Photo by Joseph McLaughlin
WHO HE IS
Resident Director for Upper-Class Students, Office of Residential Life, Lincoln Center campus
TIME AT FORDHAM
Nearly two years
WHAT HE DOES
Frank supervises a staff of six resident assistants who oversee the upper-class floors of McMahon Hall. His responsibilities include: addressing policy violations, helping resident assistants and freshman mentors create programs; and directing students to the appropriate resources when there are counseling concerns.
BACKGROUND
Raised in the Chicago suburbs, Frank attended Marquette University and was a resident assistant there for three years before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education. He was a resident director in O’Hare Hall at Rose Hill for a year and then transferred to the Lincoln Center campus this past August.
JESUIT EXPERIENCE
“I respect the Jesuit ideals, particularly ‘men and women for, and with, others’ and the Jesuit commitment to social justice. That was a huge part of my undergraduate experience. As an education major focusing on urban and multicultural education, the Jesuit perspective really spoke to me. It definitely impacted my decision to work and study at Fordham.”
THE WHOLE PERSON
“Another big thing about working in residential life, or in any kind of position in student affairs, is learning outside the classroom. This concept is very connected to the Jesuit philosophy of educating the whole person. I’m happy to be at a place like Fordham, which promotes the importance of learning outside the classroom and actively participating in the community.”
STUDYING IN NYC
“Studying social work in an urban setting has been very important, especially in terms of my field work. I’m currently interning with the New York City parks department in its welfare-to-work program, and have been there for the entire year. It’s been a good experience in terms of understanding public assistance and what people experience while on public assistance. Through my internship, I’ve been able to connect with people that I might not have been able to connect with had my program been located somewhere else.”
ASPIRATIONS
“Most likely, I’m going to pursue international social work. I’d like to do international development, human rights work overseas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Another option that I’ve been going back and forth with is continuing to work in a University setting, but in a more programmatic fashion, in human-rights education or multicultural understanding.”
TRAVEL
“I appreciate learning how other people in other cultures operate and how they experience life. When I was an undergrad, I studied in Capetown, South Africa though the Desmond Tutu Peace Center. It was a service-learning program, so we worked in a community-based organization three days a week and took classes at the peace center. That changed my perspective, and pushed me toward a social work, service-oriented life.”
