Last Thursday, Trinity sophomore Rekha Vij found out something many University students have known for a while-time spent skipping class is time well-spent.
Vij, however, didn't log any additional hours of sleep with her new-found time. Instead, Vij-the winner of the Delta Gamma sorority's Dean for the Day promotion-woke up around 8 a.m. and spent the entire day bustling around with Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Sue Wasiolek.
"It was a really nice break from classes," Vij said. "I learned more about what it takes to run an institution and be successful, as opposed to a lot of the book knowledge I would've gotten from lecture. I guess I would consider [shadowing Wasiolek] more educational."
Wasiolek-who has been with the Office of Student Affairs since 1979-could certainly teach more than her share of lessons. Usually at her office at 7 a.m. in the morning, Wasiolek generally engages in at least 10 meetings a day, provides help to students on a variety of issues, speaks with parents via telephone and completes a number of other duties before departing for home around 11 p.m.
Where does Wasiolek get the energy from to spend over two-thirds of her life in the same surroundings everyday? Surprisingly, she points to the student bonfire controversy earlier this year as an example of why she keeps to her schedule.
"I'll tell you, [the bonfire] situation was certainly discouraging and difficult," Wasiolek said. "But it also provided an opportunity for me and my colleagues to recognize that sometimes we weren't
communicating as clearly as we thought we were, and we also realized there was a lesson to be learned in all of the incident. I was once again provided with energy from the students."
Spending the day with Wasiolek, explained Vij, made her realize that the administration is not the impersonal arm of bureaucracy she had always pictured it to be. Instead, she said that, as the day wore on, Wasiolek evolved into more of a friend than an administrator or even a mentor.
"The main purpose of this event is... to provide a means for both Dean Sue and the student to gain insight into each other's position and perspective," said Engineering Senior and 1997 Delta Gamma Foundation Vice President Carrie Shockley, who originated the idea for this year's promotion.
By shadowing Wasiolek through eight meetings and an elaborate dinner and discussion with the Trinity College Board of Visitors at the Washington Duke Inn, Vij gained plenty of insight into the life of one of the busiest and most dedicated administrators at the University.
"You have to be a jack-of-all- trades [to be an administrator]," Vij said. "You have to be able to go with the flow and do all kinds of different things, dealing with students-on both a positive aspect and negative aspect-dealing with administrators and trying to balance that with the board of visitors and all these people you are responsible for. I think that Dean Sue just does it with an amazing grace-she does a wonderful job."
Of course, Wasiolek did not spare her praises for Vij, either. A chemistry major from Glenview, Ill., Vij is also member of the Duke Chorale and Roundtable Dormitory.
"What I learned from Rekha was something I learned from every Duke student that I've ever known or met, and that is how involved and committed Duke students are," Wasiolek said. "Duke students never cease to amaze me, in terms of their talent and their involvement. Rekha was no exception."
Despite Wasiolek's high opinion of Dean for a Day, the program had been discontinued after a one-time trial 10 years ago. The idea to revive Dean for the Day came when Shockley stumbled upon an old newspaper clip from 1988, which was the last time the promotion took place at the University. Not coincidentally, that promotion also involved Wasiolek.
"Dean Sue consistently makes efforts to get to know students better. This event is a chance for students to learn more about her and her role at Duke," Shockley said.
In the 1988 version-also sponsored by Delta Gamma-Wasiolek actually spent her day attending the student's classes while the student followed Wasiolek's agenda. The student, unfortunately, was an engineering major, which meant Wasiolek was forced to endure the heinous systematic torture that is an engineering laboratory.
"I was anything but asleep in those engineering classes," Wasiolek said. "I created quite a disturbance in a couple of the engineering labs because I needed so much help. I kept interfering with other students getting their work done.
"What it meant was that [the student] was going to have to do them all over," she continued. "What we tried to do this year was to make certain that the program did not interfere with the student's classes."
Thus, this time, the program was modified and Wasiolek escaped having to attend the cell biology and sociology lectures on Vij's schedule. Instead, she found herself doing the most enjoyable aspect of her job-interacting with students.
Vij and Wasiolek, however, were not the only ones to benefit from the experience. The promotion raised more than $1,200 for Service for Sight and Aid to the Visually Impaired Conservation, both of which are organizations devoted to helping the visually impaired.
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