Contact Information

Emily Balcom
Director of Residence Life

(315) 792-3285

Residence Life Staff Positions



The Director of Residence Life


The director manages the six College residence halls, the Residence Life Office, as well as the professional, secretarial, and paraprofessional staff associated with the program. The director is responsible for the overall leadership, quality, and development of the department of residence life. Moreover, the director processes all requests for on-campus housing, is responsible for room assignments, and coordinates all billing associated with campus housing. The director of residence life reports directly to the vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

The Residence Hall Director (RD)


The four full-time professional resident hall directors (RDs) are members of the department of Residence Life. They are responsible for the programming and management of a residential area housing 150 to 300 students. The directors also participate in the overall development and assume responsibility for the quality of the residence life program. Through personal contact, supervision of paraprofessional staff, and hall programming, the RDs assist residents with their growth to become well-rounded individuals. The RDs live in the residence halls and many of them further their own education as part-time graduate students at either Utica College or Syracuse University.


The Resident Assistants (RAs)


Resident assistants are residence life student paraprofessional staff members who live in and assist with the management of the residence halls. For their services, RAs receive credit toward their room fees and a stipend. RAs are usually juniors or seniors who have previously lived in campus residence halls, and they receive extensive training in working with residential students. The director of residence life appoints RAs for a one semester or one-year term.