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Rick Zomer catches all
By Leslie Pratt
Staff Writer
FILE PHOTO
Got a committee you want to start? A persistent clog in your drain? A roommate you can't stand? Rick Zomer wants to know!
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Does the name “Rick Zomer” mean anything to you? It should. Chances are he has influenced your life at Calvin, even if you don’t know him.
Rick Zomer is part of the Student Life department and serves Calvin under the official title of “Assistant Dean of Residence Life,” a position (and office) he shares with Josh Armstrong. Zomer describes his job as more of a “catch-all” position than any one thing.
As a “catch-all,” Zomer works both directly with students and parents, as well as behind the scenes with other departments and on various committees. You might have contacted Zomer if you had a question or problem with your living arrangement. He deals with the issues students and/or parents have with on-campus housing, which include everything from room and dorm moving requests to housing complaints to persistent maintenance problems.
“I get a lot of phone calls and e-mails about things, so part of my day is devoted to responding to concerns and requests,” said Zomer. But he likes working with students, and appreciates their community-oriented attitudes.
“Calvin students are very interactive; they want a response, but they’re not antagonistic. There is a lot of mutual respect between students and those they interact with,” he said.
He also interacts specifically with student leadership in the residence halls and Knollcrest East apartments, meeting with the dorm presidents once a week and providing advice and assistance for different projects such as educational programs, Chaos Day, banquets, retreats and more.
“I’ve become a sort of unintentional resource person for students. I answer their questions and help them get the things they need. I’m a conduit of information— the go-between of contacts,” said Zomer with a smile.
What you don’t see is how Zomer works behind the scenes on various committees. He is involved on multiple committees, including the admissions committee, which reads transcripts and decides who to admit and under what conditions; the academic review committee, which checks the status of students on academic probation; the student discipline committee; and various long range planning committees for housing and renovation around campus.
Besides committees, there are other larger projects that Zomer and the Residence Life staff orchestrate regarding student life over the course of the year. The majority of the admissions process is done, but he is currently working on the housing arrangements of new and returning students, which includes matching incoming students with roommates and placing them on-campus. Next he will be working on summer housing, summer maintenance projects, coordinating early arrivals and general moving-in. During the fall he will be focusing on kick-off events like Chaos Day and resume school year reports and committee activities. Spring will bring another round of admissions and housing and the cycle begins again.
“The components of my job change throughout the year; it varies by the season, but it’s nice because it keeps things fresh,” said Zomer.
Being an assistant dean of residence life, the “catch-all” man for students and staff, is a combination of supervision and administration that keeps Rick Zomer involved with new people and interesting situations, just the way he likes it.
Zomer encourages students to stop by his office to express their opinions, ideas and concerns.
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