Res Life staff reeling from recent change

Staff members of theOffice of Residential Life and Services are preparing for a busy summer after a year of handling challenging issues in student life.

All in all, it's been a busy and somewhat chaotic year for the Department due to staff changes and unexpected problems. According to Associate Dean of Residential Life and Services Deborah McNish, staff members are still trying to cope with the 1995 merger of Residential Life and Residential Services into Residential Life and Services. The merger was proposed by Charlene Cole-Newkirk in 1995 when she became Dean of Student Life and Services.

"The departments are really two sides of the same coin ... I think [Cole-Newkirk] made a really good decision. How can you deal with students' interpersonal relationships without looking at their basic needs as well? It was very difficult to work in one without having input into the other," McNish said.

Though the merger was generally viewed as positive, the transition was not always easy. "Any time you've got change, there will always be growing pains," Michael Salois, area coordinator (AC) of Langston, Barnard and East Halls, said.

Testimony to this would seem to be the unexpected March resignation of Holly Morgan, new AC of Barrows, Noah, Burton and Zechiel Halls. Morgan cited frustration with the department's attitude toward both students and employees as her reason for leaving.

"I thought that I would be able to use my skills at Oberlin and to develop myself personally and professionally," Morgan said. "However, after seven months I realized that I wasn't getting anything from being at Oberlin and I was never given the opportunity to give anything to Oberlin."

"We're new and so sometimes we don't know quite what we're doing," McNish said. "There's so much we want to do, but we don't know quite what will be possible yet ... Students have been so fabulously patient with the Res Life and Services Department this year. We really appreciate students' trust, support and patience."

Cole-Newkirk said the departmental downsizing, as well as the loss last year of Mary Atkinson, assistant director of residential services, "created a huge hole in Res Life." However, Cole-Newkirk said the staff has done a great job this year considering the circumstances.

Supervisors were quick to respond to the rumors flying around campus about the department's supposed desire to implement stricter fire inspections of students' rooms. When students voiced concern over the possible violation of their right to privacy, department officials denied having made any plans to instigate more rigid inspections.

"Inspectors will not in any way be allowed to violate students' space," Assistant Dean of Students Yeworkwha Belachew said at the time the rumors were circulating.

Morgan's resignation occurred shortly after rumors linked her to the proposal of the new inspections.

"The problem with the fire inspections was a communication problem. A big communication problem. But typical of what goes on in Res Life," said Morgan, adding that her departmental supervisors were consistently unavailable to give her advice.

"In the three weeks that I turned in my original letter [of complaint about the department] to my last day, I had more one-on-one supervision time with my supervisor than I had in the previous seven months. I don't know how things would be different if I had been shown the leadership and direction that any new professional needs," Morgan said.

Nick Wauters, assistant area coordinator (AAC) for Barrows, Burton, Noah and Zechiel Halls, assumed Morgan's responsibilities after her resignation.

Another staffing change that occurred was the addition of Dennis Rupert, new assistant director of facilities, who began work April 28.

"We needed him - or anybody - badly," McNish said. "He's jumped right in there and is doing great."

Rupert, who is in charge of supervising maintenance and renovations of physical facilities, was encouraged to begin work before the end of this school year in order to "have an orientation period before his summer training and to interact with students," according to McNish.

Communication between department staff and students has been crucial to the plans for evaluation and renovation being implemented, say supervisors.

Included in departmental goals are the renovation of both the Barrows first-year program and students' dining hall experience, each of which relies on students' recommendations and advice.

Student participation in various surveys distributed in the dining halls and to first-years living in Barrows provided officials with input into which aspects work and which need to be improved.

"[Belachew] is evaluating and recreating the first-year program; renovations of Barrows are our priority for next summer ... Also, we're hoping to build more flexibility into student meal plans, increase the quality of food and improve the ambience of dining halls, as soon as we figure out how these changes will impact the budget," McNish said.