By Syed Shabab

Staff Writer

Former Assistant Director of Student Activities Gabrielle Occhiogrosso left her position in November of 2014, and in the meantime the Office of Student Activities has been searching for the right replacement – with little luck so far.

“We received tons of applications, but surprisingly, not many of them had experience in a college setting or within a student life department,” Director of Student Activities John Bennett wrote in an email. “That initially helped narrow the search a great deal.”

The position of assistant director is a visible one on campus. The individual takes on the responsibilities of administrating and organizing student life events and programming but also works closely with student government.

Student government officers say they feel the extra burden of not having Occhiogrosso, but are adjusting to taking on additional responsibility and working with other student activities staff.

“It has been difficult at some points, but we’re doing the best we can,” Jo-Ann Mullooly, the student government vice president of communications, said. “I would say [Occhiogrosso’s] absence has been a hard adjustment got everyone, as she’s such a great leader but the whole office is still doing great things.”

Student body President John Tudisco said that Occhiogrosso’s attention was especially helpful in the first semester when the new student government administration transitioned into office.

“Now, in the second semester, we have a better grasp on how to run everything,” Tudisco said.

Now, the Office of Student Activities is focusing on getting everything done and searching for an assistant director in the process. However, Bennett said that serving the students during the search is the office’s first priority.

“Our first concern and priority was the current student body,” Bennett wrote in an email. “I felt us reading resumes [and] interviewing people….could wait until winter break. We had to put the students first and if that meant working more hours, then so be it, but the office comes second after the students.”

Bennett said that the right candidate would have traits that can’t necessarily be found on a resume.

“We’re looking for someone who is hungry and ready to do the massive amounts of work and hours this office does, and equally important, someone that the students will get along with and be comfortable speaking with,” Bennett wrote in an email.