San Diego State University is hiring a staff advisor to steer its late-night student programs. The role requires weekend work every week for the first five weeks of fall.
The university has posted a full-time Student Life Advisor for Campus Events & Alternative Programs position in San Diego. The job sits in Student Services as a Student Services Professional III role, and it is listed as on-site.
What is the student life advisor for CEAP role at SDSU?
The position leads the development, implementation and assessment of campus-wide alternative programs such as Aztec Nights, State After Sunset, and SDSU Go! The advisor reports to the director of the Center for Student Organizations & Activities and works under the associate program director for campus activities.
SDSU describes the job as focusing on “harm reduction, inclusive engagement, and student well-being, particularly during high-risk times of the academic year,” with evening and weekend engagement built into the schedule.
“The Student Life Advisor for Campus Events & Alternative Programs (CEAP) plays a dynamic leadership role in shaping engaging, inclusive, and high-impact late-night programming at SDSU,” the posting says.
The work includes designing and evaluating late-night programming, supervising student staff leaders, and collaborating across campus on harm reduction strategies. The advisor also provides back-up support to the Center for Student Organizations & Activities and the Office of the Dean of Students programs, as needed.
Which SDSU programs will the advisor oversee?
The job posting identifies three signature late-night offerings: Aztec Nights, State After Sunset, and SDSU Go! SDSU pitches the programming as a way to support safety, belonging and community building on campus.
In addition to event planning, the advisor is expected to use “data-informed practices” to assess program effectiveness and guide improvements. That assessment mandate suggests the university wants measurable outcomes, not only attendance counts.
The position also targets “high-impact periods,” a phrase student affairs teams often use for the first weeks of term, major campus traditions, and times when alcohol-related or mental health risks can increase. SDSU did not specify which dates it considers high-risk in the posting.
Students looking for other campus and city options can also check local calendars, including our guide to San Diego events for weekly listings beyond campus.
How much does the job pay and what schedule is required?
The CSU classification salary range is listed at $5,540 to $7,893 per month, but the posting says the hiring salary is not expected to exceed $5,540 per month. SDSU also lists the job as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, meaning it is not eligible for overtime pay.
Standard SDSU work hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but the job requires regular evenings and weekends. The posting specifies “every weekend during the first five weeks of the fall semester.”
Benefits include paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, CalPERS pension, health coverage, and tuition fee waivers for employees and eligible dependents, according to SDSU’s benefits overview.
The role’s late-night scope comes as schools and universities sharpen their planning around student health and safety. In K-12 settings, for example, districts have set formal thresholds for weather response, as outlined in our coverage of heat protocols in San Diego County schools.
What experience does SDSU want for the position?
SDSU requires education equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field. The posting also cites upper-division or graduate coursework in counselling techniques, interviewing and conflict resolution when job-related.
Applicants typically need the equivalent of three years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience. SDSU says one year in the specific program area may be preferred but is not required.
A master’s degree in counselling, clinical psychology, social work, or a directly related field may substitute for one year of experience. A doctorate degree with the appropriate internship or clinical training may substitute for the three years of experience for roles with major counselling responsibility.
Among the preferred qualifications, SDSU lists three years of professional experience in student leadership development, plus the ability to design programs to meet identified student and campus needs. The advisor must also be able to explain policies and procedures to students, faculty, staff and the public.
The posting calls for strong administrative capacity, including comfort with Google Suite and tools like Word, Excel and PowerPoint to create and analyse reports. SDSU also prefers candidates with knowledge of, or the ability to rapidly acquire knowledge of, CSU policies and university rules tied to student organisations and student activities.
Where the job sits in sdsu’s student support system
The advisor position falls under the Office of the Dean of Students, within the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity. SDSU says the dean of students’ office oversees programs linked to orientation, transition, student success and retention.
The office includes areas such as the CARES Team, the Center for Commuter Life, the Center for Student Organizations & Activities, the Pierce Greek Life Center, and the Glazer Center for Leadership and Service. SDSU also lists SDSU Connects and the Office of New Student and Parent Programs among its units.
SDSU frames the broader work as connecting students to structured and informal learning opportunities and supporting “academic success, personal growth, an understanding of diverse human experiences, and compassionate activism on and off campus.” The university’s principles on inclusion and expression are outlined on its Principles of Community page.
The Student Life Advisor for Campus Events & Alternative Programs (CEAP) plays a dynamic leadership role in shaping engaging, inclusive, and high-impact late-night programming at SDSU.
Applicants can find the posting and application portal on SDSU’s careers site. The university lists the job as permanent/probationary and on-campus in San Diego.
For students weighing what they want out of campus life, the university’s late-night programming will sit alongside off-campus draws highlighted in our roundup of the best things to do in San Diego this spring.
