From new vending machines offering Vitamin Water and Coca-Cola products to the campus facelift, it is obvious life at Ouachita will no longer be the same.
One of the biggest changes will come about through the residence life program. While everyone on campus is busily preparing for the housing improvements, the residence life staff is working hard to enhance the quality of student life. Michael Cox, the new director of residence life, embraced his new job by addressing the quality of community in student housing.
“In particular I’ve asked Michael to focus on strategies to improve on the building of community within our student housing,” said Keldon Henley, vice president of student services and dean of students. “In addition to that Michael will work extensively with hall directors, and residence director and RA training. He also will work with students concerning student conduct issues in both campus housing and across the campus. Michael also serves as hall director of Daniel North.”
Michael and his wife Terese, who both graduated from Ouachita, recently returned to Arkadelphia after receiving their masters’s of arts in Biblical exegesis from Wheaton College. The Coxes formally worked as the hall directors of Anthony before they left for Illinois.
While at Wheaton, they both worked on the residence staff. They returned earlier this summer when Michael was offered the job of director of residence life, Terese took the job of assistant director of campus ministries. Michael hopes to create a housing environment that will enrich every students experience at Ouachita.
“[I have] a desire to see residence life be everything that it can be here,” said Cox. “So that life in the halls can have the learning and growing influence that it should have here.”
It is not enough that students have a place to live, but now the focus is on offering a type of community service for each of the halls. In order that students feel like they belong at Ouachita, the residence life staff is hoping to provide for more than just the physical needs of students.
“The goals are basically safety, “ said Cox. “We want to have places that are physically safe, that are free from fire hazards, dangers of theft or whatever life dangers might be. Most importantly we want to create spaces that are [safe for relationship], so students can have the type of relationships that are valuable to their growth and development here.”
One of the main ways he hopes to accomplish this task is by showing that the RAs are more than someone to come to when the toilet paper is out. Lobby duty has been changed to “in-nights,” a time when RAs must be in the dorms and available to meet and hang out with students. There will always be a hall director on campus every night of the week so students will always have someone available if they need it.
“I think you’ll see RAs this semester when they are on duty in the halls extending their range than just sitting in the lobby,” Henley said. “You will see RAs much more involved in the life of the halls in general and much more visible than perhaps what we’ve done in the past.
