Commons staff protests residential life reshuffle

Author: Brian Fung

The number of Commons Residential Advisors (CRAs) at the College will be reduced from 10 to five next year, Dean of the College Tim Spears confirmed last Saturday. The change has drawn mixed student reactions and, along with plans to offer junior counselors (JCs) $2,500 stipends next year, has some Commons staff in open protest of the changes.

The prospect of increased pressure for future CRAs, according to Cook Commons CRA Jess Horner '05, is unsettling and has driven her, along with a number of colleagues, to speak out against the administration on the issue.

"I am so discouraged by what's going on," Horner said. "Moving to just five CRAs is a huge mistake. [It] is just unfathomable the amount of work that [next year's CRAs are] going to be shouldering."

According to Spears, the plan to eliminate one CRA position from each Commons will reflect a return to student-run residential life. To compensate for the loss, JCs, who will be called First-Year Counselors (FYCs) next year, will assume many of the responsibilities now shared among the 10 CRAs on campus.

"In effect," said Spears, "we are shifting resources within the Commons system to current Middlebury students and, I believe, empowering them as well."

Initial recommendations for changes in the residential-life system emerged out of a 2006 report by the College's Human Relations Committee, which explicitly advocated revisions to the JC program.

"[Providing stipends] would allow students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to serve," the report read. Furthermore, "rising seniors and qualified juniors" who applied for the FYC position could conceivably bring invaluable experience to the mentoring role.

According to Horner, however, CRAs already provide effective service under the current system.

"People come to us all the time, but nobody sees it because it's behind closed doors," she said.

CRAs' apparent invisibility has, according to a number of current CRAs, affected the degree to which their concerns have been taken into consideration. Ross Commons CRA Eric Vos '05 claimed that Spears' decision to slash CRA numbers by half was taken unilaterally and with minimal input from the College Commons.

"My experience at Middlebury taught me that inclusive dialogue and informed decision-making were the hallmarks of a liberal arts education," said Vos, "and yet the process of making these changes has been anathema to these ideals."

Cook Commons Dean David Edleson echoed Vos' remarks.

"I would have thought that our collective direct day-to-day experience and expertise would have been key in creating the best system," said Edleson. "Instead, we were asked for our reactions after key decisions were made. That was disappointing and for me, somewhat demoralizing."

Current first-year students delivered both positive and negative reactions to Spears' plan. Sylvia Mendez '10 praised the move, saying that it would likely draw more applicants to residential-life positions and offer economically disadvantaged students an opportunity to volunteer.

"Maybe people who wouldn't have considered it before will be encouraged to apply," said Mendez. "I was thinking of applying as a JC next year. Once I saw there was a stipend, I considered it even more."

According to Matt Lowes '10, however, offering a stipend may actually draw focus away from the position's mentoring duties.

"The money is almost too much," said Lowes. "If incentives could be ranked, this would be way off the deep end."

Lowes also addressed concerns that removing one CRA from each Commons would have consequences for other residential-life staff.

"As they reduce the number of people like that on campus, the pressure will fall on those who remain," he said. "I would definitely be sad if there were only one CRA to go to, one less place for kids to unwind."

Serving as a CRA is an intense full-time job in itself, according to Wonnacott CRA Jasmin Johnson '05.

"Very often, you are the first-call person for students," said Johnson. "The CRAs spend their weekends in the dorms; they're on call 24 hours a day. We help with the move-ins and move-outs, the day-to-day counseling, the roommate conflicts, the custodial and facilities issues, and the Commons events."

As the scaleback in CRAs takes effect next fall, Spears said he expects many of the FYCs to take up the slack, but that they will not be alone in doing so.

"The FYCs will likely pick up some of the responsibilities now assumed by one of the two CRAs in the Commons," said Spears. "At the same time, you need to keep in mind that the Commons are connected to a broader network of people and student life resources."

Still, many wonder whether the system can handle the additional strain. Though CRAs have traditionally borne the brunt of student counseling work, some fear that their role on campus has been overlooked and their contributions underestimated.

"The CRAs do a lot of unseen work with students that helps keep many situations from getting out of control," said Edleson.

Disappointment with Spears' plan is not limited to Cook Commons. According to Edleson, Horner and Vos, virtually all of the College's CRAs and Commons Deans hold reservations about the changes to come and the consequences those changes will have on their ability to serve their respective Commons.

Qualms raised by the residential-life reshuffle largely concern the quality and motives of next year's FYC applicants. Some suggested that the shift might adversely affect the relationship between first-years and the administrative structure in place for their support.

"It's going to stratify the campus because seniors won't connect with the first-years," said Horner. "It's going to be more of an authoritative role versus a mentoring role."

In addition, by treating the FYC position as more of an employment opportunity rather than a chance to meet and mentor new students, new FYCs may diminish the very meaning of the position itself, according to Edleson.

"[The JC position is] such a great example of giving back to your community, volunteerism and leadership that it saddens me to see it changed in this way," said Edleson. "I think in many ways, the JCs exemplified what I find most valuable in the Commons system and I'm concerned that in the new model, we might lose some of that heart."

According to Horner, the shift may actually cause fewer students to apply for residential-life positions, not more.

"You're going to get a restricted group of [FYCs] that isn't as diverse and exciting as the JCs we get now," said Horner. "I wrote my thesis in Battell [Hall] and it was not easy. A lot of seniors aren't going to want to forfeit senior housing and do their senior coursework in a freshman dorm."

Though neither the CRAs nor the Commons Deans intend to draft a formal letter of opposition to Spears' plan, Horner said that many CRAs are considering the possibility of submitting letters of disagreement on an individual basis. Thus far, Spears said he has received three correspondences regarding the issue, but that he could characterize only one as expressing overt dissatisfaction.

"I have tremendous respect for the work that the CRAs do, and I would certainly understand if they were uncomfortable with these changes," said Spears. "They are a dedicated group, and their concern about how their position might change is a sign of how much they care about the College and its students."