Are you ready to become a WUSA? Becoming a WUSA is a big responsibility! Please review this page to understand the commitments of being a 2025-2026 WUSA and what to expect in this role.
We recommend you review the position description again, speak with your support systems, and consider all other responsibilities prior to accepting this position. Please let us know if we can provide you with any additional information to assist in your decision-making process. Please review this page and decide by the date and time indicated in your offer letter. We look forward to working with you!
Position descriptions
Use these quick links to navigate the information on this page.
| Why WUSA? | Important Dates & Event Descriptions |
| Fall & Spring Semester Events | Considerations |
| WUSA FAQs | Accepting or Rejecting your Offer |
Why WUSA?
- Become a university representative
- WUSAs represent WashU as well as Student Transitions & Engagement. Additionally, WUSAs often hold the responsibility of being new students’ and families’ first impression of the University as a whole. WUSAs are held to high expectations and must remain in good academic and conduct standing throughout their time in the role, as determined by Student Transitions & Engagement through collaboration with Student Conduct and Community Standards, Residential Life, the Academic Divisions, and Gender Equity & Title IX Compliance.
- Engage with students, families and colleagues
- WUSAs will connect and form relationships with first-year, transfer, and/or exchange students, the entire WUSA League, Student Executive Board members (Execs), RAs, Student Affairs professional staff, and more. Communication with others is an important aspect of the WUSA role and maintaining these connections will allow WUSAs to be more successful and have support systems they can go to when they have questions or need help.
- Personal growth, mentorship opportunities and skill building
- Members of the WUSA League will:
- Have networking opportunities with other WUSAs, campus partners, and STAE staff.
- Acquire a greater understanding of WashU’s processes and systems.
- Identify personal strengths and areas of growth.
- Undertake professional development and enhance skills.
- Serve as a support system for others.
- Act as a conduit between students and WashU staff.
- Relay key messages from WashU administration to first-year, transfer, and/or exchange students.
- Suggest, develop, and implement solutions related to creating a successful transition for new students.
- Collaborate with others to coordinate events to enhance the student experience.
- Engage students in community building.
- Members of the WUSA League will:
Important dates & event descriptions
Spring training
Spring training is designed to prepare you to fulfill your role as a new WUSA. Training includes role responsibilities, facilitation, cultural competency, new student transition trends, helping skills, and logistics.
- WUSA Training 1: March 31, from 6 – 8 p.m.
- WUSA Training 2: April 7, from 6 – 8 p.m.
- One-on-one supervisor meeting: 30 minutes between April 8-18
- WUSA Training 3: April 21, from 6 – 8 p.m.
Camp WUSA
Bond with your WUSA team, prepare for Fall Welcome, and engage with STAE staff and campus partners. Training and other activities will continue this week.
- Please confirm that your summer schedule allows for early arrival with a required return to campus by August 9 between 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
- Camp WUSA training takes place August 10–16. Shifts may start as early as 9:00 AM and go as late as 8:00 PM but are typically between 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Breaks and mealtimes will be included in the shifts.
- WUSAs will not be shifted to work more than 40-hours in a single work week.
Fall welcome
Lead your cohort of students and assist with other events and activities. Shifts may include working panels for different schools, tabling for item pick-up, events for parents and families, and other miscellaneous tasks. You will engage with many students and families during this time!
- August 17–23
- Shift times will vary and may start as early as 7 a.m. and end as late as 11:59 p.m.
- TR WUSAs will primarily have shifts concentrated between August 19–23.
- WUSAs will not be shifted to work more than 40-hours in a single work week.
- All shifts are in-person.
Winter Welcome (TR WUSAs only)
Lead your cohort of new transfer and exchange students and assist with other events and activities. Shifts may include panels for different schools, off-campus excursions, networking meals, and other miscellaneous tasks. You will engage with many new transfer and exchange students during this time!
- Move-in is anticipated on January 5, 2026, between 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Training takes place January 6 during normal business hours.
- Working shifts will be primarily concentrated between January 7–11. Shifts may start as early as 9 a.m. and go as late as 8 p.m. Breaks and mealtimes will be included in the shift.
- WUSAs will not be shifted to work more than 40-hours in a single work week.
Parent & Family Weekend
Families of students across all undergraduate classes attend the weekend and partake in activities and events around campus and St. Louis.
- September 26–28
- Shift times and shift duties vary. More information will be provided at the September 10 Community Training.
- Shifts may be prior to the weekend, during, or after the event. In total, expect to work between two to four hours in Parent & Family Weekend shifts.
WUSA phone calls
Engage with the Class of 2029, transfer, and/or exchange students prior to the start of the fall semester.
- Occurs during Camp WUSA, prior to new student move-in.
TR WUSAs only: Engage with new transfer and/or exchange students prior to the start of the spring semester.
- Occurs during Winter Welcome training, prior to new student move-in.
Optional summer engagement
WUSAs staying in the St. Louis area will have the option to do additional work with STAE during the summer.
Duties may include:
- Contacting new students via phone call and email
- Training preparation
- Social media initiatives
- And more!
A position description, application, and pay rate for the summer student worker role will be shared this spring.
Fall & spring semester events
WUSA hours (FY WUSAs)
Communicate with students consistently through check-ins and meetings. Share resources and host programming in each assigned residential community. WUSA hours are held on weekly on Thursdays until the last week of February 2026.
- Time commitment: Two hours each Thursday, consisting of 90 minutes of active engagement and up to 30 minutes of prep time and post-event note taking.
- WUSA Hours will take place universally from 7-8:30 p.m. during the first two weeks of the fall and spring semesters
- WUSAs will share information about on-campus events, St. Louis city outings, and resources including reminders about academic deadlines such as add/drop deadline, pass/fail deadline, and course registration.
WUSA hours (TR WUSAs)
Communicate with students consistently through check-ins and meetings. Share resources and host programming at various on-campus locations. TR WUSA hours are typically held bi-weekly on a day decided on by the TR WUSA Team until the last week of February 2026.
- Time commitment: Two hours every other week, consisting of 90 minutes of active engagement and 30 minutes of prep time and post-event notetaking.
- WUSAs will share information about on-campus events, St. Louis city outings, and resources including reminders about academic deadlines such as add/drop deadline, pass/fail deadline, and course registration.
Weekly team trainings
In-person attendance and participation at these team trainings are an important part of the WUSA role:
- Fall team trainings occur every Tuesday or Wednesday, at a time decided on by each WUSA team’s class schedule.
- Spring team trainings occur every Tuesday or Wednesday, at a time decided on by each WUSA team’s class schedule, until the last week of February 2026.
Community trainings
e three required community trainings during the 2025-2026 academic year.
- September 10, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- October 29, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- January 14, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
These dates and times may be subject to change. Missed community trainings must be made up at an alternate time provided by Student Transitions & Engagement.
Considerations to take before becoming a WUSA
Before accepting the WUSA position, we recommend you consider the following questions:
- What is it about the job that excites me?
- What can I bring to this role, and what will this role bring me?
- Are there any worries or concerns I have about this position or my ability to fully commit to the role?
- What are my other responsibilities next year?
- Do I have the time management skills to balance all my responsibilities? Other responsibilities may include classes, research positions, other leadership roles, work positions, etc.
- Do I support the overall mission of the WUSA role and Student Transitions & Engagement?
- Can I be a positive support system and resource for new students?
Time commitment
- Verify you are available for all important dates.
- Consider summer plans and other commitments throughout the academic year.
- Email transitions@wustl.edu as soon as possible if you become aware of a conflict.
- The time commitment is a year-long student leader role:
- FY WUSAs: Weekly WUSA Hours (two hours each week) until March 2026.
- TR WUSAs: Biweekly TR WUSA Hours (two hours every other week) until March 2026.
- Weekly team trainings (one hour each week) until March 2026.
- Completion of check-ins, meetings, and WUSA Notes by stated deadlines.
Other factors to consider
There are a few positions that may prevent an individual from serving in the WUSA role:
- Taylor Stars Mentors
- WashU Global Undergraduate International Development and Engagement (WUGUIDE) Mentor
- Resident Advisor
- Student Technology Coordinator
- WUSAs are unable to take summer classes that conflict with August training, unless explicitly approved by the Assistant Director by emailing transitions@wustl.edu.
- WUSAs who are fall varsity athletes must discuss with their coach the ability to serve as a WUSA.
- WUSAs are eligible to serve in the following roles at the same time as their WUSA commitment:
- Academic Mentor (AM)
- CS40 Executive Board
- Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Leader
- Student Union Executive Officer
WUSA FAQs
WUSAs will be paid at an hourly rate of $13.75. The WUSA position is a work-study-eligible position.
WUSAs work approximately 150 hours from August through March.
Yes. WUSAs will be expected to prioritize work shifts over other non-academic, non-emergent conflicts. Exceptions include academic conflicts (exams, tests, quizzes) and personal/familial emergencies (health, wellness, major events). Anticipated missed shifts must be communicated by emailing transitions@wustl.edu with seven days’ notice for all anticipated absences.
Being a mandatory reporter means you are required to “report all incidents of sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking or other forms of misconduct that violate the University Student Code of Conduct to their supervisor, the Title IX Coordinator, the Associate Title IX Coordinator, or to the Gender Equity and Title IX Compliance Office.”
This is an important aspect of the WUSA role.
As a First-Year WUSA, you are a mandatory reporter for the first-year students assigned to your cohort at all times, your fellow WUSAs at all times, and all first-year students when clocked in.
As a Transfer WUSA, you are mandatory reporter for the transfer or exchange students assigned to your cohort at all times, your fellow WUSAs at all times, and all transfer and exchange students when clocked in.
More information will be provided during training.
WUSAs are not expected to know everything about WashU when they accept the role. WUSAs are selected for their unique ability to bring their own first-year, transfer, and/or international experiences to the table.
The training conducted throughout the spring and fall will help prepare WUSAs for the role and provide them with the information necessary to be successful. Additionally, each WUSA is able to provide their own insight into the WashU experience and can use that to make a positive impact.
If you worry about struggling with answering questions, know that you will be provided with the resources you need and can always reach out to fellow WUSAs, Execs, and Professional Staff for assistance.
If you have a scheduling conflict with one of the trainings, please email Student Transitions & Engagement as soon as possible. Student Transitions & Engagement works with each WUSA on a case-by-case basis to determine next steps.
Accepting or rejecting your offer
Accepting your offer
To accept your offer, submit the online WUSA Hiring Form. Please let us know if we can provide you with additional information that will help in your decision-making process. Please refer to your offer email for your specific deadline to respond to your offer.
If you confirm you are accepting the position, Human Resources will work with you to complete additional hiring documents. Please review the list of acceptable documents that you must have in your possession at the time of onboarding. It is important you read and understand all the attached information. If you have any questions (or think you may have a time conflict with a specific date), please email us or stop by the office.
Rejecting your offer
To reject your offer, please email us at transtions@wustl.edu. Please refer to your offer email for a deadline to respond.