Closing the Halls

Hal writes:

This week is finals week at PLU. During this time my focus is primarily on transitioning students out of the residence halls. It gets to be an odd time with people leaving a random times during the week when they are done with finals (or in some cases, staying well past their appointed time and causing problems). But amidst the dust and garbage, the finals and exams, and the goodbyes and good lucks, somehow come Monday afternoon my halls will be void of students and their possessions.

This is also most likely the last hall closing I will participate in as I have a new job starting in June. After 12 years of living in residence halls (4 as an undegrad, 2 as a graduate student, 6 as a resident director) I will finally be moving off campus. Jim and I are the last from our WIU class to be living on campus and we will both be done soon. (Jim, does this mean we win, or that we lose?)

My new role will be in the Academic Advising Office. Perhaps the best way to explain my new role will be to copy the Mission Statement of the Office:

Academic Advisors at PLU are committed to assisting students as they discover and define their educational, personal, and emergent life goals. The advising relationship is a collaborative partnership through which students may gain an understanding of academic disciplines and university resources, and be supported and challenged to become contributing members of the community. Academic Advisors work to support and strengthen students' development as they progress through their academic journey.

Does that sound like something I could do?

Here is a photo of the building I will be working in, Ramstad Hall. My office will be on the lower level; you can see the tops of the windows for our office.



Although not yet in the role, I can already anticipate some changes taking place by no longer working in Residential Life:

* Not living on campus. This is the first time I will have to pay rent and not live within a few feet of my office. Anna and I have been looking at Craigslist and rental web sites for a place to live. Oh yeah, I also have to buy furniture, pay utilities, and actually pay someone to fix broken items.

* There is no (more) such thing as a free lunch. I will no longer have a meal plan as part of my compensation. I thought when I was in high school I would eat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch my whole life, and I think that is still a good idea. I'll start that up in June.

* Working 9 til 5. The RD position is the ultimate in weisure life. For the first time in my life, I won't have evening responsibilities. I can actually leave work in the afternoon and not have to think about work until the next day. No more late night staff meetings, hall council meetings, RA activities, etc. Hm, perhaps it's time to join the Sons of Norway, the Elks, the Rotary, or some other fraternal organization...

* No more on call responsibilities. I won't have to carry a cell phone (or think about how far I am away from campus or whether or not I can drink adult beverages) any more. Over the last six years I have dealt with suicidal ideation, physical and emotional abuse, damaged property, fires, more than my fair share of intoxicated (or soon to be intoxicated had they not been discovered) students, and late night phone calls to parents due to medical emergencies. "Mr. Johnson, I want to let you know that your son is ok, but..."

* Holidays and Vacations. I can actually take Labor Day (move-in time) and Memorial Day (move-out time) off from work. Also, my vacation/time off doesn't necessarily revolve around the academic calendar (but it still will to a certain ex tenet).

* Hall Council. I never had any luck with this over six years. I made it through ok, but I never had the hall council that was self-sufficient. Needless to say, I won't miss this element or the last night meetings that come with it.

I am sure there are others, but those are the ones that I immediately am thinking of this morning.