It’s only a few weeks into the spring semester and there are already changes in Campus Life. In fact you may have already noticed an absence around campus.
Joe Vereen, former Assistant Dean for Campus Life, stepped down from his post late last semester. After living in Binford and working independently with students, Vereen left suddenly after only a year and a half. Vereen was one of the key facilitators of the Leadership Seminar class, which trained Residential Advisors (RA’s) and CHAOS leaders.
This is not the only dramatic change in Campus Life. After hearing of input from students and RA’s, Campus Life Administrators are working to create a community of respect and diversity. The following are some of their changes.
New Positions
With Vereen’s vacancy in Campus Life, a new position has been created to take over some of the responsibilities. A “Residential Leadership Coordinator” will serve as a liaison between the community and campus life and put more of an adult presence on campus.
Unbeknownst to many on-campus students, there is already an adult presence in the dorm setting. Andy Rowe is an Area Coordinator (AC) who has lived in Bryan since last semester, and Eric Lewis and Michael Lynch were recently hired as AC’s in the apartments. All three AC’s also serve part time as athletic coaches.
Leadership Seminar
There are also noticeable changes in the Leadership Seminar since Vereen’s departure. Lesley Moss, Shelley Crisp, and Jodi Gill are the class’s three “team teachers.” Under their guidance, the Leadership Seminar will use a textbook for the first time, Exploring Leadership.
Lesley Moss, Assistant Director of the First-Year Program and Retention, has taught the class for three years. In years past, the class primarily served as job training for future RA, CHAOS leaders, and FYE TA’s.
This year the class has inched closer to the vision of the “team teachers”.
“(We are) looking at the class as an academic study and leadership rather than [RA] job training,” Moss said. “We’re working to make the class a study and leadership … that any student can take what they learn and use it in any endeavor they have post-college.”
While many upper classmen are taking the class to hone their leadership skills, the class of over 70 students is primarily made up of first and second years.
Transfer sophomore Daniel Bullard-Bates is taking the Leadership Seminar to become an RA.
“The RA’s here are more involved (than at McGill), and I’d like to be more directly involved in the community here,” he said.
Students look at the various aspects and styles of community leadership and access an array of leadership roles. For this, various personality and leadership placement tests, such as the Myers-Briggs test, have become staples in the class.
Students will also put together an e-portfolio, designed to help them build resumes. The e-portfolio is part of an initiative to aid students in keeping an online record of their achievements, as well as encouraging students to understand their own leadership styles.
“Leadership is a life skill,” Gill said. “Building an e-portfolio will help when the people go to get jobs.”RA Changes
RA’s responsibilities have also changed dramatically in recent years, resulting in more paperwork and longer hours on duty. Two years ago AC’s and Residential Leadership Coordinators did not exist. Now the mandatory hall programs that RA’s coordinate cannot include movie viewings.
Senior RA Thomas Swindell has seen the changes made in campus life over the past four years.
“[In the past] by working together, using the handbook, and relying on what we were taught, we had a little more freedom. Last semester there was a shortage in freedom in how we handled things.”
But Swindell did note that the changes in Campus Life have created “more of an environment that an RA should be in”.

Other Changes
Students should look for many other upcoming changes. A new web page, expected to be up in mid-February, will list all campus life incidents. Gill believes this will help show the Guilford community what goes on on-campus.
And what happened to Joe Vereen?
Many personnel turnovers leave public letters of resignation, but there was no public notification of Vereen leaving his post. According Campus Life, he moved back to New York.
“He was not terminated,” Gill said.