Merger created a chaotic dept.

Administrators should have thought twice before leaving the Dept. of Housing and Residence Life in disarray. The combination of the Residential Living and Residential Maintenance into one department has not gone as smoothly as many anticipated. While we understand that administrators do not want to reorganize until the Biddison Hier report comes out next month, they should not have been so quick to shake up the department a year ago. The primary problem in the department is the lack of a central figure of authority -- they have been without a director for a year. And when the acting director was selected, administrators should have chosen someone who wasn't already performing multiple duties in the department. There is a clear leadership vacuum that needs to be filled immediately. The University hired Biddison Hier to study residences on campus shortly after merging the two departments. Administrators should have stayed with the old inefficient system if they knew they would wait until the Biddison Hier report came out to change departmental operations. It certainly would be better than the current disarray of the Department of Housing and Residence Life. The department is also understaffed. Several workers have to do the work of many yet aren't sure what their jobs will be in the new structure, or if they will have jobs at all. This kind of job uncertainty has been plaguing the department for too long. The University shouldn't have been so quick to fire staff members if administrators are still unsure how many employees are needed to effectively run the department. We can't wait to see the results of the Biddison Hier report. Maybe it will give some much needed direction to a department that didn't need to be this disorganized in the first place.