By Jaci Schneider, Opinion Editor

Scott McBryde knows the Office of Residence Life Education and Housing well. After serving as a resident assistant and spiritual life assistant before graduating last May, he became the administrative coordinator for residence life in January.

“I’m in charge of organizing all the housing details,” McBryde said. “I put people in residence halls and supervise the potluck process.”

He’s also an administrative assistant to Dr. Mimi Barnard, director of Residence Life Education and Housing. He manages her schedule and prepares reports for Barnard, McBryde said.

Barnard said about half of McBryde’s job is supporting the work she does.

“Everything from meeting with people about Barret Hall to our summer schedule to routine summer maintenance,” Barnard said. “Those are an example.”

McBryde said although he faced a big learning curve in his position, he enjoys the process of placing students in halls.

“It’s like a game. How many students can you plug into a residence hall before 5 p.m.?” McBryde said.

He also said he enjoys being a resource to students who need help with housing. He usually receives phone calls from parents who are concerned with their child’s roommate situation, and sometimes students will come to him with difficult roommate situations.

To assign students to a hall, he sifts through stacks of housing request forms and examines when students go to bed, how messy they are and what kind of study habits they practice. He said he’s already gone through about 75 percent of the housing requests.

“I think that knowing how well I do my job can really impact a student’s semester is intimidating,” McBryde said. “It’s a good fear; it keeps my on my toes.”

Barnard said McBryde has done well in his new position so far, and he seems to get along with people he works with.

“I think he’s probably the nicest person on the planet,” Barnard said, adding McBryde did a good job working through the frenzy of sophomore housing sign-ups last week.

McBryde said he plans to remain in his new position until the fall of 2006 when he will enter graduate school for marriage and family therapy full time. He is currently a part-time graduate student, studying Christian ministry and marriage and family therapy.

Since he began working in the Office of Residence Life Education and Housing, McBryde said he’s learned a lot, especially about the administration of the university.

“I have so much more respect now for the institution and the people who work here,” he said.