The Residence Life staff is anticipating a smooth transition as Resident Directors Steve Mattiace, of Shenawana Hall, and Marc Smithers, of Rothenbuhler Hall, plan to leave their positions at the close of this spring semester.
Houghton already posted advertisements designed to find replacements for the two RDs. Jacobsen hopes for applicants who will potentially encourage variation among the Resident Life staff. He said, concerning any Resident Life applicants, “We like to get a little bit of variety in terms of experience and perspective.”
But such variety will not necessarily change the traditions and dynamics of Shenawana and Rothenbuhler Halls. While new staff may bring new ideas and skill sets, through deliberate transitional processes, former policies tend to remain in place.
In order to encourage a smooth transition between Resident Directors, Jacobsen said, “Typically we have the current RDs write something like an information packet for any replacement that comes in.”
Marc Smithers, current Resident Director of Rothenbuhler Hall, explains one detail of the transitional practice of passing on knowledge and experience to his future replacement. He said, “The outgoing RD [writes] a letter to the incoming RD informing them of hall culture/traditions and explaining the vision that we have had for the hall and what we hope it to be in the future.”
The future RD uses this information in adjusting to the new role.
In addition, incoming Resident Assistants for the 2013 fall semester receive hiring and training from the current Resident Directors, so that they might aid in making the transition from one RD to another a smooth one. Thus, being familiar with current tradition and policies, the RAs possess the abilities to help the prospective RD adjust to managing the dorm.
In addition, Jacobsen said, “We do try to get students on the RA staff in on the actual hiring process.” The RA’s play an important role in the transition between Resident Directors, not only by helping the replacement Resident Directors, but also by actually helping to choose who among the applicants might best suit their dorm.
Concerning the fluidity of the replacement process, Smithers said, “The RD position is one that typically has a fair amount of turnover.” As Resident Directors often come and go, the hiring process for the position is a familiar and relatively frequent occurrence, and Houghton seems to maintain a good system of transition. Jacobsen voiced his confidence in the system as well, and said, “Typically I feel positive about our hiring process here.”
According to Smithers, Rothenbuhler Hall in particular will hopefully function the same as always, even as he will be absent next semester.
Smithers said, “I think an RD does his or her job best when the success or failure of a hall does not depend solely on his or her talents. I firmly believe in empowering my staff to cultivate and carry on the culture and vision that we have collectively forged together in Roth, so that when I’m gone, there isn’t a big hole in the life of the hall but that somebody new can come in and add to what we’ve created.”