Residential peer leader hopefuls checked their mailboxes yesterday, looking for a letter they had been waiting for since February.
With the highest number of applications in recent years, administrators made offers to 95 students on Wednesday - 32 RC positions, 22 WPC positions, 33 CA positions and 8 rep positions. The RPL program moved its decision date from Friday to yesterday, needing more time to adequately review over 160 applications, said Natalie Basil, associate director of residential programs in the Office of Residential Life. The selection process took longer than usual because each student wrote several essays, submitted two recommendations, participated in two interviews and was then reviewed by a selection committee.
55 RPLs reapplied to the program and 106 students applied for the first time, Basil said. Ninety-four of the new applicants were first-years.
Last year there were 89 new applicants and 26 returners, said Rosario Navarro, project manager in the Office of the Vice President of Campus Life and Student Services, who held Basil's position last year.
Basil conducted almost twice as many information sessions this year as Navarro did last year, substantially increasing awareness of the program and application process, Navarro said.
Applications for the women's peer counselor position reached an unprecedented level. This year, 51 students - including one male - applied to be WPCs, though some also applied to be residential counselors or community assistants, Basil said. 22 were accepted, one for each first-year unit.
Last year, 28 students applied and 22 were hired as WPCs. In 2006, only 11 students applied, making it impossible for each of the 22 freshman units to have their own WPC, Navarro said. But application numbers are up "across the board" this year for leadership roles, Basil said.
Susannah Kroeber '11 said she applied to be a WPC because of the impact current WPCs have had on her freshman experience. Kroeber, a rugby player, met a number of WPCs outside her unit through the women's rugby team, which boasts a large number of WPCs because of the "strong woman" image it promotes, she said.
Her friends encouraged her to apply because of the great experience they had with their first-years and working with ResLife, she said. The huge number of applications shows "how strongly people feel about the program," said Kroeber, who was selected to be a WPC in Bronson House next year.
Basil said many of the RPL applicants cited "outstanding, motivational and inspiring RPLs" in their interviews. The high numbers this year can be attributed to the excellent job Navarro and her colleagues did in the selection process last year, she said, but also to "a really motivated first-year class."
Annalisa Wilde '11 applied for both the RC and WPC role because she did not have a close relationship with her RPLs this year. "I'd like to be able to have more of an impact," she said. "I'd like to be in a position to guide people, be the default person if they need help." Wilde said she also applied for the Minority Peer Counselor position, but was waitlisted.
Josh Marcotte '11 knew he wanted to be an RC within a month of being at Brown. "I was really attracted to the opportunity to help people start anew at school," he said.
Marcotte found out he was accepted yesterday, after checking his mailbox several times throughout the day. "I'm thrilled," he said. "I'm just really looking forward to it. It will make my experience next year that much better."
Current WPC Sarah Magaziner '10 was one of 12 students who applied to be an RPL rep for next year. "The (WPC) community means a lot to me and I want to continue to be a part of its growth and development," said Magaziner, who was accepted. "It was a strenuous interview process, very much directed toward getting good answers," Kroeber said. "The essays were useful in determining how I wanted to frame myself as a (WPC)."
Navarro and Basil both said they have met many dedicated RPLs through the program.
"They are concentrated on their own academics and extracurricular activities," Basil said. "But they also have the lives of their first-years."
