Position Title: Naropa Tea House Facilitator
Department/Program: CACE 70409
Work Location: Hybrid On-Site/Remote
Campus Location: Arapahoe Campus
Reports to: Charlotte Rotterdam, CACE Director
FLSA Classification: Exempt/Salaried
FTE: 3 hrs/week
# of openings: One
Compensation: $1,715.78 depending on Naropa experience per semester

Application Deadline: 11/15 or until filled

The Naropa Tea House is home to various forms of traditional tea practice and ceremony (including Chado, Gong Fu, Darye, and more), and holds a lineage of contemplative practice that has been taught and appreciated since Naropa’s inception. Our goal is to advance and conserve these practices within a diverse contemporary context of access and opportunity. The Naropa Tea House Facilitator provides demonstration and instruction in tea ceremony on a regular basis throughout the semester, during Naropa community events, and at times as guest instructor in Naropa classes. Presentations include instruction in the role and manner of being a guest during the preparation and sharing of tea, on the methods of tea preparation, as well as on the history and cultural context of tea ceremony; and demonstrate the contemplative aspects of the practice. These offerings are provided to the community on a semester-by-semester basis. 

Job Duties & Responsibilities

•Serve on the Tea House Steering Committee: meet with CACE and other committee members regularly to discuss stewardship of the tea house (both physical building and the community) 

•Hold open tea house hours every other week

oHost students/guests: Make tea and provide light instruction as needed. Monitor and assist in the instruction of meditation/contemplative practice in the context of tea ceremony. Provide knowledge/background for related historical and/or cultural topics as needed. Provide resources for further study to interested participants. 

•Perform regular maintenance: weeding, sweeping, shoveling snow, cleaning tatami, cleaning utensils, etc. 

•Organize tea house events as needed: communication, order supplies, etc. 

•Participate in demos and activities for students for CACE, e.g. Community Practice Day, Sacred Spaces Tour, etc.

•Sponsor the SUN-registered student group, Naropa Tea Club. Support students with tea practice goals and provide resources for further study if desired. Perform administrative tasks: printing fliers, posting online, budgeting, resource allocation, event eval forms, etc

•Network with Naropa stakeholders (besides students and CACE-- facilities, faculty, SWP, etc.)

•Network with the larger tea community for sharing resources and supporting one another's events. 

•Maintain public online presence: naropa.edu site, my.naropa MCIC site, discord server. 

•Regularly check and maintain the email naropateahouse@naropa.edu 

•Ensure reimbursements for tea house supplies are submitted (from CACE or SUN or sponsoring department)

•Supportive presence for tea house renovations (facilitated mostly via CACE). Cultural consultant. Our aim is to update the tea house to be much more accessible and inclusive to all communities (ramp, larger kitchen, new tatami, new fencing, new landscaping, etc.). 

•Host demonstrations in Naropa classes (maximum of 2 per semester)

What Naropa Requires:

•License from a recognized tea ceremony school.

•Knowledge equivalent to a license from a recognized school for Tea Ceremony.

•Bachelors degree or higher, prior experience my substitute for degree

•Knowledge of the history and practice of Tea Ceremony. 

•Knowledge of the tea arts – ceramics, weaving, calligraphy, incense, seasonal food, flower arranging etc. as they are used to suit the season and occasion.

•Knowledge of the manner of walking, sitting and bowing in the tea room environment.

•Experience in serving ceremonial tea within a number of environments, such as classrooms, tea rooms, tea houses, and other. 

•Competent in teaching a diverse group of students with patience and compassion -- skills the teacher embodies and transmits include observation, introspection, mindfulness, silence, generosity, appreciation of nature, and appreciation of art.

•All job candidates must hold a commitment to co-create a diverse and inclusive community and actively participate in related JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) professional development regarding the dynamics of privilege and oppression and the impact these have in the workplace.

•All job candidates must demonstrate their level of understanding of the dynamics of privilege and oppression, and the impact these have on equity, access, and opportunity.

•All job candidates must demonstrate an appropriate level of understanding of and appreciation for the values of Naropa University and the capacity to demonstrate an integration and embodiment of these values as evidenced in work, communication, collaboration styles, and other general workplace behaviors.

Physical Requirements & Environmental Conditions: During regular daily activities, employee must be able to do the following with or without reasonable accommodation: lift up to 10 pounds, stand, walk, sit, handle, finger, bend at the waist, reach above shoulder level, kneel, crouch, interruptions, distractions, heat, cold, dust and dampness.

Naropa recognizes the following holidays throughout the year:

-Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

-Memorial Day

-Juneteenth

-Independence Day

-Labor Day

-Fall Break, 4th Thursday and Friday in November

-Winter Break, the last two weeks in December encompassing the Christmas holiday as well as New Year’s

Naropa’s health and welfare benefits include the following: medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, employer-paid short-term and long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment, an employer-sponsored pre-tax retirement savings plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching, and a variety of voluntary, employee-paid supplemental insurance plans.

A comprehensive benefits package is available to full-time employees who work a minimum of 30 hours each week. Employees who work 20 – 29 hours each week are eligible for only the employer-paid short-term & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment, and the retirement plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.

Employees who work fewer than 20 hours per week are eligible to participate in Naropa’s retirement plan only, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.

All regular full-time and part-time faculty and staff, including student workers, accrue sick leave benefits. Full-time and part-time staff positions accrue vacation and personal time. All leave accrual rates vary based on the position, hours worked, and years of service.

The University recognizes the importance of including its employees in its organizational mission and values and welcomes employees into the classroom to “touch the magic.” Specifically, regular employees are provided generous tuition remission opportunities for themselves and their family members.

Naropa University participates in the Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP). CIC-TEP is a network of CIC colleges and universities willing to accept, tuition-free, students from families of full-time employees of other CIC participating institutions (full-time as designated by the employer/institution). Additional information can be found here: https://www.cic.edu/member-services/tuition-exchange-program. Naropa University’s commitment to diversity aligns with its highest aspirations to apply contemplative inquiry and education to explore and embody the human qualities that facilitate collaboration to create a common humanity and a just society. Individuals who have experience with and a commitment to inclusive communities are encouraged to apply. EOE

Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual and relationship violence. This law applies to all students, faculty, and staff.

JOB CODE: AY2425 0014