Few assignments in a Duke student's life are more worrisome--or talked about--than housing assignments. But for the immediate future, an administrator unfamiliar to students will take charge of the familiar process.
Bill Burig, the longtime public face of the housing assignment process, left his position as director of housing assignments and communications in April, taking a new position as associate registrar. Although the housing assignment and commutation process continues year round, Residence Life and Housing Services will not begin looking for Burig's permanent replacement until December. In the meantime, Housing Manager Don Love is taking over the position on an interim basis.
Love took over for Burig April 1, but he comes from a background steeped in the minutiae of the University's housing system. He served for four years as manager, handling what he described as "mainly billing stuff, supervising the front office and dealing with grad students with some of their housing issues."
Love's expertise is centered on the housing facet of RLHS, as he came to that office through housing management, which merged with the residential life portion of student affairs in summer 2001.
While the majority of housing decisions are made during the spring semester, the summer is an active time for housing assignments as freshmen and transfer students receive housing, RLHS Director Eddie Hull said. Love's position will make him "responsible for all assignments for summer residents as well as for the fall," Hull added.
"The thing about working at a college is that people say, 'Oh, you have the summer off,'" he said. "But right now, we're scrambling like mad."
Burig's departure for the Office of the University Registrar after more than two decades working in residential life will take him away from his frequent dealings with students, through which he has become one of the administrators most visible to the undergraduate student body. He cited "personal interest" as his reason for switching offices. "After being in student housing for more than 20 years, it's a nice change," Burig added.
Hull emphasized that the timetable of the search may change. Love said he does not expect to apply for the position, but, he is not sure he will return to his former position as manager, either.
"What I am trying to do is keep things on track and keep the students [satisfied]," Love said. "But I'm assuming that with a new director, there'll be some changes."
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