Significant personnel changes are underway in the Office of Residential Life. Rosario Navarro, currently the office's associate director, will become project manager in the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services on Oct. 9. Her current position will be filled by Natalie Basil, who is now the director of residential life at Dean College in Massachusetts.
In another staffing change, Jenna Sousa, a ResLife administrative assistant, will become the department's housing coordinator this month.
According to Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life, the simultaneous changes are the result of a domino effect of open positions and are typical of the "normal ebb and flow" of the office. It is just a matter of "getting the right people in the right positions," he said.
Marina Byrne-Folan '09, a residential peer leader, said, "I am really going to miss working with Rosario and Jenna, but I am glad that their hard work has been recognized, (and) I am looking forward to the new things that are going to happen in ResLife."
Navarro, who has worked in ResLife for four years, said that as project manager, she will work with student groups to promote and fund their programs. She will also staff various committees - such as the committee that coordinates Orientation - with which she has previously worked.
Though she said leaving her position in ResLife was a tough choice because of the strong connection she had with the Residential Peer Leader Program, Navarro said she is excited about "continuing to work with students," but with a "different glance at the institution."
The office of Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Russell Carey '91 MA'06 is "thoughtful in exploring student issues" and is in "constant contact with students and their needs," she added, something she looks forward to being a part of.
Basil, Navarro's replacement, comes to ResLife with a "wealth of experience," Bova said. She has worked for the last 10 years in residential life at various institutions, including Gettysburg College and Smith College. More recently, she completed a brief stint at Brown in 2006 before taking on her current position at Dean College.
In 2006, Basil worked in ResLife at Brown in a temporary position to coordinate Commencement and reunion housing, and she leapt at the opportunity to return to the University, she told The Herald.
During her previous time at the University, Basil was mostly in contact with parents and alums, she said, and she looks forward to hearing directly from students in her new position.
"I am really excited to be a part of the ResLife team and a part of the Brown community," she added.
Having already worked with many of the current members of ResLife staff, Basil said she already feels comfortable at the University.
Basil's previous work with Brown - in addition to her other experiences - made her an "obvious choice," Navarro said.
The housing coordinator position - Sousa's new role - was created in "a retooling" of ResLife as a result of the "complex processes" and multitude of programs the office regularly deals with, Bova said. A replacement for her current job as administrative assistant has been hired and will begin in mid-October.
