After being at Georgetown for less than five months, Director of Residence Life Frank Robinson resigned last Wednesday effective immediately. Robinson’s resignation creates another vacancy in Residence Life, which already lacks one of two associate directors.
Robinson was appointed in July, following the resignation of Bethany Marlowe, effective last May. Marlowe had been at Georgetown for 15 years.
Robinson’s resignation adds to the list of administrators involved with Student Affairs who have left the University in the past few years, including Marlowe. Recent resignations also include former Director of Student Programs Mary Kay Schneider and former Associate Director of Residence Life Chuck Van Sant, among others.
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson said that he sees no pattern in the resignations at Georgetown.
“Student Affairs and Student Programs are stressful roles with long hours. It’s a national issue and pattern,” Olson said. “It’s normal and to be expected.”
University administrators would not comment on Robinson’s reasons for resignation.
Olson said that Robinson made many contributions during his term as director of Residence Life.
“I thought he brought a lot to the University … What I really appreciated was his fresh approach. He really cared about what was fair and what was educational for students,” Interim Co-Director of Residence Life Todd Harris said.
However, according to several Student Affairs staff members who wish to remain anonymous, Robinson did not fit well with the University. Staff members said that Robinson did not learn the culture of Georgetown and tried to implement change too quickly.
“I think he wanted to work with students, however, his approach didn’t seem cohesive with the University,” Henle Village Hall Director Christine Doktor said.
Doktor was optimistic about the change and the probability of finding a good director for Residence Life.
“Residence Life is in good hands,” Doktor said.
Senior Adviser to the Resident Judicial Council Joe Gardner (CAS ‘03), who has been involved with RJC since its inception in 2000, said the RJC experienced difficulty working with Robinson.
“He wasn’t open from the very beginning about interacting and transitioning … He radically changed things and eliminated all possibility of continuity,” Gardner said.
Gardner said the change is welcome to the RJC.
“People now are willing to work with us and treat us as a legitimate campus organization,” he said.
Robinson could not be reached by press time.
Harris and Interim Associate Director of Residence Life Greg Dickson were named interim co-directors of Residence Life last week after Robinson’s resignation. Harris has been at Georgetown for five years, and Dickson, an associate of Robinson’s, arrived in mid-September after Van Sant resigned.
Robinson’s resignation came as a surprise to the department, said Harris. Some staff members were confused and upset by the resignation, which Harris called unusual.
Although Residence Life staff will have more work, the change should not impact students, Harris said. The staff will, however, focus on the pressing needs of Residence Life and what needs to be done to operate on a daily basis, according to Harris.
“Changes we wanted to implement may be on the back burner,” Harris said.
Dickson described Robinson’s resignation, and any resignation at a University during the academic year, as a surprise.
He agreed that the general student body will not be affected by the change and the reduced staff.
“We’re going to probably try to do things more efficiently. We might not develop new programs,” Dickson said.
Dickson said he will remain at Georgetown for the academic year, as a second permanent associate director has not yet been found.
A search committee has met to fill the position of associate director, according to Olson. Another search committee will meet within the next few months to begin the process of hiring a new director, whom Olson said should be in place by the summer.
