Residential Life and Dining Services has experienced numerous changes this semester, from moving to a new location in Griswald Commons at Stevenson Hall, to adjusting the budget, to replacing the previous Director of Residential Life and Services Kim Lafond with Molly Tyson, who holds the title of Interim Director of ResLife.

She entered the position in October and said that “Fall Break was a nice transition” that helped her get accustomed to her surroundings, “but [was] not conducive to meeting students and getting familiar with the Oberlin atmosphere.”

At this point, Tyson hopes to bring a “new perspective” to the department but is “not planning to make sweeping changes,” since there is no guarantee the hire will be long term.

“We realize there has been lots of turnover in a short time, with little information or preparation,” which is “anxiety-producing, but we are trying to relieve this as much as we can,” she said.

She encourages people to talk to her, in order to understand student needs on campus.

One issue Tyson has already immersed herself in is the new student housing on Union Street, which will be located on the northernmost site on campus.

After seeing diagrams of the structure, she said she was very excited because one thing that attracted her to Oberlin was the variety of housing available on and off campus.

According to Tyson, having students question the administration and challenge procedures and policies, while refusing to accept the status quo, “holds us, the people in charge, more accountable.”

The student response to ResLife stays in her mind and she hopes more will visit her in the ResLife offices. “On Friday we have an open drop-in hour from 4 to 5 p.m. in Griswald. We don’t schedule anything during this hour, so students should come in with any housing questions or concerns.”

Tyson holds a Masters degree from Bowling Green University in College Student Personnel and has worked at the University of Findlay, University of Toledo and Cleveland State University before applying to Oberlin.

Originally receiving her undergraduate degree in math and computer science, with a minor in Economics, from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, she changed her career course when she realized computer programming was not the field for her.

She was a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a service-oriented sorority, and spent three years as an RA, in addition to three years as a hall director. Tyson then decided she preferred to involve herself in student life outside of academics. She has also maintained the job of area coordinator for two years and was an assistant Director at a prior school for one year.

Along with her husband and two children, she has spent the past six years in Ohio and currently lives in North Olmsted.