Edward, Thornton, and Hunton House’s dons speak to their experiences
Residence executive members (exec) are a key feature of residence life at Mt.A, whose duties, according to Mt.A’s website, include organizing “exciting residence events and trips for students.” These positions – president, vice president, co-social chair, and treasurer – are part of a team of five students that aims to build community within residences. This team also includes a don, an adult who resides in student housing to provide guidance and support for student life.
Pat Joyce, the co-don of Edwards House, Thornton House, and Hunton House, spoke about executive positions within his residences being incomplete at the start of the year. “There were two teams of three and one team of four,” said Joyce. “None of them were filled for September.”
Joyce explained they “attempt to fill all positions a year prior,” during the months of March and April. When positions are vacant after hiring in the previous year, they “fill at the start of the year,” in September or early October. This year, it was only as of Oct. 24 that the remaining positions were filled.
Without a full residence exec. team at the beginning of the year, there were difficulties. Exec. had to “pick up some extra work to make up for the shortage,” Joyce said. Joyce specifically referenced Orientation Week, which is “very busy” and when the “exec. are trying to set the tone for the year.” Their tasks include decorating the house, planning activities and programs to “make people feel welcome to the campus, [and] welcome to the house,” Joyce said. Joyce pointed out this takes a toll on the students. By the time students get to late September, the teams who are not full are very tired.
According to Daniela Fernandez, the other co-don of Edwards, Thornton, and Hunton, an additional challenge concerned their training. “Team members that get elected in the fall in those positions that are vacant do not get to participate in any of the orientation training,” Fernandez said. She added that not arriving on campus early requires “a lot of catching up to do,” as execs don’t receive “the tools or the knowledge that they really need to be effective.”
Both dons discussed some of the reasons why these roles are going vacant. Joyce suspects, “much of it is post-pandemic changes; a lot of tradition and culture on campus would have changed after campus [was] much more restricted and less open for the better part of two years.”
Joyce added, while “exec. do receive a small honorarium, these are treated as volunteer positions” with a large workload. He stated exec positions are “a lot of work” requiring “a lot of organization and time.” This includes administrative work such as paperwork for events that have to be approved by Residence Life.
Fernandez also shared her observation of a “shift at the university level where there seems to be more concern with managing risks associated with student events.” Fernandez stated this management of student events leads to “less room for students to explore their creativity and their freedoms.”
To move past these barriers, Fernandez stated, “better compensation would probably be a bigger motivation for students to be involved, and also better access to training,” making the rewards outweigh the investment and to make students feel more prepared.
Joyce said that, “it would be great to see a culture on campus designed in support of [the] goals; where exec. positions serve as a launching pad to be able to take on future leadership roles within the Mount Allison and Sackville community.”
In discussion of why to apply for these positions, Joyce shared that they, “always endeavour to make the experience for exec. as fun as it can be.” He later shared that these events “challenge [exec.] and help them develop new skills.”