By Lauren Quinn
Construction to Degenstein Campus Center has forced Susquehanna’s office of Residence Life to temporarily relocate, but that has not interfered with them doing everything they can to be there for students.
Student Life is the department that oversees Residence Life. “The main focus of Student Life is to be […] an advocate for students across campus […] and to help make sure that the departments that are in Student Life are crafting a meaningful co-curricular student experience,” said Jess Manno, Assistant Vice President of Student Life and Interim Dean of Students.
There has been rumor that the construction has affected the department’s abilities to perform their duties effectively, but what could be “contributing to the idea that there is chaos,” stated Manno, “is that things are just displaced in general.”
From the perspective of a resident assistant, it has been a little more difficult on their end with the office relocation.
“We don’t have access to any of our old things,” stated a resident assistant. Duty bags now have to be picked up at inconvenient or odd times.
Manno added that students may also be struggling with the adjustment, because they are not used to going to the new office location when they get locked out of their dorms or have other residence concerns.
Manno has additionally assumed some duties from Frances Magee, Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, while she is on an indefinite sabbatical leave.
“While she is gone, I’m doing some of her administrative work that is connected to her leadership of the division. Attending different meetings, preparing Board of Trustees presentations— stuff like that,” explained Manno.
With the exception of Manno, everyone in the department has continued to go about their jobs as usual.
As the semester trudges on, Student Life and Residence Life are doing everything they can to maintain a state of normalcy while there is still active construction.
The Residence Life office is expected to return to Degenstein Campus Center around the middle of October. For the time being, students should go to the basement of Blough-Weis Library, where they currently share a space with the V.I.P. Center.