Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
This is my second year serving as the Campus Minister for the Brown-RISD Catholic Community. I spend a lot of time supporting and accompanying students in their faith lives and planning events and programming that allow them to learn more about the Catholic faith and grow in their relationship with God.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
The six identity centers within Brown’s Division of Campus Life are pivotal to welcoming students from varied backgrounds and enhancing their experience once they arrive on campus. The Division of Campus Life is excited to announce the expansion of three of these identity centers: the Global Brown Center for International Students (GBC), the Undocumented, First-Generation College, and Low-Income Center (U-FLi), and the Office of Military-Affiliated Students (OMAS).
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Campus Life Human Resources and Financial Coordinator and I have been with Brown since October 2022. I'm responsible for overseeing daily HR and HR financial business processes. I serve as a resource to our staff and am available to answer questions and provide support for all things HR related. Whether it's helping with recruiting, promotions, training, or any other HR-related needs.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Community Emergency Response Coordinator at Brown Emergency Medical Services (BEMS) and I have been with Brown since January 2021. My main projects involve our CPR Training Collaborative, AEDs, and our Emergency Response Team (BERT). I am also a shift supervisor for our ambulance service where I oversee the day to day and clinical operations of our emergency medical service.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I provide support for both Undergraduate and Graduate students working with disabilities, and I currently serve as the Graduate School Liaison. This role allows me to do what I love best: individual and community advocacy, teaching and training, connecting with people, studying law, and staying current with emerging technologies. February 12, 2023 will be my five year anniversary here at Brown!
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Director of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) here at Brown. In this role, I am dedicated to and focused on providing an equitable opportunity for success for Brown University students registered with SAS. My one-year anniversary at Brown is on February 22nd.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I have been at Brown for nine years and am the associate director of the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards. I currently oversee our investigative processes and higher-level hearing processes and have been working on building a restorative justice program for the last several years. In addition to those major areas, I also hear lower-level cases, help train our hearing officers, and whatever other odd jobs need doing.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am an Assistant Dean in the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards and I've been at Brown for 2 years as of December 1st. I meet with students regarding potential violations, serve as an investigator for higher-level cases, and work on projects such as updating the website.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the director of the Counseling and Psychological Service (CAPS) on campus. I have been at Brown for 8 months.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
My position is Associate Director for Student Activities and I work closely with groups that plan large events (such as Brown Concert Agency, Fashion at Brown, Ivy Film Festival, and Lecture Board) as well as political and social action groups. I also oversee the portion of the department that works most closely with student group programming, events, and space management. I’ve been at Brown since October 2015, so almost seven years.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
As of November 1, 2022 I’m the Director of the LGBTQ Center at Stonewall House. Right now, while we’re in the process of hiring an Assistant Director who will help implement a new vision for Stonewall House, I temporarily do it all! I’m responsible for managing a temporary staff member, our seven student staff members that help me keep the center going, and share supervision of the eleven Women, Gender, and Sexuality Peer Counselors that facilitate peer outreach and community building in our space and in the Sarah Doyle Center.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
My Name is Mac Manning and I am a USMC Veteran and I have been working in higher education for 7 years but I have been working with veterans since 2018. I am the Program Director for the Office of Military-Affiliated Students and I arrived on College Hill on March 1, 2022.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Health Promotion Specialist: Social Wellbeing Coordinator at BWell Health Promotion, and I have been at Brown for almost two years. I focus on providing community and individual health interventions to improve wellbeing and resilience, reduce high-risk alcohol and other drug use, and promote pro-health behaviors. Essentially, I work to create a campus environment that actively encourages students to interact with diverse populations, build relationships, and collaborate with others on wellness initiatives so that they can find a sense of belonging and value. I also offer individual wellness sessions to increase pro-health behaviors and decrease high-risk alcohol consumption.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I've been at Brown for 3.5 months now. In the SHARE Advocate role I have the opportunity to meet with students who are seeking advocacy counseling and support to process through past or current relationship harm experiences that are impacting their current wellbeing. My role is to walk alongside them as they feel empowered to heal and work through these experiences.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
As Administrative Coordinator, I am responsible for supporting the work of the entire department, especially the administrative, finance aspects and personnel procedures and systems. I started here in October 2017, so this month I will celebrate my 5-year anniversary at Brown!
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Catholic Chaplain within the Office of Chaplains and Religious Life (OCRL). In that capacity I offer spiritual support to students: primarily Catholic ones, but not exclusively so. This takes the form of Mass, confession, spiritual guidance, retreats, and general moral support for students during the time on College Hill. The Catholic group on campus is called the Brown-RISD Catholic Community. And we have a Center, which I run with the help of an incredible staff. This is the beginning of my third year at Brown.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am currently the Program Director of the Undocumented, First-Generation College, and Low-Income Student Center, or the U-FLi Center. Generally, I work closely with campus departments to provide holistic, co-curricular, and community support for U-FLi students that enables them to thrive inside and outside of the classroom. I have been in this position for a little over 5 years now.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I currently serve as the Student Success Program Coordinator for the U-FLi Center. In this role I manage the FLi Scholars Program (FLiSP), collaborate with campus partners to develop asset-based programming for the center, supervise and support the leadership development of student staff, and provide individualized navigational, social, and academic support to undocumented, first-generation college, and low-income students at Brown. I’ve been a staff member since 2018 and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see students who I entered Brown with complete their four-year cycle and graduate this year.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Campus Life Fellow and I just started in August 2022. I graduated from Brown this past May with a concentration in Africana Studies. In my role, I support and advise the Division Campus Life as a recent graduate and assist with internal and external strategic communications.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Senior Associate Dean and Director of the Student Activities Office. In my role, I oversee all functions of the office and also advise the Undergraduate Council of Students and the Undergraduate Finance Board. I’ve been at Brown for almost 11 years.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the new Associate Director for Graduate Student Activities and Student Leadership Development in the Student Activities Office. My main role is to support graduate students, providing opportunities for them to connect and socialize as they face distinct issues compared to undergraduate students. I am also developing a new leadership program for undergraduate and graduate students.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Director of the Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender, which is a center on campus that focuses on issues of gender, especially as it intersects with other sociocultural identities.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Assistant Director of the Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender. My role includes supporting and supervising student staff, programming, and the center’s day-to-day operations. While I have only been here a mere three months (May 9th was my first day!) I have enjoyed meeting and working with the students as well as partnering with the other centers in Campus Life.
Briefly describe what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I'm the Senior Associate Dean/Senior Director of Residential Life. I joined Brown in September 2021.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
I served on the Placement Exchange (TPE) Planning Committee for seven years, which serves as the career services resource for student affairs practitioners. For the 2020-2021 academic year, I served as President, delivering a comprehensive virtual experience for job seekers and employers.
Describe briefly what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I have been the program coordinator at the Global Brown Center for International Students since August 2021! In this role, I oversee the international mentoring program as well as our community programming initiatives for undergraduate international students. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Describe briefly what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I work in the Key Office as an Operations Assistant! I started in this department in July '21, but have been working at Brown for 5 years now.
Describe briefly what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I have been at Brown since 10/25/21. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Describe briefly what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I am the Operations and Administrative Coordinator for BWell Health Promotion, and have been at Brown for about four months.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
I’m really proud to be here, at Brown. To have been chosen to be a part of the BWell Health Promotion team, at an Ivy League Institution is a pretty big deal.
Describe briefly what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I have been at Brown for a whole year! I contribute to Residential Life at Brown by managing the day-to-day operations of the key office and supporting my colleagues in the operations team with different aspects of the student housing process.
Describe briefly what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I started at Brown at the end of August 2021 and I serve as an Area Coordinator for First Year Experience and Houses! So, I specifically assist with first-year student development and transition to University life by being a resource for students.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Describe briefly what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I have been at Brown for 3 months at this point! My work at Brown involves developing the Brown University New Student Orientation program as well as supporting the First Year Experience at Brown. It is my hope to create an engaging and thoughtful bridge for students as they come to Brown for their first year of college!
Describe briefly what you do and how long you have been at Brown.
I will be providing support for anything that involves all areas of Residential Life in order to ensure communication, equity and inclusion throughout the department. I have been at Brown for 6 years.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Centralizing international support in establishing Global Brown.
We are pleased to announce that Debra Scott has been appointed to one of the three newly created Financial Coordinator positions for the Division of Campus Life. Debra joins us from Sodexo where she was the Executive Administrative Assistant to the VP & District Manager for over 12 years. During her time working at Sodexo, Debra also attended the University of Rhode Island and received her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Business Administration Major degree in 2015.
We are pleased to announce that Andrea Vacca has been appointed to one of the three newly created Financial Coordinator positions for the Division of Campus Life. Andrea joins us from the Community College or Rhode Island where she served as an Enrollment Services Representative. Prior to working in Enrollment Services, Andrea achieved her B.S. in Health Studies from University of Rhode Island in 2019.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mikele St-Germain as the Director of Parent & Family Engagement. This new role is charged with developing a strategic approach to building connections with parents and families and providing opportunities for positive engagement. She will begin on September 20, 2021.
Ana is a new pharmacy technician here at Brown Health Services. She will be helping us out on the weekends as she works full time at the VA in Providence as an inpatient pharmacy technician. She has been at the VA for six years now. Ana is also pursuing a degree in Pharmacy Informatics.
After a competitive national search, we have chosen Brenda Ice to serve as the senior associate dean and senior director of the newly reorganized and expanded Office of Residential Life. Brenda is a visionary leader with more than twenty years of experience in higher education and an exceptional track record of leading capital projects, strategic planning, assessment management, policy development, budget management, crisis and case management, and systems implementation all in service to student learning and support.
Scott Helfrich will be joining Residential Life on October 4 as the Director of Upper-Division Houses where he will bring a relational, strategic, and coordinated approach to the administration and management of the Upper-Division Houses. Scott will lead a team of five -- the Residential Coordinator and four Area Coordinators -- in delivering an intentional residential experience that is aligned with Brown’s Liberal Learning Goals for the Open Curriculum. Scott will report to the Senior Associate Dean and Senior Director of Residential Life.
We are pleased to announce that Kathleen Towne has been appointed to the newly created position of Assistant Director of Financial Operations for the Division of Campus Life. Kat joins us from the Department of Athletics and Physical Education where she provided financial support for four years. Prior to Brown, Kat worked at Wagner College, earning her MBA in Management while leading athletic ticketing and marketing operations. Kat is also a graduate of Fordham University, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science.
We are pleased to announce Meredith Scarlata Dawson has been appointed to the newly created position of Director of Financial Planning and Analysis for the Division of Campus Life.
Dear Colleagues,
I hope you and your families are healthy and well. I am most pleased to announce the appointment of Dana Hamdan as senior director for strategic engagement and chief of staff.
As a division, we have been creating and continue to create spaces for students and colleagues to support each other as well as to take up issues of equity and inclusion.
We write to share very sad news. We received word recently from the family of Milan Samardjiski, Class of 2023 that he had died unexpectedly. Milan was at home with his family in Macedonia.
The Search Committee met through the spring semester and has continued to meet this summer with the goal of developing an initial draft of a job description for the BCSC Director based on the listening sessions this spring and developing a plan moving forward for the search and hiring process given the evolving significant impact of the pandemic.
The under-construction center and residence hall on Brook Street in Providence remains on track to bring the University’s health and wellness programs under one roof as early as Spring 2021. View full article
Inspired by the unprecedented show of unity among New York’s Division I men’s and women’s basketball coaches, 45 men’s and women’s basketball coaches at 23 Division I schools across New England have come together to form TEAM NEW ENGLAND. As part of the team, each coach will use his or her social media platform to share public health guidelines with their audience in an effort to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Fans can follow the #TEAMNEWENGLAND hashtag on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Read article
When working from home, it's imperative to create boundaries and self-care rituals to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
When your living space is also your working space, it's particularly easy to fall into the bad habit of never turning off — and that's not ideal for your mental or physical well-being.
Here are some self-care tips:
We hope this finds you well considering the challenging circumstances. We are so sorry for the ongoing disruption to your semester and the stress that it has caused. It’s heartbreaking and we’ve had to make some of the most challenging decisions of our careers in recent days. At the same time, we also really appreciate and value the acts of kindness and generosity we’ve witnessed that make us grateful to be a part of a caring community. It’s not easy, but we want you to know that Campus Life continues to work hard to support all of you.
We are writing with important information about COVID-19 and implications for the Brown campus community. Unfortunately, the situation around the country and at Brown is becoming more difficult each day. The University has learned that yesterday, for the first time, a member of our community tested positive for novel coronavirus. Brown students and employees who were in contact with the diagnosed individual have been notified directly by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), which provides guidance on health considerations and quarantine.
As the impact of novel coronavirus continues to escalate, we know this is a tremendously challenging time for families - both for your students at Brown and for all of you as well. Our foremost concern is the health and well-being of our entire University community, and we continue to follow the guidance of medical experts on and beyond campus.
We know that the news that Brown is transitioning to remote learning raises many questions for students. The health and wellbeing of our students remains a top priority as Brown responds to this worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and we understand that this period of transition to remote learning may be stressful.
We are delighted to announce that Sean Thompson will be joining us on Monday, March 30 as the inaugural Program Director for Orientation and First Year Experience. Sean currently serves as the Director of New Student and Family Programs at University of Massachusetts Boston where he leads an orientation program for 2,400 new students and supervises a Program Assistant, Graduate Intern, and 27 orientation staff members.
I am happy to announce that David (Dave) Cavallaro will be joining the Office of Residential Life operations team Monday, March 9th as the Assistant Director of Administrative Operations. Dave will be responsible for housing processes relating to occupancy management; room selection/assignments; commencement and reunion housing; and occupancy management reporting.
We have two important updates on the progress of the search for the next Director of the Brown Center for Students of Color - one regarding the significant and meaningful feedback gathered from the listening sessions, and the other on the search timeline.
We are pleased to announce the full search committee for the BCSC Director search. We want to thank all those who helped nominate students and students who self-nominated through a range of access points. Because we received a significant number of strong nominations, our desire to be as representative as possible on a search committee with limited membership, and recently expressed desire for there to be alumni on the committee, we have decided to expand the committee slightly from 8 to 10 members. This enabled us to include three alumni with connections to the BCSC (two more recent graduates - one staff from the class of ’12, one student - now graduate student - from the class of ’19, and a staff member who was a graduate student here earning her Ph.D.).
It with great pleasure and excitement that I write to share the good news that Imam Dr. Amir Toft accepted our invitation to join the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life as Associate Chaplain for the Muslim community effective July 1, 2020. I am deeply indebted to everyone who assisted in the process and most especially to all of the members of the search committee for their extraordinary service and patience with a long but rewarding process.
The BCSC is an important resource for the Brown community especially students and thus we feel it is important for students to hold the majority constituency of the eight-member committee, with a compositional makeup of three undergraduate students and one graduate student.
We are writing to share with you that we are beginning a new search for the next Director of the Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC). The BCSC is an important resource for the community, especially students at Brown and beyond campus, and thus we feel it is important to inform various constituencies of the start of this search. We are pleased to share this news and look forward to working with you throughout the semester during this process.
A first in the country and built from the ground up by students, Brown University’s Transformative Justice Program addresses harm on campus without relying on the punitive legal system.
Avon High graduate Kia McNeill, the head coach of the Brown University women’s soccer team, was unanimously named the Ivy League Coach of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. McNeill earned Coach of the Year honors for the first time in her fourth year at Brown. McNeill led the Bears to its first Ivy League title since 1994. Her squad posted a program-record for wins in a season (14) and finished 14-1-2 overall with a 6-0-1 mark in league play. The Bears were ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation during the season. Read More
At Brown’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, President Christina H. Paxson announced plans for increased financial aid for student veterans, need-blind and test-optional admission policies and new partnerships to increase the number of veterans at Brown. Read More
The Brown University women’s soccer team will host Monmouth University in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division I championship on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Stevenson-Pincince Field. The Bears will make their seventh appearance all-time in the NCAA championship and first appearance since 1994. Brown earned a berth into the tournament after winning the Ivy League title for the first time since 1994. Read More
Koren Bakkegard will join the Division of Campus Life on August 1st as the Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students. In her role she will oversee four important departments (Residential Life, Student Conduct and Community Standards, Student Support Services, and Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center and Student Activities) for building community with students as well as many of the resources and processes that support students in need and crisis.
At the Undergraduate Council of Students’ Wednesday general body meeting, Assistant Director for Community Dialogue and Campus Engagement Marc Peters spoke about the search for a program coordinator to develop and implement transformative justice models for conflict resolution. Read More
A revised version of the University’s “Helping a Student in Distress” website launched earlier this month, which aims to be more accessible for students experiencing mental health issues and peers hoping to help them, according to an announcement from the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life. Read More
With investments in coaching staff, facilities, recruiting and more, the BrownTogether campaign is significantly advancing the University’s goal of amplifying the scholar-athlete experience. Read More.
With generous support from the family of Duncan MacMillan and from Barry Sternlicht and Mimi Reichert Sternlicht, and with architect selection underway, the University’s vision for an integrated, state-of-the-art health and wellness center and residence hall is on a path toward realization. Read More.
Garrett Robinson is a senior at Brown University, and a running back for the Brown Bears. Late last month, he co-led a mandatory training for freshman players, but it wasn’t about their skills on the football field. Read more.
Hunter, the University’s first associate director of athletics for diversity and inclusion initiatives, will develop and implement programs focused on Brown athletics and student-athletes. Read More
INDIANAPOLIS--- Brown Director of Athletics Jack Hayes has been named chair of the Division I Men's Lacrosse Committee for the 2018-19 season. Read More
Brown Emergency Medical Services launched as a student club in 1978 — 40 years later, it is a full-fledged, 24-7 emergency medical response service with student volunteers still comprising its core. Read More
Last month, Nicole Truesdell began her tenure as the new assistant vice president for campus life. In this role, Truesdell will provide “leadership and strategic planning for the division of campus life” in addition to implementing initiatives that ensure “the division and (the) University are attune to and responsive to the diversity of Brown’s student population,” Eric Estes, vice president for campus life, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. Read More
Four-part series addresses issues affecting Brown students’ mental health, encourages mindfulness. Counseling and Psychological Services will offer four new workshops through their new project, called Wellness Life Hacks this semester. The program — which will begin on Jan. 30 and end on May 1 — is open to all students and covers a variety of issues affecting students at Brown, such as sleep deprivation and burnout prevention. Read More.
Dinner hosted by Office of the Chaplains fosters inter-faith conversations among students. Interfaith dinners hosted by the Office of the Chaplains play a part in this. Tuesday night, several religious groups on campus got together for interfaith dinner on the fourth floor of J. Walter Wilson to discuss social justice, their religious lives and where they intersect. While this was only the second interfaith dinner of the semester, Rabbi Michelle Dardashti hopes it will lead to the “resurrection of an interfaith council.” Read More.
Veterans part of RUE program grapple with finding community on campus. Every time Tristan Hood ’18 or Joel Fudge ’21 go out to eat, they make sure to find seats facing the door. “It’s an awareness thing,” Hood said. Hood and Fudge are two of the 18 undergraduate student veterans at Brown, and they move through campus more attentively than most. Fudge also said he has also had to adjust to the University’s timeliness — or lack thereof. “One of the harder things for me is that nothing is on time,” Fudge said. “In the military, you are not late. You are 15 minutes early, and you are five minutes early to your 15 minutes early.” Read More.
As assistant vice president and executive director of health and wellness, Brown-trained physician and master’s alumna, and longtime Wellesley College health services director will oversee all medical and mental health services for students. Read More
Initiatives address student concerns, restructure department leadership, highlight staff diversity. During shopping period this semester, for the first time, Counseling and Psychological Services allowed students to meet with therapists without scheduling an appointment beforehand, said Will Meek, director of CAPS. The availability for walk-in appointments during shopping period is just one of a series of new initiatives and policies intended to improve the quality of mental healthcare on campus. Read More.
Selected from a national pool of applicants by students and administrators in April, Julio Reyes ’12 began his work as the inaugural program director of the First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center June 15. In his role as program director, Reyes has been tasked with developing a strategic plan for the center that will support both undocumented students — including individuals enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — and students from first-generation or low-income backgrounds, The Herald previously reported. Read More
In the wake of the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Brown’s president, provost and campus life vice president commit to doing everything legally possible to protect students, faculty and staff. Learn More
