Some 1,800 students live on campus during the academic year, and Tem Sedgwick helps oversee the staff members who make them feel at home. The college's assistant director for residential life, Sedgwick is in his 10th year at UNLV, and he has a soft spot for first-generation college students.
What's your job, in a nutshell?
I get to supervise the live-in professional staff. We have four post-master's professionals in each complex, and each of them supervises between eight and 12 student staff. I also provide oversight for the residential life side of housing. I address the high-level parent issues that come up when a parent is upset with a student's roommate or room assignment. I probably get three or four calls a week from parents or guardians about some sort of issue.
What would make your day perfect?
Two calls from parents - I do usually enjoy those - a couple meetings outside of my office, two interactions with students, a really great conversation with a co-worker, and light traffic on the way home!
What's the toughest challenge about your job?
Supervising staff can be very challenging -- and also very rewarding.
What's the quirkiest tool of your trade?
So many tense situations can be de-escalated by a wry smile and a well-timed, humorous comment.
What's your best piece of advice for students?
Go to every class and meet your professor during office hours. It's hard to fail if you do those two things.
What's the story behind your favorite workspace tchotchke?
My artistic masterpiece, "Waves Meeting Starfish," hangs proudly in my office. It's the best piece of art I've ever created, not counting my son.
How can others on campus make your job easier?
Provide a good referral to housing. A lot of staff lived on campus during their undergraduate experiences and assume their past system is the same as our current system. Have the student or parent call our office, and we'll ensure they get the right info. We have a pretty unique model. Here, students get to play a role in creating their own environment. The model here is reflective engagement. Our goal is for resident assistants to have individual meetings with each resident, as opposed to holding large-scale programs. We partner with a private company to handle operations, facilities, and room assignments.
If you weren't working here, what would you be doing?
I would be reading a good book out by the pool.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
Despite four years on UNLV's Corporate Challenge chess team, I'm really not a very good chess player! But I do love the game.
Who do you want to thank for the job they do on campus?
I love information technology people. I consistently mess up with technology, and they're consistently fixing things -- all with a pleasant attitude and an understanding nod.
If you were given a $1 million grant to make a campus improvement, start a new program, or improve one we already have, where would you put that money?
I'd put it into scholarships for first-generation college students. I went to school in the mid-80s. I remember being able to work in the summer and with a little bit of work during the school year, I was able to pay for my college. That's just not possible any more. The students who are hit hardest (by the cost of higher education) are those first-generation students who typically don't have the financial resources that students would have if their parents had gone to college. Those are the students we see who are not able to afford that second semester or the next year of college, and they're choosing either to drop out of college or go into debt.
