Student Centered New ResLife Director Chris Lemasters

By John Ruml ‘17

Published March 2015

Photo Courtesy of Chris Lemasters.

Following the departure of Danielle Weaver and Ben Foster last semester, the college has been seeking out replacements for their positions. As of March 10th, Chris Lemasters has taken over as director of Residence Life. Chris was previously the coordinator of Residence Life at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, where he was also the coach of the men’s basketball team. “I played basketball in college when I was at Alfred University,” said Chris. “It’s always been a big part of my life. I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to start playing. Students can expect me to be out there cheering on our teams at sport events.” 

When asked if he agreed with the in loco parentis approach to student life, Chris shook his head. “Our residents are adults and they should be treated like adults,” he said. “If I have to meet with a student about a violation, I don’t want it to feel like a kid going to the principal’s office. We obviously need to address the issue, but I’m not here to lecture you. Instead, I think what my purpose here is to be a resource for students. They should feel comfortable coming to speak with us. For the most part, I want to emphasize the role of student leaders. RAs should feel like their hall is their hall, and that their residents are their residents. It’s a lot of responsibility, but after receiving so much help from John [Grundy] and Abigail [Smith], I see that this community can rise to the challenge.” 

Having come from a somewhat larger institution, Chris places great value in the small, liberal arts college atmosphere at Randolph. “When I came and visited, students could sense that I was a visitor and they came up to me and offered to show me around. You just don’t get that sense of community at a larger college. The personal relationships and traditions of a place like this are irreplaceable. That sort of personalized approach is what I’m trying to hone in on. That being said, I’m not trying to re-invent the wheel here. We already have a really good framework in place.”