By Terrance Olivo (Whetstone Staff Writer)

The Residence Directors who help run the residence halls will longer be here next year.

They have not been fired. They will have graduated.

“I wasn’t aware they weren’t full-time,” said junior Tiana Crosby.

Unlike at many colleges, Wesley RDs are, in fact, graduate students of the school.

Campus Life plans on taking advantage of the void made by the graduating residence directors to change the position. Instead of RDs next year, there will be area coordinators.

“We’re still in the thinking phase,” said Nate Biondi, assistant director of residence life.

Biondi has some idea about what it will look like.

The area coordinators who will be replacing the RDs will be full-time employees able to give more attention to students without the distraction of taking classes.

“It’s something that is done at a lot of colleges,” Biondi said.

Some students weren’t sure about the change.

“It could be beneficial so that they can have more time,” Crosby said. “But with them as students I feel that they can communicate with us better.”

Crosby’s only problem with the current setup is that, “[RDs] don’t make a point of getting to know their residents that well.”

Freshmen do not have any strong opinions, either.

“I guess it would be more convenient for students who need to get ahold of their RD,” said freshman Savanah Love. “I haven’t really interacted with my RD.”

“I’m fine with the student RDs,” said freshman Holly Steward. “There could be more activities with students.”

Biondi said there should be more interaction with students with area coordinators.

They should act like a “full-time RD, which will give the students attention they deserve,” he said.

Resident assistants, the students who have the most contact with the RDs, are on the fence about the change.

“It’s a mixed bag with RDs,” said Cydnie Flowers, an RA in Roe hall. “Each has their own style. It can be frustrating or useful.”

Flowers is also holding judgment with the idea of the new area coordinators.

“On the one hand, there will be less confusion on who to report to,” she said. “On the other, we’ll (RAs) only have two people to report to which can be confusing and aggravating.”

Flowers said she doesn’t think that having area coordinators will be worse than the current RDs, but that the new post will definitely have its own kind of problems.