to be present for
interviews. RLP and the House
Teams generally provide spouses and partners who are not MIT students with the
same resources we provide to GRTs. Unfortunately, they may not be eligible
for certain MIT benefits such as on-campus parking.
Training
The training
programs are an essential and required part of the GRT position. Mandatory
trainings for new GRTs are tentatively scheduled for
August 17 and 20, 2012. In addition, all GRTs are
required to attend at least two evening inservice
sessions (out of 3-4 offered) each academic year. Spouses and partners of GRTs are not required but are strongly encouraged to attend
trainings and inservices.
International Students
International
Students are encouraged to apply to be GRTs if the
position is compatible with their legal work eligibility. It is a violation of
U.S. law for a student who is here on a visa to be employed for more than 20
hours per week. A GRT is employed by MIT for about 10 hours per week. So, a
student with a visa who has a research assistantship, teaching assistantship,
or any other employment for more than 10 hours per week is not eligible to be a
GRT. If you are not certain how this applies to you, please consult with the
MIT International Students' Office before applying to be a GRT.
Pets and Smoking
Smoking is
not allowed in MIT residence halls, with the exception of designated areas within
Bexley Hall, Senior House, and East
Campus. Pets are not allowed in
MIT residence halls, with the exception of Bexley
Hall, Random Hall, Senior House, and East Campus, which allow cats under
certain conditions. These policies
apply to GRTs as well as undergraduate residents.
Parking
Owning a car
is not a requirement of the GRT
positions. GRTs
who wish to park a car on campus will be charged the campus-resident student
rate by the Parking Office. GRTs who do not purchase parking passes may be eligible to
receive MBTA passes at a reduced rate.
Selection Process
To apply to
be a GRT, complete the online application by the deadline of February 10. You will need two references from
people who are familiar with your past work with students. They will be asked to log on to Greta
and submit a statement as well as answering a few multiple-choice
questions. References from
faculty-members tend to carry the most weight.
Your advisor
must also endorse your application.
Your advisor does not need to submit a detailed statement, unless you
ask him or her to also serve as one of your two references.
After the
deadline, all on-time completed applications will be available for review by selection
teams (which include students and House Team members) within all of the
communities that are in need of new GRTs for
2012-2013. Your references will be
available only to Housemasters but the rest of your application will be
available to students as well.
In late
February and March, selection teams will contact you directly if they wish to
schedule an interview with you.
Some candidates may be offered interviews in multiple communities and
some may not be offered any. Each
community has a slightly different process, but most will schedule first interviews
with students and then schedule second interviews with Housemasters for preferred
candidates.
Housemasters make
the final decisions regarding the top candidates for their communities. If you are a finalist, RLP will contact
you in late March to ask for your preferences among the communities in which
you have interviewed. RLP will
work with the Housemasters to place candidates based primarily on the
communities’ preferences and secondarily on the candidates’ preferences. Offers will be made to successful
candidates and notifications will be sent to all candidates in early April.
Information Sessions
Though it is not mandatory, GRT information sessions are your chance to discuss the position and the application process with a current GRT and an RLP staff member. Feel free to attend any of the following sessions (no need to sign up in advance):
Tuesday, 12/06/11, 6-7pm, E51-395 Wednesday 01/04/12, 12-1pm, The Coffee House at the Student Center (W20, third floor) Monday, 01/30/12, 6-7pm, The Colbert Room at The Warehouse (NW30)MIT is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.