By Bryson Carter

This school year has come with many changes to Greensboro College–from new building hours to the addition of many new student and campus events. One of the biggest new changes, at least for those living on campus, is the change in leadership for the Residential Life (ResLife) team here at GC. At the beginning of this collegiate year, the school hired a new Director of ResLife, Mary Cross, as well as two new Residential Hall Directors, Andrew Maynor, for Greensboro and Hill Hall, and Jackson Little, for West Hall. 

Being the director of a program like ResLife is not easy, but luckily Cross is no stranger to the task. Before becoming a part of the pride, she worked at Saint Andrews as the Director of ResLife for nine years as well as being their head softball coach. However, with the sport taking up most of her weekends and the fact that she “really enjoyed the residential side of things,” she wanted to commit to ResLife full time. When asked what she loved about Greensboro specifically, she answered, “The small private school–that’s what Saint Andrew’s was and I loved it. I knew I did not want to be at a bigger school.”  

Similarly, Maynor also has had a plethora of jobs that helped prepare him for this position. “Before Greensboro, I was at Fayetteville State doing pretty much the exact same job,” he recalls, “before that, I was a summer camp director, before that I was a teacher and before that I was a medic in the army.” He was drawn to ResLife because he wants to help make the transition from school life to the real world a bit easier. “I just really wanted to be somewhere around young people so that I can help smooth the rougher edges of things as much as I can,” Maynor proclaims, “and ResLife fit that.”  

Little, while not having much previous ResLife specific experience, has one thing the other two do not–a rich history with the Greensboro College family. “Before I got this job, I was finishing my degree while staying in Hill Hall,” he states. He took a break from his education to join the Marine Corps, however, when he finished there, he was grateful for the opportunity to still be able to finish his degree here. “I love GC. They gave me a second chance and let me back in.” One of Little’s reasons for coming back to GC as an RHD was the connections he made, one of which is how he got the job. “I knew the RHD that had this job, me and him were friends my freshman year and all throughout college,” he recalls. “He told me he was probably going to leave the job, and I was thinking about how I need a good transitional job while I get my masters.” His background and love for the school combined with his work ethic are eventually what helped him receive the position. “I just wanted to still be a part of the family and make the school better, and make dorm life better for students.” 

When asked how their first semester has gone, all three of them essentially agreed to the same thing; it was a season of adjusting and getting used to a new place. “This year, in my eyes, has been a lot like a training year,” Little states. “I am just learning how to do my job and how to do it effectively.” Maynor expresses his own adjustments saying, “This job is a lot different than Fayetteville State because they are bigger and have a more robust life with more employees.” He enjoys the adjustment of working with a smaller and more personal group, but it is different. Cross described her first semester in one word: “Learning,” she says, “I would definitely say that I am still learning every day.” 

While there are difficulties and challenges being in a new place with a new job, these new ResLife leaders already have their favorite parts of their duty. Andrew enjoys the fact that this job makes him inherently social. “I could straight up be a hermit and just sit in my space and not speak to another soul, so it is good to have a thing that forces me to go out,” he attests. “It doesn’t hurt either that it is a live-in job, so I do not have to drive. I despise driving.”  

Meanwhile, Little enjoys being able to watch the active environment of the college experience. “You would have to live it to know what it is,” he says. “It is the most fun these kids are gonna have and they do not even know it.” He knows that being able to walk down the hall to your best friend’s dorm is one of the greatest experiences.  

Cross has fun helping students with rooming and roommates. “People do not realize, when you look at student housing questionnaires, that I actually take the time to look at it to try to partner them up with someone that I do feel like they would get along with based on how they answer; I really like pairing them up.”  

With this new leadership working together, the future of Greensboro College dorm life is in great hands and new ideas are already in the works. “I would like to help make improvements to the living spaces people have, although I cannot do it personally,” Maynor admits, “I also want to do some fun programs and introduce people to stuff they normally do not do. The biggest thing is I want to cultivate a community.” Little has a very similar mindset stating, “I want to make [college dorm living] enjoyable for them with things we have in the hall for them to do; programs we have just as a way for them to connect with other students and build friendships that will last a lifetime.” Additionally, Cross is looking forward to finding the students that will create that environment. “We are starting RA applications and we definitely want a good group to come in that are going to be involved with the students and really make them feel welcomed and build that community within their residents halls.” 

While these three are very different people, they all have one thing in common: they want the students to know that they are here for them. “I am in charge of the building, but I am not just an RHD to [the students]. I want them to know that they can still come to me for help whether it be with academics and classes or anything they need to talk about,” Jackson reinforces, “I want to not only help students with their living situation, but also help them in their academic careers too, so they can be successful graduates.” Maynor adds by saying, “I know sometimes it feels like you reach out and the thing you are talking about is not getting solved or fixed, but I promise you, based on what I know about the team and the way we work, we are doing what we can. If we tell you we are working on it, we are working on it. There is not a problem on campus we do not want to solve.” Cross summarizes it perfectly, “I want the students to know that I am here for them, so if they are having issues, whether it is roommates, whether it is a personal issue and they just need someone to talk to, whether it is a maintenance issue that happens everywhere–transitioning from living with your parents or a different living situation to living with a roommate or on campus is difficult and they need to make sure they know I am here for them.” While new to the campus, these three individuals are ready and committed to the safety and success of every member of the Greensboro Pride. Students can reach out to them anytime by emailing them, setting up a meeting with them during their office hours, which are posted on their office doors, or just greeting them when you see them out and about. It is great to know we have people so dedicated to the students in these leadership roles.