Over the past month, the Office of Student Life has faced three departures: Brielle Melillo, Assistant Director of Financial Advising; Jacquis Watters, Assistant Director of Diversity Education; and Kristie Damell, Associate Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator.
“It’s a natural progression,” said Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. Klein, who oversees Student Life in her position, stated that she was sad about all the departures, but that they were not completely unexpected. However, most student leaders were surprised by the departures. Lucas Gallo, the President of the Student Government Association, did not expect any of the departures and received notice at the same time as all of the students. “I like really wish I did [receive advanced notice of the departure] too,” said Gallo, “We would’ve been able to maybe plan in advance about what was going to happen.”
According to Klein, Brielle Melillo was not expecting to leave Stevens. Melillo was always considering teaching, and she got a “random call” about an open position teaching fifth grade. It was a 24-hour decision, according to Klein. In the meantime, Melillo’s previous responsibilities will be split between Danielle Maxson and Chris Shemanski.
With regard to the departure of Jacquis Watters, Klein said it was a “natural progression.” Watters received a better offer at Columbia to serve as Associate Director of Multicultural Affairs and Social Justice Programs after working for two-and-a-half years at Stevens. Watters’ previous role will be performed by Veronika Paprocka, Graduate Coordinator for Diversity Initiatives, in the interim.
The most notable departure is Kristie Damell, who has left Stevens after working at the university for 10 years. According to Klein, Damell left for personal reasons and she is “really sad” about the departure. Klein noted they were close friends, and when asked about the reason for Kristie leaving, she attributed part of the decision to burn-out. Damell kept having more and more responsibilities added to her load. Damell’s new role at NJIT focuses on just one aspect, student life.
In the event of a vacancy, Klein takes the time to evaluate the newly vacant position. With Damell’s departure, Klein has split Damell’s previous position into two separate roles: a Director of Student Life and a Director of Community Standards. The Director of Undergraduate Student Life/Associate Dean of Students role will oversee Student Life — similar to Damell’s original responsibilities. The Director of Community Standards will be a brand new position, which will serve as Title IX Coordinator, advisor to the Honor Board, and help with Policy Development and Federal Compliance. Klein is looking for someone with a strong background in student affairs or a legal background for this position. Watters’ previous position of Assistant Director of Diversity Education will be expanded to include a partnership with Human Resources, as the current position lacked connection to faculty and staff.
Student Affairs’ priority is hiring a Financial Coordinator, who they plan to hire by the end of the month. As Student Affairs is attempting to fill that position as quickly as possible, student input will be limited. The other positions will take longer to fill, but the Office of Student Affairs plans to fill all of the positions by Thanksgiving.
Students will be involved in the hiring process for all of the other positions. For the positions of Director of Student Life and Assistant Director of Diversity, students will be invited to candidate presentations and be given an opportunity to get lunch with the candidates. Afterwards, students will give their feedback to the Office of Student Affairs. For the position of Director of Community Standards, select students will be asked to help with the hiring process — Klein specifically noted the Honor Board Chair, currently Stephen Cornwell, as one of these students. Lucas Gallo also stated that he will be involved in the hiring process for all of the individuals hired by Student Affairs.
In the meantime, Klein notes that there will be a slight service reduction due to the shortage of staff in Student Life. Everyone in Student Life will be taking on increased responsibility due to the departures. The service reduction is evident. The Student Government Association has not received its operating budget from the Office of Student Life for over two weeks. Dakota Van Deursen, Vice President of Student Interests, advised students to be patient. “I think it’s pretty clear to see that Student Life will be even more busy than normal for a while,” said Van Deursen, “So I caution organizations to be patient with requests for meetings and services. Gallo also commented on the potential shortage: “I don’t think we [will have] realized just how much Kristie did until she’s gone.”
Multiple student leaders may have noted that there might be temporary hiccups, but have a positive outlook for the future.
Despite the small complications in the present, student leaders are excited for the future. “I’m also excited to see the fun new people that the remaining Student Life staff picks up and how they can continue to help our campus grow vicariously through its students,” Van Deursen said. Stephen Cornwell, Chair of the Stevens Honor Board, shared similar thoughts on a different front: namely the split of Damell’s responsibilities. “[The planned] re-organization of her role into two separate roles will be one of the most beneficial changes in Student Affairs for both the Honor Board and the student community at large,” said Cornwell.
With the recent departures in Student Life, Klein notes that there are no issues within Student Life, nor within any of the offices that she oversees as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. Klein maintains that all of the departures were a “natural progression.”
The positions of Financial Coordinator, the Director of Student Life, and the Diversity Educator have been posted, while the role of Director of Community Standards will be posted shortly.
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