Dorianna Valerio
As students piled into the eight resident halls on the C.W. Post Campus by the droves this fall, there was a new man behind the scenes: Carlyle Hicks, the new director of residence life.
On October 3rd, 2011, Hicks became the director of residence life, a job previously held by Jennifer Fuoco, who was the acting director of residence life. Hicks has 15 years of experience in higher education and has direct experience working in Residence Life and Housing. “Prior to my arrival at C.W. Post, I was the Director of Residence Life at Dominican College in Rockland County, New York,” he said about his work experience.
Hicks said he took the job as the Director of Residence Life because he enjoys interacting with students, and no two days are ever the same. “Right now, I’m excited about the opportunity to be a part of the C.W. Post Campus and to explore the potential of the residence life program,” Hicks said in an email interview with the Pioneer.
According to Hicks, his duties include overseeing the daily operation of the Residence Life program, ensuring student safety, working with the Facilities Department so that the buildings are maintained, developing community and making sure students are comfortable in their living environment. He added, “It is also my responsibility to promote the mission of the Office of Residence Life as well as overseeing the goals and mission of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.” According to our school website, there are about 1,940 students living on campus, four central office staff members, six residence hall directors and more than 75 resident assistants.
Hicks wants to observe the student life before he can make plans to improve it. “Right now, my plan is to gather all the information that I can [and] then, put together a strategic plan to address the most pressing needs,” he said.
One thing Hicks wants to change is student participation in resident hall activities. Hicks said, “I know that students have difficult schedules; they work, and they have various extra-curricular commitments. However, I want students to get the full benefit of the many programs which are coordinated by the professional staff and the resident assistants.”
“It’s always challenging when you are the new person. People need to find their comfort levels when meeting someone new, and the same is expected with the residents,” Hicks said about his hardest challenge, which will be getting to know the residents.
The future is bright for all the students in the resident halls. Hicks is looking forward to creating “learning-living communities within the residence halls, increase the sense of community, and improve the quality of life of the residents.” He also added, “I think that the students are wonderful and that all my colleagues share the same goal, which is to help provide the students with the tools necessary to succeed beyond C.W. Post.”
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