<n email to students early last week, Director of Campus Activities Robin Hart Ruthenbeck announced that the Division of Student Life has decided not to renew her contract this year. Ruthenbeck ended her nine-year career at Campus Activities last Thursday. Reasons for Ruthenbeck’s dismissal are unknown due to the Division of Student Life’s privacy policies and Ruthenbeck’s own desire that her departure not create too much of a disruption.
As an administrator in the Division of Student Life, Ruthenbeck’s contract was evaluated by her immediate supervisor Associate Dean of Students Bucky Zeitz, as well as his supervisor Dean of Students Hudlin Wagner.
Zietz was available to give general comments about the way that the Division of Student Life evaluates its employees, but could not provide specific details about Ruthenbeck’s contract:
“Personnel issues are very important to me and I try to do them ethically and try to respect each person’s privacy” he said.
Ruthenbeck herself asked not to be quoted for this story.
Jill Rodde (’09), a Program Assistant in the Campus Activities office said that the news came as a shock to students who had known Ruthenbeck, and that many were upset.
“A lot of the student outrage has been based on the fact that Robin really does do a lot about planning for different activities on campus. A lot of things just wouldn’t happen if she didn’t step up.”
Because she is an employee of the Campus Activities Office, Rodde was not able to comment on why Ruthebeck may have lost her job.
As Director of Campus Activities, Ruthenbeck’s job involved leading the office next to the Sayles post office that sponsors programs from New Student Week to Senior Week, and which organizes the NNB, the Lagniappe, and the Co-Op Bus. Campus Activities is also charged with advising student organizations and the CSA Senate.
Campus Activities underwent scrutiny beyond the annual process of staff evaluations this past spring through an external review. The complete conclusions remain confidential, but include suggestions for improving the open student space in Sayles room 160, and student accessibility to Campus Activities staff.
Beginning next week, the Student Activities will be led by an interim team consisting of Zietz and Associate Director of Campus. Zietz expects that the office will have a new permanent director by mid-summer.