SP

RIN

G 2

010

INSIDE Family Reunion Recap

Alumni Spotlights

SERVE Theme Community

Hello Residence Life Alumni!

We are truly excited about producing the very first electronic newsletter for our departmental alum-ni. Members of our development committee and Tricia Smith, assistant director for Residence Life, thought it would be a great idea to keep you informed on the latest happenings in the department you once worked for.

We hope that some of the skills you developed in Residence Life have been beneficial to you and your career, and hope that this newsletter will help keep you connected with the department.

If you came by to catch up with old friends and interact with current staff at our Residence Life Family Reunion, thank you! If not, please consider coming by next year, as this event helps us meet our goal of developing strong partnerships with off-campus entities. Information about next fall’s reception will be coming to you during the summer.

A new residence hall joined our community in fall 2009. New Hall West is located on West Campus Drive, adjacent to the Smith Career Center, Harper Hall, and Cochrane Hall. It provides space for 260 residents and a total of six resident advisors, as well as administrative offices on the first floor for Housing and Dining, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Conduct, and Residence Life, among others.

This past year, we had a record number of students expressing interest in becoming resident advi-sors. We had over 300 students interview for 70 positions. The candidate pool was so strong, we were able to have over 70 students on our alternate list.

We continue to promote this position as one of the premier student leadership positions on campus, and our staff works hard to provide a positive experience for our student staff members. Because of the level of enthusiasm that our professional staff works with on a daily basis, we had a record number of undergraduate student staff members pursue summer internships in housing at other universities during the summer of 2009.

Lynanne Hodges, our student leadership advisor, primarily focuses on working with our Residence Hall Federation (RHF) and National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH). Her efforts have helped make RHF a recognizable force on campus again. At the end of the 2008–2009 academic year, RHF was awarded student organization of the year.

As we move forward with the program, we are placing more emphasis on what we want our students to get out of living on campus with us. Our recently appointed assessment and planning specialist was able to create a list of core competencies (civic engagement, transformative learning, interper-sonal/intrapersonal relationships, wellness, and intercultural knowledge and competence) for our residents. We want our students to develop while living with us, and we are constantly exploring ways to make sure progress is being made.

One last note: we are trying to create another long-standing tradition here at Virginia Tech. Resi-dence Life; the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management; and Community Housing Partners are making plans to have a house built on the Dietrick Lawn from March 1 to April 15 of 2010. The house will go to a family in need and will be transported to a permanent site in Pulaski after it is completed by the university community.

On behalf of the Residence Life department, we appreciate your support and we hope to make an intentional effort to keep you informed on the latest developments.

Go Hokies!

Leon McClinton, Jr., Ph.D. Director of Residence Life

GREETINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR

1

2 SERVE Theme Community

3 Alumni Flashback

4–5 Alumni Spotlight

6–7 RA Focus

8 Area Programs

9 Family Reunion Recap

10 NRHH Highlight

11–18 Residence Life 2010 Staff Overview

19 Bulletin Board

CONTENTS

2

The Center for Student Engagement and Com-munity Partnerships (CSECP) recently launched a new theme housing community called Students Engaging and Responding through Volunteer Experiences (SERVE). SERVE cre-ates an environment where first-year students can volunteer throughout the New River Valley, getting to know themselves and the local com-munity better through the process.

We believe that this group service and reflec-tion can be a catalyst for personal growth, leadership development, and active citizenship for our students. The commitment to student civic engagement is critical—we must under-stand our niche in our community in order to more effectively “Invent the Future” for the common good.

In our 2009-2010 pilot year, there are 10 amaz-ing students in SERVE; all live together on the third floor of Pritchard Hall, serve together throughout the New River Valley, and learn to-gether through a three-credit hour course on Communities, Citizenship, and Servant Lead-ership. Within the course, students use both theoretical context and shared engagement experiences as common ground to reflect to-gether, be it during class discussions, on the classroom blog, or through more formal written assignments. The multi-faceted approach aims at student synthesis beyond just the classroom. Instead, the SERVE living-learning community seeks to blur the lines of academic, social, and civic realms and focus on the student as a “whole individual.”

So far, the SERVE students have been incred-ibly active, both in service and in reflection. Below is an excerpt from the blog (www.serveatvt.wordpress.com) where a student reflects on her service at the Christiansburg Community Center helping to clean and reorganize for the launch of a local tutoring program.

As hard as one tries, I think it’s very difficult (almost impossible) to truly believe that we are making a big difference by helping out with things that may seem insignificant (by insig-nificant I mean the easy things that we do on a daily basis, like cleaning). That was definitely the case with me. Throughout the day I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t just cleaning. I wanted to believe that I was indirectly helping achieve a greater goal—something that would actually make a difference in someone’s life. Of course by the end of the day, I realized my idea of “greatness” was flawed.

When we were done, I took a step back and looked around the room. I was content. We had worked as a team and we had accomplished our goal. The room looked presentable and child-friendly.

Then I looked at Rita’s face—she was unmis-takably filled with joy. What I felt is very hard to describe, but I’ll give it a try. I was immediately overwhelmed with a happiness I haven’t expe-rienced much. I’m not exaggerating. I wasn’t jumping up and down with a huge smile on my face, although I’m sure I was smiling. It was more of an internal happiness.

My goal had not been to make a difference in Rita’s life. I had walked into Christiansburg’s Community Center believing I would help the children in the community get a better education and ultimately a more satisfying life than they would have gotten without the extra educational help. But instead, I felt joy because Rita’s dreams were becoming a reality. She wasn’t the one in “need,” but her passion, enthusiasm, and appreciation for our help made me feel like I had done the most amazing thing ever. I didn’t feel superior. Like Mike once said, it was humbling.

Please feel free to contact Jake Grohs, assistant director of Student Engagement Programs, with any questions, comments, or ideas regarding the SERVE community. Jake can be contacted via e-mail at jrgrohs@vt.edu or via phone at (540) 231-9186.

SERVE Theme Communityby Jake Grohs, Assistant Director of Student Engagement Programs, jrgrohs@vt.edu

3

I transferred to Tech as a junior in 1968 from Virginia Western Community College in Roa-noke, only two years after Tech started actively recruiting Negro students (I use the term Negro as it reflects the era in which this occurred). The resident assistant program was fairly new, as the university had only just transitioned from being primarily a military institution.

I was an SGA senator involved in campus life, and decided to apply for the RA position. At that time there were no Negro RAs. A few weeks after my interview, I was called to a meeting in the old YMCA building. It was a high-powered meeting with all of the big shots in Student Programs. I was fully expecting for them to ex-plain that they could not offer me a position. I was sure the response would be that Tech was not yet ready.

Instead, I was offered a position for spring 1969. What was especially emotional for me was that I was offered the backing of the entire adminis-tration to make this a successful venture. I did not know until later that they had gone to the floor to which I was assigned and let the resi-dents know that if I experienced any negative reactions because of my race, there would be significant disciplinary action. In short, I was told I was not alone.

In March 1969, I moved into the second floor of Lee Hall. I was readily accepted by the men on my floor. Residents on some of the other floors were more than a little surprised when I was on rounds.

Because I wanted to work with freshmen, I moved the next year to the third-floor of Vaw-ter. There were a few parents who were upset because their son was assigned a Negro RA. But the university stood its ground, and I don’t remember any residents being reassigned. Also, that fall, the number of Negroes on staff had grown to three.

That year, I was treasurer of the SGA—the first Negro officer—and a brother in Delta Sigma Tau (now Sigma Pi), the first black fraternity in the Greek system. I was extremely busy, so I think I slept maybe four or five hours a night. I think it

was three or four weeks into the quarter before my residents saw me without a tie.

After grad school, I worked in Residential Life at the University of Wisconsin, and came to So-noma State University in 1980. Five promotions later I am still here.

I am now the assistant vice president for stu-dent affairs and enrollment management. Among the tasks in my portfolio are chief diver-sity officer, chief retention officer, supervisor of freshman transition programs, and of course, residential life. I am also the director of inclu-sion and equity for the Association of College and University Housing Officers (ACUHO-I).

I look back fondly on that first conversation in the old Y Building. Tech walked the talk. Virginia Tech, as well as the entire South, was dealing with integration; it was an emotional and difficult time. When the university made the decision to integrate, there was a commitment to make it work. That is the way I practice student affairs today—“We do what we value.”

My Experience as Tech’s First Black RAby Chuck Rhodes, Class of 1969, rhodes@sonoma.edu

If I could pass on some advice to current RAs, I would say this:

• You were hired for your potential to be a good RA, not because you were already fabulous. It is a continuous learning process.

• You are there to add to the educa-tional experience of your residents. Often that educational experience means setting limits and enforcing consequences.

• Your professional staff member has a lot to offer—even more than you think. Growth requires both support and challenge. That means often you will get frustrated when you are chal-lenged to think and do differently.

• Have fun. This is one of the best jobs you will ever have.

4

Where are you now?

We l ive in Winchester, Va. , where our famil ies l ive, and Shannon is hal fway through her third year of pharmacy school at Shenandoah University.

What do you do now?

I teach seventh grade history in Sterling, Va. at River Bend Middle School. I really enjoy it, but sometimes I miss having a Res Life job.

What is your favorite Virginia Tech Res Life moment(s)?

Wow, there are so many, I do not know what to choose from. Probably forming all the relationships with my residents and staffs— I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. One fond memory would definitely have to be working with Whitley to make sure that “The Complex” was spelled with a capital “T.” Also, every time July and August roll around, I miss Fall Training and Leadership Workshop...it was long hours and a lot of work sometimes, but it was one of the most fun times of the year.

Favorite moment(s) since graduation?

I kind of have to say my wedding, especially since this is pairing me and Shannon, right? Haha. I would choose that whether I had to or not. So many of the people in our wedding party were friends we made as RAs. Shannon’s dad surprised me with the HokieBird, too...

Impact of your Virginia Tech Res Life role on your life now?

So many things that I learned as an RA transfer to the classroom. There are so many parallels. The main difference is the maturity levels of the respective groups. I taught two Intro to Res Life classes, so teaching on a collegiate level was a lot of fun, maybe someday I will do it again.

Thoughts from you to current Res Life folks:

As busy as you can be, and as much as you work, hang in there. You will look back in a few years and realize how much you learned from being an RA, how much you have impacted other people, and some of you will miss it. Outside of Res Life, take time to enjoy everything Tech has to offer. I spent six years there, between my undergrad and master’s, and as much as you are ready to move on and be done with tests, papers, etc., there will come a day when you look back and realize it all flew by very quickly. So take some time for yourself occasionally and enjoy college.

Name: Nick Fisher,

Years/Positions: 2003-2004 RA-Pritchard2004-2005, 2005-2006 RA-West Eggleston 2006-2007, 2007-2008 GHD-Vawter

E-mail: fishern@vt.edu

5

Where are you now?

We live in Winchester, which is where both Nick and I grew up before attending Virginia Tech.

What do you do now?

I am currently a third-year doctor of pharmacy student at the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy at Shenandoah University in Winchester. In May 2010, I will begin a year of rotations in the Winchester area and will graduate in May 2011. I have also worked for CVS/Pharmacy since May 2007 as a pharmacy intern. It has helped me gain a lot of perspective on community pharmacy.

What is your favorite Virginia Tech Res Life moment(s)?

My first year in O’Shag, we went on a camping trip, which was a new experience for me. To this day, I still share many inside jokes with this staff. Other than that, the times that I visited with other RAs on rounds or while in the RA office on duty are my favorite moments. It helped me to build friendships with staff members that have carried over, even after graduation.

Favorite moment(s) since graduation?

My favorite moment would have to be my wedding to Nick in December 2008. After having dated for so long, it was great to make it official! I agree with Nick, almost half of our wedding party were fellow RAs from Tech—my maid of honor was Kirstin Harrell and Madison Whitley was one of my bridesmaids. Another highlight would be attending Madi and Michael Whitley’s wedding in June 2009. Anytime that we get to catch up with our friends from Tech, it’s a good time.

Impact of your Virginia Tech Res Life role on your life now?

My experience in Res Life has prepared me for the future by teaching me communication and thinking skills that I need when working with patients and customers in the pharmacy. Sometimes, it is so hard to keep my patience with difficult customers that I may see on a day-to-day basis, but being able to draw on situations from when I was an RA has helped me to keep my cool a bit more. Also, in my classes, we do a lot of group work, so having worked in an RA staff before where teamwork is a must, I can handle group projects and papers more efficiently.

Thoughts from you to current Res Life folks:

Enjoy the experience and make the most of it. Being an RA was something I was able to talk up in interviews for pharmacy school, as it really does give you a well-rounded college experience. While it did help me professionally, the friendships I gained from the experience are just as valuable to me. Be sure to take in as much as you can during your Res Life experience, because there is so much available to you and it ends so fast.

Name: Shannon Fisher (O’Hara)

Years/Positions: 2004-2005 RA in Slusher Wing for the WING Theme Housing Program 2005-2006, 2006-2007 RAC in O’Shaughnessy Hall

E-mail: sohara@su.edu

6

Name: Donna M. Chan

Hometown: Richmond, Virginia

Major: Dual Degree in Marketing and Apparel Design

Class: 2010

RA experience: 2008-2009 East Ambler Johnston2009-2010 Pritchard

E-mail: chandm@vt.edu

Why did you decide to get involved with Res Life as an RA?

Ever since I became good friends with my old RA, I knew I wanted to be an RA myself. She was my RA for both my freshman and sophomore years. She offered great advice and guidance throughout my transition into college life at Tech. With her support and friendship, I was able to complete my first year successfully. After some thought, I realized that my first year wouldn’t have gone as smoothly without her help and encouragement. Having an RA is crucial to any resident’s adjustment to college life. So, I decided that I wanted to be able to help other residents the way she helped me.

What are some programs, events, or initiatives you have worked on this year?

This year I am one of the first female RAs to live and work in Pritchard Hall, which was an all-male dorm until this year. Since all of my residents are the first women to live in Pritchard, I tried to create programs and events to help my residents learn, become more independent, adjust to college life, and, most of all, get to know one another. So far, the residents are becoming some of the best first ladies of Pritchard Hall and they take pride in it. Also, this will be my third year on Homecoming Board as the vice president of artistic design. It has been an amazing experience and I’ve been able to work with so many great people. This year, it was a joy helping to organize my last homecoming as a board member and student.

What has been the most fulfilling aspect of being an RA?

The most fulfilling aspect of being an RA is the ability to help residents with anything they need. We’re here to answer their questions, listen to their problems, and give them advice when they want it. I know that I can’t get to know each and every one of them

as well as I want to, but it’s good just letting them know I’m here if they need me. I love knowing that I’ve been able to help in some way and that I have made their experience at Tech a little easier.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being an RA?

The most challenging aspect of being an RA is the act of balancing school, work, and a social life. When you’re an RA, you basically live where you work, which can be very difficult. You never know when a resident may need you or when a difficult situation may arise. However, we learn to deal with these situations as they arise and become stronger because of them in the end.

Describe your experience as an RA in one word: Eventful

Favorite memories as an RA:

One of my favorite memories was from my first year as an RA in East AJ. The RAs were hanging out between rounds, and were watching a movie per usual when we heard peculiar sounds outside in the hall. After a late night out, some residents had the bright idea of ripping down all the flyers and nametags in the hall. As they furiously ripped down flyers, five RAs including myself walked out and stared them down. Of course, they were shocked and fled immediately. I will always remember this moment because it was the perfect combination of RA camaraderie, unfortunate timing, and just bad luck on the students’ part.

What will you take with you from this experience upon graduating?

Being an RA has changed my life drastically in a positive way. I’ve become more assertive, more responsible, and a better leader. I’ve learned to communicate and deal with situations with greater poise and confidence.

7

Name: Kevin Murphy

Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii

Major: Business Information Technology, Operations Management

Class: 2010

RA experience: 2007-2008 Vawter2008-2009 Thomas 2009-2010 Pritchard

E-mail: kevin11@vt.edu

Why did you decide to get involved with Res Life as an RA?

My father was an RA at Notre Dame when he was an undergrad and he would tell me about the valuable lessons and experiences he had while he held the position. After experiencing living in the dorms my freshman year, I was hooked. I loved how everyone knew the RA and how he would always be there if you needed help. It was also an excellent way to get involved with Virginia Tech.

What are some programs, events, or initiatives you have worked on this year?

Canstruction, Boom Boom Pow bounce fest, Halloween dance party, and many community developments

What has been the most fulfilling aspect of being an RA?

One of the most fulfilling aspects of being an RA has been watching freshmen grow from being complete strangers from the beginning of the year to new confident sophomores with lasting friendships as the year ends. I am very fortunate that I myself have also made great lasting friendships with my residents. I have even convinced a few to become RAs themselves!

What has been the most challenging aspect of being an RA?

The most challenging aspect of being an RA is balancing the conduct enforcer role with the role of being a friend to my residents. Establishing respect early on in the year goes a long way with dealing with this challenge. This helps me later when problems arise because I am able to still enforce policy when need be.

Describe your experience as an RA in one word: Intense

Favorite memories as an RA:

Camping out with my residents to buy Halo 3, hiking with my residents, hanging out late-night with fellow RAs, the list could go on and on.

What will you take with you from this experience upon graduating?

Strong values, crisis handling, long-lasting friendship, and an experience that adds to my already exciting and memorable college career here at Virginia Tech.

We need your help to reconnect. Please take a moment to pass this newsletter on to other Virginia Tech Res Life Alumni!

Check out the website: www.housing.vt.edu/ra/alumni

8

Area ProgramsResidence Life has a strong tradition of holding stellar opening programs to engage residents in Hokie life. Here are some snippets from the opening events of Fall 2009.

DrillfieldDrillfest encouraged the residents of The Triad (Peddrew-Yates, New Res Hall East, and Payne), Slusher Tower and Wing, the Campbells, and the Egglestons to engage in a challenge course. It was a huge success, with free Rita’s Italian Ice and pizza!

PrairieBoom Boom Pow Bouncefest brought out the residents of Pritchard and Lee for a great time. There was free Rita’s Italian Ice, inflatables, Hokie the police dog demonstrations, and a visit from special guests the HokieBird and the Iron Hokietron!

Presidents and Upper QuadO’Shag, Johnson, Miles, Barringer, Newman, Vawter, The Graduate Life Center, Thomas, and Monteith brought in the big-time bouncing fun with PUP Pandemonium, including carnival games, prizes, popcorn, and challenges!

SummitAJ, Cochrane, Harper, New Hall West, and Hillcrest kicked off the year with a fantastic Summit Sidewalk Social. There was food, music, tie-dying, and lots of fun!

9

On Saturday, October 10, 2009, Residence Life held its second annual Family Reunion to welcome back former members of the Virginia Tech Residence Life staff. The much-anticipated event, held at the Virginia Tech University Club, was sponsored by Residence Life’s development and events committee.

In addition to being an opportunity to catch up with former coworkers and old friends, the event was a time to show off outstanding areas and programs within the department. Those in attendance learned about the Virginia Tech Residence Hall Federation and had the opportunity to view pictures from past events, giving them a glimpse of how the department engages the campus and forms an essential connection to the community through its programs.

The Residence Life Family Reunion brought

former and current members of the Virginia Tech Residence Life family together to celebrate during homecoming weekend. Among the distinguished guests was Edward Spencer, vice president for Student Affairs. His support has made it possible for Residence Life to sponsor such programs for students and alumni of the department.

The Residence Life Family Reunion is a great opportunity for current Residence Life staff members to network with past members. It also gives alumni the opportunity to stay involved and in touch with the many events and programs the department has to offer and see the changes and growth within the department.

If you are interested in receiving an invitation to next year’s reunion or want to reconnect with us, please e-mail us at VTResLifeAlumni@vt.edu.

Residence Life Family ReunionBy Justin Kelley, Graduate Hall Director, kelleyjw@vt.edu

10

The National Residence Hall Honorary rep-resents the top one-and-a-half percent of student leaders living on campus. Big things are happening with the Virginia Tech chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary this year! The 2009-2010 executive board started the year with many lofty, but attainable goals.

We want to increase the diversity of our membership to include individuals of other on-campus groups, like the corps of cadets and various theme communities. We also hope to enhance the quality of membership and boost meeting and activity attendance. We want to increase the number of philan-thropy and community service activities and revise our outdated constitution.

Most of all, we want to increase the recognition efforts of our organization, as the primary fo-cus of the National Residence Hall Honorary is recognizing outstanding leadership on campus.

So far, we have made modest strides to-ward achieving our goals. On November 8, we inducted 21 new members in a beauti-ful ceremony, during which Frank Shushok, associate vice president for Student Affairs, honored our newest members with words of wisdom regarding leadership. Newly in-ducted members representing Greek Life, Imaginarium staff, and a Wing First-Year Seminar teaching assistant are testa-ment to our diversity initiative. We are very excited to have these 21 new, quali-fied members and are excited about their potential contributions to the organization.

We have participated in several philanthropic and service activities, including dog walking and dog adoption efforts through two local humane societies. We are currently working to revise our constitution and hope to have it fin-ished in time for the South Atlantic Affiliates of College and University Residence Halls (SAA-CURH) “No Frills” Regional Conference.

We have grown in the area of recognition as well. We are increasing our number of “Of the Month” submissions and have taken on a variety of “Appreciation” days and weeks, including the already successful Housing Services Apprecia-tion Week and future efforts, such as Residence Life Partners and RA Appreciation.

We are very proud of the steps that have been taken in just the past few months and look forward to continuing our efforts to reach our goals by the end of the spring semester!

National Residence Hall HonoraryBy: Kim Yackel, NRHH President, kim.yackel@vt.edu

11

Staff BiographiesGet to know the Residence Life group! Meet our returning staff members, who are hard at work making a difference in the lives of on-campus students at Virginia Tech. There are some faces you’ll remember from 2008-2009 and earlier! We’re happy to welcome several new staff members to the Residence Life team for the 2009-2010 academic year. They come with a breadth of experience and energy.

Main Office

Leon McClinton, Director of Residence Lifeleonm@vt.edu

Leon leads one of the larg-est housing programs in the United States, encompass-

ing 9,125 on-campus students in 47 residence halls. He supervises a team of 22 professional staff members and 250 paraprofessional gradu-ate and undergraduate student staff members.

He held several positions in housing at Clem-son University from 1990 to 2007, including resident assistant, resident director, area co-ordinator, assistant director, and associate director for undergraduate and graduate pro-grams in Residential Life.

McClinton received a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Clemson University in 2006, a master’s degree in human resource develop-ment from Clemson in 1994, and a bachelor of science in textile management from Clem-son in 1992. He has worked in residence life for 15 years and during that time received the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Clemson University Residence Hall Association. McClinton was president of the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers from 2007-2008, which serves college and university housing officers in 10 states.

M. Christopher MacDonald, Associate Directorchrismac@vt.edu

Chris serves as the associate director for staffing and ad-ministration. He has been at

Virginia Tech for eight years. Chris completed his undergraduate and master’s programs at Appalachian State University. He is currenlty pursuing his Ph.D. here at Virginia Tech.

James Penven, Associate Directorjpenven@vt.edu

Jamie grew up in South-ern New Jersey. He spent summers work-ing either in restaurants

or a peach and apple orchard. Spending 95-degree afternoons picking peaches con-vinced him to further his education. He attended West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, W.V., and majored in Sociol-ogy (with minors in English and Psychology). Jamie ran cross country and track and also was active in I.V. and FCA. After graduation, he went to Marshall University to get an M.A. in counseling. He graduated in 1996 and spent two years in residence life at UNC at Wilming-ton before coming to Virginia Tech in 1998.

Shawn Shumaker, Administrative Assistant to the Directorshawnshu@vt.edu

Gail Duncan, Main Office Managerduncange@vt.edu

Gail Duncan, a member of the Res Life team for more than four years, feels it has been a great experience and

looks forward to more years of the same. Gail has been married 25 years and has a daughter and a son, who are college grads and now work in Charlotte, N.C. and Knoxville, Tenn. They remain faithful to the Hokie Nation and return home as often as possible. Gail enjoys Sunday mornings with a toddler class of boys and girls with lots of energy and excitement.

12

Main Office (cont.)

Aaron Stoller, Assessment and Planning Specialistastoller@vt.edu

Aaron joined the Virginia Tech family in July 2009 as a complex director and tran-

sitioned to assessment and planning specialist in July 2010. In that role, he is responsible for assessing the educational impact of Res Life programs and services. Aaron earned a Bach-elor of Arts in English from Wake Forest Uni-versity and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Vir-ginia Tech. He is very excited about enriching the already wonderful residential community at Virginia Tech.

Drillfield Area

Kelley Woods, Assistant Director of Residence Lifekjwoods@vt.edu

Kelley served as a hall direc-tor at Northern Kentucky University for four years.

She earned both an M.Ed. in Educational Foun-dations and a B.S. in middle childhood educa-tion at the University of Cincinnati. Kelley lives with her dachshund, Shorty, and is passionate about sustainability, serving students, and the Dave Matthews Band.

Jill M. Wolfe, Area Office Managerjmwolfe@vt.edu

Jill is manager of the Drill-field Area Office. She spends most of her time assisting with lock-outs, lost keys,

room changes, roommate issues, work order submissions, common area reservations, and a wide variety of questions about campus. One thing in particular she loves about her job is in-teracting with students on a daily basis. Stop by the area office to say hello!

Donald Walker, Slusher Complex Director (Slusher Tower and Wing)donaldw@vt.edu

Before coming to Virginia Tech, Donald received a B.S.

in electronic media and film from Towson Uni-versity in Towson, Md. and an M.A. in counsel-ing in higher education from the University of Delaware. He enjoys watching reality TV, keep-ing up with the news on CNN, and helping stu-dents in the halls. Donald recently found that he also enjoys hiking, thanks to Blacksburg.

Sarah Loth, Slusher Wing Graduate Hall Directorsloth85@vt.edu

Sarah works with six of the best RAs on campus, as well as two theme communities,

Hypatia and The Wing. She has a bachelor’s of science degree in sociology family studies and a minor in history. She is a second-year master’s student in the higher education administration program. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, cooking, spending time with family and friends, and just taking in life.

Jess Evans, Triad Complex Director (PY, New Res East, Payne)jeevans2@vt.edu

Jess has been a Hokie for eight years, earning a bach-

elor of science in psychology in 2005. She continued to live in Blacksburg while earning a master of science in counselor education stu-dent affairs administration from Radford Uni-versity in 2007. She is beginning her third year as a professional staff member at Virginia Tech, and enjoys working in the Drillfield Community.

13

Matt Ning, Triad Undergraduate Hall Directormattning@vt.edu

Matt Ning is a pre-med bio-chemistry major. He was a resident advisor in Pritchard

Hall and is excited to start his first year as an undergraduate hall director. His hobbies include road trips, healthy living, unhealthy living, and working out.

Joe Wilder, Campbells Graduate Hall Director (Main and East)wilder@vt.edu

Joe is a master’s student in the school of education. He

has completed student teaching and will be spending this academic year taking advanced courses. Joe is a second-year hall director in the Campbell Community, home of the Hon-ors Community.

Estee G. Rios, Egglestons Graduate Hall Director (Main and West)egrios@vt.edu

Estee is a self-described “military brat”, and has lived

in seven states, so she has a lot of home towns. She received her undergrad here at Tech and was an RA for three years. She is excited to be working in the Egglestons with some amazing RAs for what is sure to be an awesome year!

Prairie and Oak Lane Community

Tricia S. Smith, Assistant Director of Residence Lifepssmith@vt.edu

Tricia is very excited to work with Pritchard and Lee (the Prairie) and the Oak Lane

Community. She is proud to work with the RA selection process, Res Life Alumni, and Resi-dence Life Special Events. She has a passion for her family (best husband ever, cutest kids on the planet), creating equity and social justice, reading “hook and twist” fiction, maximizing strengths to build effective teams, and finding goodness and beauty in all things!

Kathy Tartar Duncan, Area Office Managerkathytd@vt.edu

Kathy works in the area of-fice on the second floor (near the mailroom) of Pritchard Hall helping

with room change/occupancy informa-tion, replacement of lost keys, common area reservations, requests to remain more than 24 hours past last exams, and any other questions/problems residents may have. Her interests include traveling with her husband, gardening, and volunteering with the Virginia Master Gardener Program. She and her hus-band own a dairy farm in Riner, Va.

Jeff Yacup, Community Director for Greek Housingjtyacup@vt.edu

Jeff completed his bach-elor’s and master’s degrees at Virginia Tech. He has also

worked for the university as an orientation lead-er, a Judicial Affairs graduate assistant, a tutor, and in several other capacities. He has also had the opportunity to work with Greek organiza-tions in a variety of ways.

14

Prairie and Oak Lane Community (cont.)

Brandon Lamma, Oak Lane Graduate Assistant bmlamma@vt.edu

Brandon graduated from Roanoke College with a bachelor of arts in psychol-

ogy in May of 2008. He is currently working on his master’s in higher education adminis-tration, which he will complete this coming May. Last year, he served as the graduate assistant for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and this year is serving as the graduate assistant for Greek housing.

Lis P. Ellis, Pritchard Complex Directorepe@vt.edu

Lis Ellis is in her second year at Virginia Tech as the complex director for

Pritchard Hall. She has a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in high-er education administration. Lis is an active member of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, repre-senting on the Virginia Tech Chapter’s Alumnae Advisory Council.

Justin Kelley, Pritchard Graduate Hall Director (Outlook)kelleyjw@vt.edu

Justin was born and raised in South Carolina. He gradu-ated from Lander University

in May 2008, where he majored in mass com-munications. There, he worked as an RA, RHA president, and as a member of Blue Key, as well as many other on- and off-campus activities. This year he will begin his master’s in higher education. He loves reality TV, theater, traveling, tennis, people, and music. He’s a huge Gavin Degraw fan!

Jenn Glenn, Pritchard Graduate Hall Director (Canyon)jglenn08@vt.edu

Jenn is finishing her mas-ter’s degree in higher edu-cation administration at

Virginia Tech this year. She has a bachelor’s degree from Emory University in education-al studies. Jenn is the current president of the Virginia Tech Higher Education Associa-tion and is having a great year working with students in Pritchard Hall!

Devin J. B. Dausin, Lee Complex Directorbucke@vt.edu

Devin loves music and pop culture. Both her brother and sister are currently attending Virginia Tech, and she’s happy

to be a Hokie as well.

Sarah Jo Helms, Lee Hall Director (Lee High)shelms07@vt.edu

Sarah Jo is a recent gradu-ate of Virginia Tech, with a bachelor of science in agri-

cultural sciences. She has been a member of Virginia Tech Residence Life for going on two years now, and is excited to continue as the hall director for Lee High and the Galileo Com-munity for the spring semester. She is thankful and proud to be a Hokie!

15

Presidents and Upper Quad Area

Jennifer Bannon, Assistant Director of Residence Lifejrbannon@vt.edu

Jennifer is currently in her second year as assistant di-rector of Residence Life for

the President’s and Upper Quad area and the Residence Hall Federation. Prior to becoming a part of the Hokie family, she worked for four years as a residence hall director at Ball State University. She received her master’s degree in higher education administration from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s de-gree in psychology from Ball State. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in the NACURH organization, as well as GLACUHO, SEAHO, and ACUHO-I.

Kristie McCallum, Area Office Managerkristiem@vt.edu

Kristie has been at Virginia Tech for three years. She graduated from N.C. State University after receiving a

degree in visual arts, and ended up in Blacks-burg after marrying an avid Hokie fan and alumnus. She has two cats, loves photography, and has recently taken up mountain biking with her husband Darryl. You may hear from “veteran” staff that she loves to bribe RAs with candy to come visit her in the area office!

Katie Greenleaf, Complex Director for Thomas-Monteith, Miles-Johnson, O’Shaughnessy, and The Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brownktgreen@vt.edu

Katie did her undergrad at Penn State and worked there before getting a master’s degree from Marshall University and working at the University of Charleston, both in West Virginia. She came to Tech in July of 2008. This year, she will have two completely fabulous graduate assistants: Nate Swann (for the Thomas/Mon-teith) and Stacey Bennett (for Miles/Johnson).

Nate Swann, Thomas-Monteith Graduate Hall Directoremail@vt.edu

Nate is hall director of Thomas and Monteith Halls,

commonly known to a select few as the High-er Plane. He got his undergraduate degree at Virginia Wesleyan College, and is working on finishing his master’s degree this year (fingers crossed)! Nate is addicted to TiVo, and loves “Lost.” If you also love “Lost,” please plan to discuss your theories in detail!

Stacey Bennett, Miles-Johnson Graduate Hall Directoremail@vt.edu

Stacey completed her under-graduate degree in music at Virginia Tech. Currently, she

is pursuing graduate work in cell and develop-mental biology. Despite her science-related in-terests, she loves Residence Life!

16

Presidents and Upper Quad Area (cont.)

Shelley Burkholder, O’Shaughnessy Graduate Hall Directorshellymb@vt.edu

Shelley came to Tech from Lebanon College, located

in Pennsylvania. This is Shelley’s first year as a graduate hall director and she is pursuing a mas-ter’s in higher education and student affairs.

Jay Read, Vawter Graduate Hall Directorjayread@vt.edu

Jay is happy to have spent the past two years working here at Tech, but is ready to

get out and start teaching physics. Spring 2010 will be his last semester in Vawter Hall. He is going to miss being a part of such a boister-ous and fun community, but has been grateful for the experience. Tech and Blacksburg have become his home and he is hoping to stay close by for at least another couple of years.

Marek Zareba, Newman Graduate Hall Directormz12886@vt.edu

Marek is in his second year as a graduate hall director. He graduated from Jackson-

ville State University and is currently pursuing his master’s in engineering.

Maziar Fahandezh-Sadi, Barringer Undergraduate Hall Directormfs2006@vt.edu

Maziar worked in Pritchard Hall last year as a resident

advisor and is studying engineering as his major.

Student Leadership

Lynanne Hodges, Student Leadership Advisorlynanne@vt.edu

Lynanne works closely with student leaders by advising the Residence Hall Federa-

tion and the National Residence Hall Honorary. She was born a Hokie-loving Southwest Virgin-ian and hails from the small town of Callaway, Va. Lynanne completed her B.A. in sociology at Christopher Newport University (Go Captains!) and received her M.S. in college student person-nel from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Go Lady Vols!). When she’s not working, Lynanne enjoys music, theatre, outdoor adventures, mov-ies, and her three-year old Westie, Joey.

Dan Zimmerman, Student Leadership Graduate Assistantdanzim@vt.edu

In his undergraduate ca-reer at Christopher Newport University, Dan was highly

involved in residence life. He is currently study-ing to receive his M.A. in higher education. Please take the opportunity to stop him and in-troduce yourself if you see him roaming around campus (no really, he will be roaming, because he has never seen a campus this big). He may even ask you for directions!

17

Summit Area

Carl Krieger, Assistant Director of Residence Lifeckrieger@vt.edu

This year, you can find Carl in the reinvented lobby of AJ. From there, he will supervise

the Summit Community, undergraduate stu-dent staff training, and will work with the Resi-dence Life Mentors. He has a degree in math-ematics, a master’s in English, and is pursuing a doctorate in higher education here at Virginia Tech. He enjoys sports and reading novels, and if you ever want to challenge him to a game of ping-pong or pool, he’s up for it!

Maggie Holmes, Area Office Managermeholmes@vt.edu

Maggie is starting her seventh year as the Office Manager for the Summit Community. The Summit area office is locat-

ed on the first floor of West AJ near the eleva-tors and the construction zone. It tends to be a busy hub where students meet before class and meals. You can count on hearing/having an inter-esting conversation through the office window!

Jen Milburn, Complex Director for New Hall West, Harper and Cochrane Hallsjensimon@vt.edu

This is Jen’s second year working in Residence Life

at Virginia Tech and she cannot imagine living or working anywhere else. She has always had a passion for working with college students; college is a unique, challenging, and exciting time and she wants to help you have the best experience you can.

Tyrone Jean, Cochrane Graduate Hall Directortyronej@vt.edu

Tyrone is originally from Adelphi, Md., and he is half Salvadoran and half Haitian.

He graduated in 2007 from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in African-American and African studies. He is a master’s candidate in the higher education administra-tion program here at Tech and cannot wait to have a fantastic year! He has left his fellow Hoos in Hooville and has joined the Hokie Nation! Some may refer to him as a traitor, but he feels he is getting the best of both worlds. Go Hokies!

Michael Kearney, Hillcrest Undergraduate Hall Directorkearneym@vt.edu

Mike is from Woodbridge, Va. Currently, he is a senior

in mechanical engineering, and hopes to pur-sue a graduate degree in environmental engi-neering. He played soccer for over 12 years, is an Eagle Scout, and is a substitute teacher on school breaks. He was a resident advisor for the Galileo Engineering Theme Housing Program in Lee Hall for the last two years, and is extremely excited to be the hall director for Hillcrest for this upcoming year!

Hunter Simmons, WAJ Low Graduate Hall Directorhas1285@vt.edu

This is Hunter’s sixth year at Virginia Tech and fifth year working in Residence Life,

having previously worked in Pritchard, Miles, and O’Shag. He loves working with students and has thoroughly enjoyed his time at Tech. He is excited that in his final year at Tech, he gets to be a part of the transformation of Ambler Johnston Hall!

18

Summit Area (cont.)

Kate Zhang, WAJ High Graduate Hall Directorjingjing@vt.edu

Kate is returning for her sec-ond year as a graduate hall director in Ambler Johnston

Hall. Currently, she is in the higher education administration graduate program and has re-ally enjoyed her experiences working with the awesome students here.

First-Year Programs

Matt Grimes, Assistant Director of Residence Lifemattgrimes@vt.edu

Matt is 100 percent Hok-ie, as he spent six years here at Tech earning two

degrees (B.S. in business management in ’00 and M.A. in education in ’02), and he is thrilled to be working here full-time. He is the assistant director of first-year programs and his job is to provide activities and re-sources in the residence halls for all resident students’ success and growth during their time living on campus.

Theresa Gillespie, Imaginarium Graduate Assistantgillespi@vt.edu

After her undergraduate education at Virginia Tech, Theresa wasn’t quite ready

to leave. She chose to stay and pursue a graduate degree in public and international affairs. At Tech, she has served as an RA, Graduate Life Center service associate, vice-president of the Urban Planning Club, and secretary of the Environmental Coalition. In her free time, she loves traveling and exercis-ing outdoors. Now, she manages the Imagi-narium, a resource for residence hall staff that provides support for bringing activities and resources to the residence hall commu-nities. She is so excited for a fun and exciting year at the Imaginarium!

Holly Danforth, First-Year Programs Graduate Assistantholly.danforth@vt.edu

Holly grew up in North-ern New York and began her freshman year of col-

lege right here at Virginia Tech in 2001. After much debate on whether to stay at Tech or transfer, she made a very difficult decision to transfer back to New York State after three semesters here in Blacksburg. In 2005, she got her bachelor of arts in communications from the University at Albany in New York. For the past four years, she has been work-ing in the admissions office at Marymount University in Arlington, Va. She is very excited about coming back to the Hokie Nation and finally getting her degree: an M.A. in higher education administration!

Theme Housing Programs

Valerie Shayman, Theme Housing Graduate Assistantvalshay@vt.edu

Valerie grew up in Wau-chula, Fla. and graduated from the University of

North Florida in May 2008 with a degree in electronic media/broadcasting. She is currently enrolled in the higher education ad-ministration master’s program here at Virginia Tech and is proud to be a Hokie! As a graduate student, most of her free time is spent writ-ing papers, but she also enjoys swimming and thinking about how happy she is to be out of the Florida humidity!

19

Let us know where you are!

We’re looking to connect with Virginia Tech Residence Life Alumni. Please complete the survey below to let us know how to reach you, and pass it on to other alumni as well. You may

complete the survey each time you move to update your record. Your information

will remain protected and will only be used based on the preferences

you select.

http://tinyurl.com/ylxgenq

Stay connected with us!

E-mail VTResLifeAlumni@vt.edu with your contact information.

Also, outline the years and positions held while you were here.

FTLW videos

Check out the FTLW closing session videos here:

www.studentprograms.vt.edu/hallstaff/closingsession2009.php

V I R G I N I A P O L Y T E C H N I C I N S T I T U T E A N D S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

Invent the Future

Residence Life

151 New Hall West

(540) 231-6205