Meet Ben Auger

        Welcome to the first issue of The Scoop, a blog about faculty and staff at Mansfield University.

         Tucked in an office near the front desk of Sycamore Hall, you’ll find Ben Auger, the Residence Hall Director. If he’s not there, it’s because he’s sitting with the student working at the desk, or assisting the Sycamore maintenance and cleaning staff.

            When he took his job, Ben moved 900 miles north from his home in Savannah, GA. Why trade the sun and mild winter temperatures for snow filled, sub-zero temperature days?

            “I liked that Mansfield was a small town and that the university was small as well.” Ben said. “I felt as though there was a better opportunity to get to know people and impact students. Finally, the authenticity of the school and the people who interviewed me sealed the deal.”

            Around the building, you hear students saying “The guy who directs all of the RA’s (resident assistants)…” when referring to a conversation they had with Ben. So what makes someone want to be “a director of the RA’s”?

            “I was a RA for three years during my undergrad at Berry College. After spending a summer working on campus, I realized that after graduation continuing to work in residence life would give me the ability to have the biggest impact on others with my skill set. I realized that I wanted to work to help make people’s lives what they wanted them to be and to help put them on the path to success.”

Ben Auger, Sycamore Hall Director

            It must be hard being an “RA director”. As an RA myself, I see some of the daily duties of a residence hall director and it doesn’t seem easy. “One of the biggest challenges in my time at Mansfield so far,” Ben said, “was meeting my staff on the first day of RA training in August. I hadn’t met any of them before, and they had only been told my name so it was strange to be a supervisor to people I had never met.”

“Another challenge has been figuring out the culture of Mansfield and navigating the difference between a small private school and a small public school,” Ben said.

            But sometimes it’s all fun and games, most nights Ben can be found at the desk with the RA’s. They watch movies hold intimate discussions and sometimes Ben will beat a level on their computer game. He’s even taken quizzes telling him which Hogwarts house he belongs to (Hufflepuff, but we’re not sure the quiz was sound) so that he can join in the conversation.

            I encourage all students to stop by and meet Ben. If you ask nicely, he may be willing to take a quiz to tell him which Panem district he would have been from. I’m guessing he could fit anywhere, but Districts 3 and 6 are my top choices.