By Maddie King:
Residence halls are a major part of the Howard Payne University student experience. From everyday living to student safety to fun events, the resident directors manage all that residence halls are.
This year HPU has two new resident directors. Kristen Faulkner, ‘01, is the new RD for Veda Hodge Hall, and Jake Lehrer, ‘21, is now the RD of Taylor Hall.
Faulkner said that when she was asked to apply, she had “a million excuses as to why it wouldn’t work,” but she ended up applying and within a few weeks was offered the position. Faulkner accepted the job, moved to Brownwood a week later, and then started four days after that.
She said she still hasn’t caught her breath from the quick turnaround. But she’s taken to the job with a mind full of new, exciting ideas and can’t wait to see where this year takes her.
Faulkner and Lehrer started their years with unpredictable accidents everywhere they turned.
Lehrer said he’s dealt with a flooded laundry room, a small fire, and a 12-hour power outage.
Faulkner has dealt with a broken fridge, a broken coffee machine, a busted pipe with a flooded basement, and a 12-hour power outage which blew out the lobby lights, the 2nd floor’s air conditioner, and the water heaters. Their experience as the RDs so far has been full of ups and downs.
Faulkner and Lehrer said they have goals for their buildings as a whole and goals for residence life in general. One of their goals is that they’d like to get their retention rates higher so that they can use every room in their building.
“We are hoping that in the future we would be able to offer some things that would make it more cost beneficial to stay on campus than to move off campus,” said Faulkner. “We feel like that’s why kids want to move off campus, because they think they can save money.”
Faulkner added she believes the students will benefit from staying on campus.
“That’s one of our goals, is to make it more cost effective for kids to stay on campus,” said Faulkner. “It’s definitely better in our opinion for their morale, for their community. They attend class more if they stay on campus. Overall, it’s better for the university as a whole if our students live on campus.”
Faulkner and Lehrer have ideas as to what could tempt students to stay on campus. Many students feel that little improvements here and there will improve dorm life, so that is what they’re focusing on right now. In the long run they hope to make bigger improvements so that it is cheaper for students to stay on campus rather than to move after their sophomore year.
Lehrer said he wants his residents to know that he is there for them and cares about their well-being.
“I want our on-campus students to know that the resident directors are here to take care of them,” said Lehrer. “I want to be a servant to our students.”
Student Mason Guinn, a sophomore accounting major from Hamilton, said it’s evident that Lehrer cares for the students.
“Jake really tries to get to know everyone on a personal level,” said Guinn.
Faulkner is obvious in the care she shows for her residents. She said she genuinely cares for each of them and wants to be there for anything they might need.
“I’m nervous about losing 30 girls at Christmas,” said Faulkner. “I don’t want to lose 30 girls. I do think that this is the very best place, there is not another school that I would go and do this for. I don’t have a desire to further another school, so I want to keep all of our girls. It was deeply upsetting to me that we lost three at the beginning of the year and so I want to keep all of my girls. That’s important to me.”
Veda Hodge resident Kristen Prendergast, a sophomore allied health science from Midlothian, said Faulkner has been very helpful already.
“Kristen really considers not only the RAs needs, but also the residents,” said Prendergast. “When something goes down, she knows exactly what to do and jumps right on the case.”
Faulkner and Lehrer have a deep passion for HPU and want to make improvements so that the great traditions of this school continue on for many years. Exciting things are in store for HPU residence life in the coming years.
Photo of Yellow Jacket staff writer Maddie King