“Everyone’s Home is Important”: Jerrie Walters MC’s new director of student life
In the wake of the resignation of John Salazar, Monmouth College’s previous director of residence life, Monmouth needed to find someone up to manage residence life and all that goes along with it. That person is now Jerrie Walters, the new Director of Residence Life and Chief Judicial Officer of Monmouth College. Walters, who spent her previous 22 years working at Western Illinois University was introduced to the job via a friend. After some investigation and research of Monmouth and the college’s mission statement, Walters was intrigued. “That really piqued my interest… It spoke a lot to my own values and beliefs.” Walters said that she wants to create a “safe, clean, comfortable” environment for students.
“The director of residence life and chief judicial officer is here to assist in creating a safe, clean, and comfortable environment for the students so they can go beyond their residence halls and do great things,” says Walters. “The better we can serve them where they live will translate out to every role that they have at Monmouth College.” Students at Monmouth are very involved and Monmouth cares deeply about keeping its students happy. Walters hopes to be able to maintain and add to that happiness. “We intend to have more programming, more events, and things like that in the residence halls to make them comfortable and make them feel at home ... Their buildings are theirs.”
While Walters may be the director of residence life, she doesn’t work alone. “We have a phenomenal team of Head Residents and RA’s this year. They are very driven, very goal oriented. They’re excited about the new programming. Their energy is just top notch. I would like to see the campus community embrace that.” Walters goes on to describe how her residence life staff as determined to get the job done and maintain both comfort and order on campus. “We do a lot. Rather than just sign people up for rooms and things like that, there's a lot that goes into it… They help me a great deal.”
Mia Martino - Staff Writer