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Joe Mollo, director of campus activities and events at the University of Maine, has been called up to active duty with the United States Navy.
Filling in for Mollo temporarily will be former Oxford Resident Director E.J. Roach.
Mollo was first notified earlier in the semester about the possibility of deployment but was uncertain when or if he would actually be activated by the Navy.
But Mollo was activated and served his last day as director of campus activities and events on Tuesday, Oct. 5.
Before he left, Mollo and Associate Dean for Students Kenda Scheele began the search for a replacement, ultimately deciding on Roach.
The office of Equal Opportunity Employment gave Scheele a search waiver, meaning she did not have to conduct a national search for a replacement, because Roach’s term as coordinator for campus activities and events will terminate upon his graduation in May.
Roach, who will graduate with a Masters in Higher Education was one of a handful of people on campus under consideration for the job. Other prospective candidates actually backed away from the possibility of taking over for Mollo as his deployment became evident, according to Scheele, making Roach an ideal candidate for the position.
“When it became clear that [Mollo] was going to go, some of the people changed their minds,” she said.
Roach began his first “official” day of work on Oct. 12 and has since settled into his new office in Memorial Union.
Before Mollo left, Roach was briefed on what he could expect for the rest of the fall semester.
“Joe brought me up to speed on plans in place for the fall and upcoming events during the year,” Roach said.
But Roach’s experience with programming, prior to the crash course by Mollo, was why he was hired.
Before working as an RD, Roach worked as the coordinator of Greek Life at UMaine from 2000 to 03. Roach said his previous experience as a leader among students will help ease the transition into his new post.
“I think my ability to work well with students, to approach them, to energize them and to find out what they want will help me,” Roach said. “I’ve built a network of connections with various student organizations.”
Roach said he is excited at the prospect of getting to work with new student groups on campus, but also said it was not an easy decision to leave his job as an RD.
“My wife and I really felt like a part of that community,” Roach said about Residence Life. “It was a difficult decision to take this position.”
Scheele and Dana also consulted with Director of Residence Life and Programs Barbara Smith to make sure Roach could leave his prior commitment as RD of Oxford Hall.
Smith said while it will be hard to replace someone like Roach, she’s not too sad to see him go because of the great opportunity this position affords him. She sees the opportunity for Roach to fill in for Mollo as a good smart career move for him.
“I would never stand in the way of an RD who was going to do something for their career,” Smith said. “That just doesn’t make sense.”
Smith said moving up is a trend she’s used to in Residence Life. Most of her staff, she said, are go-getters who are always looking to advance.
“The bad thing is they’re looking to move. They’re so good everyone wants them,” she said.
Smith also explained an alternative plan for filling the RD position in Oxford Hall – something she said she’s also used to.
“We’re pretty well know for our ‘B’ plans,” Smith said with a laugh.
Alex Arroyo, RD of Gannett Hall has agreed to take on the task of managing the residents and staff of Oxford as well.
Arroyo estimated the total number of residents he will be responsible for is about 500. He admitted this is a big undertaking – bigger than any he’s previously had – but said he saw the opportunity as a way to support Residence Life in a truly altruistic manner.
“I basically thought it was a great opportunity to help the department,” Arroyo said. “I feel I’m prepared and capable of handling both buildings at the same time.”
And this isn’t the first time Arroyo has stepped up to the plate for Residence Life. During his senior year of school at UMaine, Arroyo moved from Hart, where he was an RA, to York Village, where he became assistant village coordinator.
But Arroyo said he doesn’t see this as a trend or as a habit of his department. He doesn’t consider himself any more qualified than his peers who are RDs.
“I don’t think there were any specific reasons I was asked to do the job,” he said. “They needed my help. They asked and I was willing.”
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