Temporary Changes for Student Development
Photo courtesy of Bluefield.edu
Pregnancies are a time of excitement and anticipation. For Bluefield University’s Office of Student Development, it will also be a time of change.
Director of Student Life Katie McDaniel recently announced her pregnancy and impending maternity leave, and with that in mind Student Development is preparing to fill the void that will be temporarily left while McDaniel is away. As head of residential life, McDaniel’s role in overseeing campus living and ensuring community standards is pivotal.
“My main tasks are overseeing the students living on campus at Bluefield University,” McDaniel said, “and making sure the community standards of living are being enforced by our residence life staff, as well as being maintained by the students who live on campus.”
McDaniel added that she also spends a lot of time responding to emergency situations that develop and overseeing residence life expenditures.
“All that is just a big fancy way to say that I make sure that campus living goes smoothly for the students,” McDaniel said.
With all those roles to fill while she’s on maternity leave, McDaniel has been proactively working with others to ensure a seamless transition and to cover all bases in her absence. Knowing her maternity leave will run throughout the summer and into the fall, she emphasized the critical tasks that must be completed during fall move-in days for students and during fall student leader training, both significant events that require meticulous planning and extra support.
“The main task that I think will need to be managed while I am away is fall move-in itself,” McDaniel said. “It is a large event that that I am solely responsible for planning and executing.”
This fall, there will be four technical move-in days: a new fall athlete move-in day, a returning fall athlete move-in day, a new traditional student move-in day, and a returning traditional student move-in day. These four days are larger than spring move-in days and therefore require more preparation.
“The other big event that someone will step in for me is fall student leader training,” McDaniel said. “These days are the days that I take all the new residence life staff, and we go through step by step what it means to be an RA or RD and the tasks those jobs entail. Me not being here means that the RDs will have to step up and take over that role and help guide the new group of res life staff in how to do their job.”
McDaniel has already started early student leader interviews and is engaged in discussions to delegate responsibilities for the fall tasks. Her confidence in her team’s ability to step up during her absence is evident.
“The main things that will need to be done are making sure RAs and RDs are prepared to handle tough situations in my absence,” McDaniel said. “Yes, the dean of students and VP Mullins will be around to lend helping hands, but it will be more on them to handle in the moment issues in the dorms until I return, as well as properly educating new students on the policies and procedures as they arrive to campus.”
McDaniel trusts that her team of resident directors (RDs), the dean of students, and VP Cory Mullins will work collaboratively to maintain the smooth operation of residential life. Her strategic planning and dedication to her role ensure that her absence will be seen but not felt, leaving a well-prepared team to continue providing a positive campus living experience for students.
McDaniel’s leadership and commitment to the Bluefield University community are truly commendable, and her thoughtful preparations exemplify her dedication to her role. The entire residential life team is poised to support each other and maintain the high standards set by McDaniel during her maternity leave.