FSY Counselor Job Description

First-Year Scholars at Yale - Counselor

Description

The FSY Counselor is responsible for advising and counseling an assigned group of students. Counselors oversee the welfare of each of their students and are the first point of contact when students have questions or problems. Counselors are under the direct supervision of the FSY Community Coordinators and FSY Program staff with whom they work closely on a regular basis.  Throughout the summer, Counselors participate in community duties and curriculum work, helping to organize events and activities and to ensure the program runs smoothly. In addition, FSY Counselors are considered members of the Yale Summer Session (YSS) residential staff team and are assigned responsibilities related to summer residential college experience and these activities are overseen by the Head of Summer Colleges (HoSC) and the YSS Residential Director (RD) team.

Responsibilities:

1. Expectations and Communication: Counselors communicate with FSY and YSS staff in a timely and professional manner via phone, email, and text, and are responsible for communicating important information, policies, and expectations with students. Essential information will be presented during Orientation for the FSY students and will need to be reinforced and modeled throughout the summer. Counselors may refer to the Yale Summer Session (YSS) Student Handbook for all summer regulations. 
2. Relationship and Community Building: Counselors should get to know their students and be accessible and approachable. To do this, Counselors hold regular group meetings, host study break social events, conduct check-ins with individual students, and are generally present in college spaces, including the dining hall, library, courtyard, etc.  While Counselors work most closely with their assigned students, they are encouraged to build rapport with all FSY students and make themselves available to any student seeking help.
3. Meetings & Activities: FSY counselors will have mandatory weekly all-counselor meetings with the FSY team and have a one-on-one meeting with each Community Coordinator during the FSY program. In addition, FSY counselors are encouraged to meet with the Director of FSY and/or Program Coordinator during office hours or by appointment at any point during the program. FSY counselors hold frequent sessions with their counselees throughout the week based on a specifically designed curriculum that aligns with the various programming planned for the students. Counselors are expected to lead team-building activities and will participate in certain workshops with their students, as assigned.
4. Online Summer Initiative Support: Counselors will be expected to support new online community development events for a small group of students taking ENGL S114E and participating in a few workshops and social events.
5. Coverage: Counselors will be expected to plan and attend evening events such as movie nights, game nights, etc. and complete morning and evening rounds and buttery shifts in conjunction with YSS counselors. Counselors will have multiple shifts to assist with checking in FSY students at various workshops/presentations but are not expected to attend every session with their counselees. Community Coordinators will provide a schedule of shifts for the entirety of FSY. Any pre-assigned duties may be exchanged with other counselors to arrange for a more compatible schedule IF (a) both counselors agree; (b) the Community Coordinators are informed; and (c) the switch is made at least 24 hours in advance of the assigned shift (so that the Community Coordinators are aware of who is responsible for the respective shifts). To ensure the smooth operation of the FSY program, counselors should avoid frivolous, repeated, and last-minute shift changing. Counselors who request a shift change but are unable to secure a replacement are still responsible for covering their assigned shift.
6. Trips and Events: Counselors must attend all FSY trips off campus which typically include the Outdoor Education Center, team building activity, and a trip to New York City. Counselors will also be expected to help with the planning and execution of these events. In addition to off-campus trips, Counselors are expected to assist with the alumni event and attend the final dinner. If an end-of-summer staff event is held, all Counselors are expected to participate.
7. Move-In/Move-Out: All counselors must be in residence during the move-in and move-out periods. Counselors create door signs to welcome students and help to move students into their colleges as assigned during the designated move-in period. Counselors escort students to their rooms with their luggage and talk to students about mandatory meetings, the dining hall, facilities, etc. At the end of the summer, Counselors inspect student rooms and suites to ensure that garbage is removed and furniture is intact.
8. Pre-FSY activities: Prior to the FSY program, Counselors may be asked to attend a program staff meeting and participate in a Bulldog Days event with admitted students/potential FSY participants. Counselors will also be asked to create their profile to be shared with students and participate in a pre-arrival Information Session. In the weeks leading up to FSY, counselors will also be responsible for working in pairs to submit NYC trip and study break proposals for review and approval, as well as other pre-program planning activities.
9. Resolving Issues: Counselors should regularly check in with their students and address any questions or problems quickly and courteously. The Community Coordinators should be informed of any serious issues that have been addressed, and they will determine whether the HoSC or Director of FSY should be notified.
10. Expenses: Must follow appropriate purchasing procedures including the submission of all itemized receipts within 24 hours of a purchase.
11. Communicating concerns: Counselors should regularly communicate any issues or concerns with a member of the program team. Counselors are invited to reach out to the Director of FSY and Program Coordinator at any time.
12. May perform other duties as assigned.

To be effective in their work, counselors should be familiar with the academic, dormitory, and dining hall regulations of Yale Summer Session. The counselors pledge to uphold these regulations and ensure that FSY students comply with them as well. This obligation is particularly important in monitoring the protection of personal and university property, the residents’ right to safety and quiet, and the legal control of alcohol and other drugs. Counselors must conduct themselves in a way that models the behavior expected of the students in the college.

Required Education and Experience

Any currently enrolled Yale undergraduate or graduate student in good academic standing or any Yale alumnus is eligible to apply. Additional qualities include strong communication skills, maturity, empathy, resourcefulness, integrity, good judgment, and energy, as well as a commitment to the intellectual and social values of residential college life. 

Previous counseling experience is a plus, as is being a past participant of FSY or self-identification as a first-generation low-income (FGLI) student.

Compensation

FSY Counselors will be paid a stipend of $2,250. The stipend will be paid weekly and is considered taxable income. Please note that the stipend may be contingent on other Yale funding received.  In the case that an FSY Counselor is unable to complete the responsibilities of this position and must depart before the position is contractually set to end, compensation will be pro-rated to the amount of time worked.

FSY Counselors are provided free room and board for the orientation period and the ten weeks of YSS (an approximate value of $8,150), plus a tuition reduction for the equivalent of one summer course credit (a value of $5,270). Counselors who choose to take advantage of their free course credit can only take a course Session A. If an FSY Counselor decides not to enroll in a summer course, this tuition reduction cannot be converted into an additional stipend.

The Counselor position requires a significant commitment during summer. Counselors may undertake limited part-time employment and other activities (maximum 10-15 hours per week) only if these extra commitments do not conflict with their scheduled counselor responsibilities.

Additional Information

FSY Counselors move into their summer rooms on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the same time as the YSS staff (no later than 4:00pm). While the majority of the FSY Counselor position responsibilities will take place during the 5-week duration of the on-campus program, Counselors will have FSY responsibilities (both trainings and assigned tasks) during the weeks prior to the arrival of FSY students.

Counselors will be required to attend mandatory training sessions with YSS during the orientation period as well as weekly trainings leading up to the on-campus FSY program experience. 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 counselor position.

In addition to training prior to the FSY program experience, FSY Counselors will have assigned responsibilities related to YSS (i.e., morning + evening rounds and buttery shifts) as well pre-program activities outlined above in item #8.  Counselor duties continue through Sunday, August 3 at which point, FSY Counselors must move out of the residential colleges by 11:00am on Sunday, August 3. 

Please note that Yale student health insurance coverage ends July 31 for graduated students. This position does not provide extended health benefits beyond July 31.

General Conduct Statement

Yale Summer Session is an academic community dedicated to the advancement of learning and abides by the 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.