Talking Stick - May/June 2019 - 68

SNAPSHOT

LEON HAYNER
"Many small private liberal arts colleges like us are located in more rural areas,
so being in central Florida with its booming economies, diverse population,
and access to fun and leisure makes us unique."
What's the biggest issue for the students on your campus right now?
Rollins College is Making Tomorrow Happen! What does that mean? Well, it consists of several large
construction projects aimed at enhancing the student experience and deepening our commitment to our
mission. While this is exciting, our students, faculty, and staff are feeling the pinch points, inconveniences,
and challenges that come with major construction projects. As a result, we are having lots of conversations
with members of our community about resiliency, the intersection of community and individual needs,
and a campus commitment towards a better Rollins. Most projects will be completed in the next
15 months, but that sure seems like an eternity for some students, faculty, and staff.

What makes your campus unique?
Our location! The Princeton Review wasn't lying when they named us one of the
nation's most beautiful campuses. Our 80-acre campus is set in on a lake, and
we have beautiful Spanish Mediterranean architecture. But more than looks, our
location in central Florida offers our students so many opportunities. Many small
private liberal arts colleges like us are located in more rural areas, so being in
central Florida with its booming economies, diverse population, and access to fun
and leisure makes us unique. One example? More than 400 pre-vetted internship
opportunities within 25 minutes of campus!

What are your favorite campus traditions?
FOX DAY! Every spring, the president picks a day to celebrate community. At around
6 a.m. on that day, the president places a statue of a fox (a secondary mascot of
ours) on Tars Plaza at the center of our campus, indicating that Fox Day has arrived.
All classes are canceled, and students spend the day going to the beach, theme
parks, or relaxing on campus. A variety of planned activities happen throughout the
day, concluding with an all-campus community BBQ to end the day. The kicker?
Only a handful of people on campus (less than five) actually know when the day
will be. As a result, students begin to camp out on our campus lawn on nights they
think might be the eve of Fox Day. Fox Day season excitement (mid-March to midApril) rivals the excitement of NCAA March Madness!

What are the most unusual housing or amenity requests you have received?
Our ADA accommodations team received a request from a student for an emotional
support animal (cat) to support the student's other emotional support animal (cat).
The rationale? The ESA was lonely and needed a companion. After some interesting
deliberation, that request was denied.

What is your favorite move-in story?
Last fall, I was walking through the halls doing the typical move-in meet and greets.
I ran into a family that was moving in their daughter. They were in good spirits
and laughing, which was a good sign. Turns out they were moving their youngest
daughter into the exact same room where their oldest daughter had lived during her
first year four years earlier. This was a completely random assignment but made for
a remarkable story for the family and our team.

LEON HAYNER is the associate dean of students at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
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Talking Stick - May/June 2019

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