Vol. 24, No. 13	February 1, 1999

By 'Trading Places' Students and Administrators Share Daily Experiences and Learn Lessons

BY HANNAH FAIRFIELD

Student Services recently celebrated the success of its annual Trading Places program, in which students inhabit the lives of administrators for a day, and vice versa.

During a luncheon reunion at Nacho Mama's on Jan. 22, students and officials alike recalled what they had learned from each other last semester as vice presidents were attending early morning gym classes and students were sitting in on administrative meetings.

Jim Tilton, the director of Student Financial Services, who switched places with Amy Siemans CC'00, said that it was an incredible learning experience for him-and a chance to wear Levis and running shoes around campus.

"What I appreciate now is how busy students are," he said. "Their days are absolutely filled with things-some of which I can simplify or even solve. My job is to make their lives easier in a lot of ways."

In the Trading Places program, participants do not exactly switch roles on the same day and go off in separate directions. Rather, each hosts the other in turn.

Joanna Shen, CC'00, attended several planning meetings on the day she spent with Joe Ienuso, the University registrar and director of student information systems.

"I'm the events coordinator for the a cappella group Jubilation!, and reserving space on campus is something I do a lot," she said. "My suggestions in the meetings were taken really seriously."

Joe Ienuso said that having Shen in the meetings was great for everyone involved. "She asked important questions and we have incorporated suggestions she made into additions to our Web site," he said.

The other student participants and their administrative partners from the department of Student Services included: Betty Shzu, CC'02, and Richard Carlson, director of University Health Service; Ben Dubin-Thaler, CC'00, and Julie "J.J." Haywood, director of budget and planning; Jose Ruiz, CC '99, and Harris Schwartz, executive director of Lerner Hall; Jennifer Kim, CC '01, and Mark Burstein, vice president for Student Services, and Howard Forman, CC '01, and Ross Fraser, Director of Residence Halls.