by InSoo Lee
Staff Writer
Starting this year, Residential Life is reorganizing its office. Kate Reed (C’08), the Assistant Director of Residential Life has not officially changed her role on the campus but has made changes on how she does her job. Starting this year, her interactions with the Area Coordinators will change by having clear lines of contact and communication. Reed says this will “allow us to work together instead of working around each other. Last year, it was unclear on how incidents were reported. Jobs have not changed but how we communicate has changed.” This indeed is true. When a Proctor or Assistant Procter submits an incident report, the reporter will first notify the Area Coordinator who will then report to Reed. By doing this, a line of communication is created which will be more efficient.
While Reed is not a new member of the Sewanee community, two of the three Area Coordinators this year are new: Maureen Holton and Kate Stucke. The third Area Coordinator, Bobby Silk, has been with the Sewanee community for a year. Holton and Stucke both come to Sewanee with master’s degrees and experience in higher education. Although there are currently three Area Coordinators, they are still looking for a fourth Area Coordinator according to Reed. Because of this, changes may occur in Res Life during the year as the job is still posted. Another change in Res Life is Dean Becky Spurlock, who is the Associate Dean of Students for Residential Life. She will bring something new to Sewanee, according to Reed, because “her portfolio is different from past deans. She works with Residential Life, the Wellness Center, and also special projects that are relatable to being a Dean and will also collaborate with other deans.”
Lastly, Nickie Peardon is the Residential Life Office Manager starting this year. Reed describes Peardon’s role as “a support role for the Res Life and help with both Dean Spurlock, Dean Hagi, and student activities.” Peardon came from Physical Plant Service (PPS) and will work close with them helping the Res Life with work orders. Since she has worked at PPS in the past, she is experienced in customer service and will be “the face to [Res Life] and will be getting students answers fast.” Reed adds, “As we continue to expand our department and transition our role so we can be more cohesive, we also depend on people like Nickie to support us.”