Running Pitt’s dorms from behind the scenes

The man responsible for making sure 6,500 students have a happy, healthy, safe and productive… The man responsible for making sure 6,500 students have a happy, healthy, safe and productive living experience on campus is just a kid at heart.

Since Shawn Brooks became the director of Residence Life five years ago, his co-workers and employees have been amazed by his energetic persona on the job.

Rosey Natale, an administrative assistant in the Residence Life office, said Brooks clearly cares about every student.

“He likes to get to know people and really cares about an individual. He’ll sit down and talk with you about anything, whether you need an ear to listen or just an opinion,” Natale said.

Brooks’ path to Pitt began with an undergraduate degree from Thiel College. He earned his master’s in counselor education with a focus in student affairs at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. in higher education and organizational change at UCLA.

Before landing in Oakland, Brooks worked at Georgia Tech as a residence hall complex coordinator.

As the director of Residence Life, Brooks is responsible for organizing programs and services to entertain the more than 6,500 students living in residence halls.

Some of these programs include Living Learning Communities, First Year Experience and the First Year Cup, designed to foster freshmen’s relationships with one another and with the Oakland community.

To make sure the residential facilities meet all students’ needs, Brooks works with Panther Central and Housing Services to ensure everything runs smoothly. He also serves as one of two residential judicial officers, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the student conduct process within residence halls.

Brooks said the chances any particular student will have to meet him are pretty slim. He said the resident assistants and resident directors are the people residents should know, he wants students to be able to communicate with him if they want or need.

Natale said that although he is young at heart, Brooks is the type of person who truly cares about individuals and what makes them happy.

“He’s inspiring in that sense. If you have a passion, he helps to promote you,” Natale said.

It is this care for students that has led Brooks to institute new initiatives for the 2010-11 school year.

One of the main changes this upcoming school year is the implementation of Freshmen Interest Groups in Lothrop Hall. They are designed to make the dorm more appealing.

With its single rooms and distance from campus, Lothrop Hall can sometimes make it difficult for students to form relationships, Brooks said. Freshmen Interest Groups will bring together freshman students with common interests.

Each group will fill a floor. Pilot groups include Exploration of the Arts, Service to Others, Leadership Development, International Issues, Healthy Living and Sports Life. The programs will consist of about 30 students who participate in structured programming and seminars built around a common theme, according to the Student Affairs website.

The main goal of these floors is to help freshmen in Lothrop develop a sense of community and pull them out of their single rooms, Brooks said.

In addition to the Freshmen Interest Groups, Lothrop will have a first-year Living Learning Community for freshmen interested in medicine. Another Living Learning Community is being introduced to upperclassmen interested in studying law.

Brooks also helps operate Pitt’s Outside the Classroom Curriculum. Because students spend 80 percent of their time outside the classroom, Brooks continually looks for ways to ensure that learning is brought out of the classroom and into the residence halls. He said employers and graduate schools do not just look for the 4.0 GPA student.

“I want to develop programming that will help students become more than just a walking, talking intellect,” Brooks said. “Employers and graduate schools are looking for the education of the whole student and how they are developing themselves as a citizen of the world.”

Brooks’ personality helps him give students the best residential experience. He said it is both his patience and sense of humor that help him get through each day.