After operating under interim leadership for over a year, the Office of Residential Life could soon have a permanent director. Lorraine Toppi, associate director of occupancy management, took on the job of acting director left vacant by Anne Gardiner in the summer of 2000. Toppi took the helm of Res Life while still performing her initial duties.
Gardiner, who was already semi-retired, left to pursue a teaching position in Virginia. The strain on those who remained was further increased when the Bob Clark, coordinator of community standards and judicial process, left at the end of last year. The office of Residential Life recently hired a temporary worker to help with office duties and make up for the fact that the department is short-staffed.
The committee to find a new director is chaired by Associate Dean of Students Marisel Perez and is comprised of two faculty members who act as interviewers, two Residential Assistants (RAs), two proctors, two members of the senate, and two senior staff members.
"This is a big priority right now. We are looking for someone with management skills, but also with a greater understanding and vision for community at Tufts," Perez said. The committee has received 55-70 resumes so far and hopes to select a candidate by January.
Perez said that Res. Life has "been doing a great job taking care of everything short-staffed," adding that the next director would be expected to continue a series of reforms designed to increase a sense of "community" at Tufts. Among the most recent changes are a Bias Intervention Program to solve discrimination problems in the dorms, and an initiative to reduce fines for students who skip mandatory dorm meetings.
According to Perez, the projects will encourage students to meet more frequently and not wait until a problem has already surfaced. "I hope that these programs will encourage students to start their own initiatives," she said.
Some students say the new director will need to address Res. Life's shortcomings.
Sophomore Kevin Reade said that the office, which is once again responsible for handling alcohol violations after a one-year hiatus, should reform its judicial processes to make them fairer.
"I think that the judiciary committee [should be] reformed so that it contains some student members as opposed to being composed entirely of RAs and a Proctor," he said.
While all students are eligible to join the Residential Judiciary Board, it is often comprised mainly of RAs.
One RA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the absence of the two positions was forcing everyone in the office to take on extra work. But the loss of the two administrators hasn't been entirely negative.
"Things are definitely more relaxed without Bob Clark," another RA said.
The job description published by the University indicates that the Director of Res Life must oversee the entire residential community, including managing and training of residential and professional staff. The director also coordinates dinning halls and maintenance services to keep the dorms running smoothly, and is responsible for organizing the on-campus housing lottery.
Students have cited a host of issues that they hope the new director will address, including the timing of the release of housing lottery numbers, the availability of campus housing, and forced triples.
