Anthony Vitarelli has always been wrapped up in what he’s doing.
He began his second week of pre-school wrapped around his mother’s leg, crying to go home as she dragged him, stiff-legged, across the parking lot. No amount of persuasion could remove Anthony from his tight grasp around his mother’s thigh, so he didn’t make it to class that day—at least according to his older sister, Leslie Levine, who says the family still jokes about the sight.
But on the first day of his final year of college, Vitarelli, this year’s Campus Council president, appeared collected, driven and knowledgeable—a far cry from that nervous pre-schooler.
From the noise policy on Central Campus, to the student body’s opinions on selective housing, to the thoughts of top administrators, to his own personal and career goals, Vitarelli is definitely in touch with himself and with Duke.
Vitarelli, a senior from Marlton, N.J., always wanted to be a lawyer growing up, and now that the beginning of his career is just around the corner, he has fine-tuned that goal: His dream job is to be U.S. Attorney General of New Jersey.
Often seen walking around campus with an administrator or another student leader, Vitarelli has always surrounded himself with bigwigs. Some of his best friends from high school went on to become student body presidents at Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania. “It must have been something in the water,” Vitarelli said.
His drive comes from his parents and three older siblings. “My family is a strong motivating force,” he said. “They instilled a sense of service in me from a young age.”
Vitarelli has brought that strong sense of commitment to Campus Council since he first served as East Campus Council representative, through his first year as Campus Council president and now into his second year as its big cheese.
“I love this place, and if my work through Campus Council makes this place a more fun place to go to school, I think I will have done a good job,” he said.
As always, Vitarelli has high hopes for Campus Council this year. “We want to try to make Duke’s residential experience more rewarding,” he said. “I want it to be something that students feel is an essential piece of the undergraduate experience.”
At the top of his priority list is a formal response to the recently implemented quad model, the administration’s plan for undergraduates to become more closely associated with their quad. “A number of students were concerned about it last semester, and I think it deserves our attention,” he said.
Moreover, Vitarelli intends to focus on several goals: overhauling the housing assignment process by examining the process of linking and the quad model, empowering quad councils to create strong communities within each dorm and quad, and fostering a sense of quad pride through the creation of quad-only intramural leagues and quad mascots.
The University’s high degree of administrative turnover, however, will challenge Campus Council this year, Vitarelli noted. “Transition periods are usually marked by a reluctance to make big changes until people get their feet wet,” he said, “but that is not going to slow us down any.”
Several administrators who are used to Duke know that Vitarelli leads Campus Council effectively and has vastly improved the quality of residential life.
“He has an understanding of what’s possible and is willing to take the effort necessary to try and achieve it,” said Eddie Hull, executive director of housing services and dean of residence life, the administrator with whom Vitarelli works most closely. “Campus Council has gained stature and influence over the time that Anthony has been involved with it, and all students who live on campus are beneficiaries.”
Assistant Dean of Students Deb Lo Biondo advised Campus Council last year and added that Vitarelli has a unique feel for the student body.
“He truly cares and has students’ interest in heart and mind,” she said. “He understands the climate of the campus and has good bonds with many administrators.”
When he’s not lobbying the administration, Vitarelli might be spending time with other members of Wayne Manor, his selective house. They get to see a softer and more relaxed Vitarelli, who described his choice to join the living group as his “best decision at Duke.”
“He likes to cut loose and have a good time,” said junior Mark Ewing, a member of Wayne Manor. “He’ll sit around and have a few beers. We have as many conversations about meaningless stuff as we do about serious issues.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.