Offering perks like free housing and a $4,600 stipend, GW is currently recruiting community facilitators for the next school year. A year-long commitment, University officials said CF retention has increased recently after a string of resignations two years ago.

Last year, about 265 students applied to fill the 76 available CF positions. Community Living and Learning Center officials are accepting applications through Nov. 15.

While 16 CFs resigned during the fall 2000 semester, CLLC officials said resignations declined to between four and five last year. Some of the resigning CFs cited unexpected work.

“From our recruitment socials that we have during selection, to the CF class, to our training, we really try to provide as up front as possible what you will be doing this year,” said Michael Weaver, director of selections, training and development for CLLC. “Unfortunately, sometimes our students just don’t realize what they are committing themselves to. They hear what they want to hear.”

Past Dakota CF Michael Donaldson said he resigned at the end of the 2000 fall semester because “the job description for a CF is not transparent. This allows the Community Living and Learning Center to delegate any responsibility of any volume to CFs.”

However, Weaver said CLLC has not changed policy since the fall 2000 semester.

“We really didn’t look to revamp (the CF program) because the 75 other CFs got the information and were on the mark with it,” Weaver said. “I think every once in a while we will have bumps, like with that student, which is unfortunate.”

Despite past CF resignations, Weaver said CLLC is not planning on modifying the program. “With that whole situation, unfortunately it came down to a difference of opinion.

To fill spaces left by resigning CFs, CLLC often looks to current applicants and moves them into CF positions a semester early.

“What we normally do in those situations, since we are conducting CF selection for the following year at that point, is look at our all-star, high-achieving candidates and sometimes have them fill in for that second semester,” Weaver said.

CLLC offers positions as CFs for underclassman residence halls and Administrative Coordinators for upperclassman halls. Current CFs can move onto work as Community Specialists.

The most resident-involved position is the CF, for which the student usually live in freshman of sophomore residence hall and is responsible for 30-110 residents. CFs are suppose to help residents with the transition from high school to college. CFs also work in the hall offices and perform duties such as health and safety inspections.

Meanwhile, the AC role is less programming intensive and individuals are responsible for an average of 80-160 students and provide administrative support to their residence halls by working in the hall office 10 hours per week.

“They don’t focus on the community development piece that our community facilitators do,” Weaver said. “If a junior or senior had an issue, they might go to the AC, and the AC would try to point them in the right direction, as opposed to the CF who would sit down and talk with them about the situation.”

A student can only be a CF once, but can apply to be a CS if he wants to stay in the program. Community Specialists are more like mentors to CFs, Weaver said.

Some CFs said they find the position challenging.

“The position is unlike any explanation I can give. When you come into the position, be prepared to give up a lot of time and be ready to be committed to any and all things, said junior Sheriece Perry, a Pennsylvania House CF. “We don’t just tend to our residents; we tend to the entire GW community.”

Some CFs enjoyed their time in the residence halls and will apply to be a CS for the coming year.

“You can only be a CF once, but if you are selected again, you become a CS, which is a step higher than a CF. I am planning on being a CS, and I am going to try out for it,” said junior Kui Lattimore, a Madison Hall CF.