Associate ResLife director's absence causes confusion

The departure of a senior official in the Department of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) has coincided with the upcoming Housing Lottery and selection of residential assistants (RAs).

Associate Director of Occupancy Management Lorraine Toppi left abruptly two weeks ago. According to Director of ResLife Yolanda King, Toppi took an "early retirement" and that her decision to leave before the end of the semester was "up to that person."

The departure coincides with students expressing concerns that they are unaware of many of the details concerning housing for next year.

In addressing students' complaints Director of Yolanda King said, "information is going to be released [regarding the lottery] and, indeed there were four information sessions for students about the lottery."

Toppi was responsible for running the lottery, which begins next Tuesday.

Current RAs, however, say they have been well-informed about their responsibilities during the housing selection process.

Toppi was also responsible for the selection of RAs.

A junior second-year RA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, questioned whether Toppi left voluntarily.

The RA said she had a conversation with Toppi a few days before the announcement of her retirement, three weeks before the lottery.

"[Toppi] and I had gotten close and we were talking about how awful it would be if she left ResLife because she's the last ResLife person who's been here for awhile besides [King]. She was like the last man standing," she said.

"[Toppi] said she was going to stick it out for a couple more years -- until early retirement at around age 62 or so," the RA said. "But then by the end of the week the announcement was out ... Either she wasn't being truthful with me -- which is hard to believe -- or something else happened."

King reiterated that Toppi's early retirement was voluntary. "I have her statement in writing," King said.

The resignation came three weeks before the housing lottery, one of the most important annual events at the ResLife office.

"It's incredibly unfortunate because if there's any one individual who really tied down the whole process it was her," senior South Hall RA Adam Gustafson said. "Regardless, I think the lottery will go smoothly."

The concern is especially acute for freshmen, a group who are required to live on campus next year but have never gone through the housing lottery.

Matt Benson and Francesco Piattelli are two such students. Both said they only had a vague idea that the lottery is "sometime next week."

ResLife assigns exact times for students to sign-up for new room reservations, which is currently available on each student's Tufts Student Services website.

"We know we should know which rooms we would like and we know we have to show up at a specific time [to pick our rooms]," Benson said. "But we don't know where or when we're supposed to this."

"ResLife hasn't said anything to us about [the housing lottery]," Piattelli said. "They should post information on tuftslife.com or something."

Another problem that has arisen is the selection of RAs. Toppi's departure came in the middle of the selection of RAs for next school year.

According to the Tufts Human Resources website, which is advertising for a full time replacement, the Associate Director also "assumes responsibility for the selection, management, and supervision of live-in residential staff."

ResLife has hired Jason O'Neill as a temporary replacement for Toppi because of his experience with computers and computer systems, King said.

ResLife began e-mailing decision letters on Wednesday, but some RAs said that they knew of applicants who have not yet received notification as of yesterday afternoon. These applicants are concerned that their notification will not come before the housing lottery.

"They're sending [letters] piece by piece," the anonymous RA said. "Everything just seems so disorganized."

Another complaint made by the RA is that ResLife not telling RAs who receive acceptance letters their housing assignment is until after the housing lottery on Tuesday.

"Since we won't know where we're assigned [to be RAs] until after the lottery, we won't have the option to pick through the housing lottery," she said. "[Rising] senior RA's who have really great housing lottery numbers don't know if they should use them or not because they don't know where they'd live as RAs."

"[ResLife] hires students who want to be RAs," King said. "[Applicants] had to decide whether they want to be an RA or if they just want to be an RA to secure housing."