Roberts to resign as ASG adviser

BY PATRICK DEIGNAN
OCT. 6, 2007

October marks Vice President of Student Affairs Denny Roberts’ last month at Miami University after serving 12 years as adviser to Associated Student Government (ASG).

Director of Student Affairs Gary Manka and Dean of Students Richard Nault will share Roberts’ duties when he departs. Nault will focus on advising ASG’s executive cabinet while Manka will assist Vice President of Management Brian Wood and Treasurer Brenden Buholzer with funding issues.

Both Nault and Manka have regularly attended ASG Senate meetings this semester to help prepare themselves for their new responsibilities.

Roberts is confident that the transition will be smooth for both Nault and Manka as well as for ASG.

“I think they are already handling it well,” Roberts said. “We have a great cabinet this year. I think they’ll do great.”

Manka hopes to work with Wood and Buholzer right from the start to clear up funding issues.

“Right now there are lots of gray areas in funding,” said Manka.

Manka pointed out that ASG recently decided not to fund students who want to participate in alternative spring breaks.

“If we funded every student who wanted to go on an alternative spring break we’d have no money left,” Manka said.

However, these alternative spring breaks are central to the goals of certain student organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. Will funding be cut off for these groups? This is one of the gray areas that Manka hopes to clarify.

Nault, on the other hand, looks to improve ASG’s reputation on campus.

“I really want to support the current cabinet and Senate as being a respected organization,” Nault said.

He also wants to help ASG undergo a structural clean-up.

“I really believe that ASG should spend more time dealing with issues that deal with students rather than internal issues,” Nault said.

Having served as ASG adviser for six years before Roberts took over his responsibilities, Nault said that the transition should be easy for him.

Student Body President Jens Sutmöller believes that Roberts’ replacements are very capable of helping ASG achieve its goals.

“Both are great guys filled with integrity and responsibility,” Sutmöller said.

However, Sutmöller believes that no one will ever be able to fill Roberts’ shoes entirely.

“They’re different shoes,” said Sutmöller. “We kind of have to roll with it.”

Roberts’ ability to lead by example has helped Sutmöller with his role as student body president.

“He gives very good advice,” said Sutmöller. “He makes you as an individual pull it out of yourself.”

Roberts hopes that Manka and Nault are effective in keeping ASG on task as the school year progresses.

“I remind them that it’s a learning experience,” Roberts said. “But student government is a real organization and it has real impact.”

Students also need to become more involved in student government this year to help make a difference, Roberts said.

“Students need to actively communicate with ASG to say what their needs and interests are,” Roberts said.

As for Roberts, he is leaving the comforts of rural Oxford to take a position in the quickly developing Arabian Gulf nation of Qatar where he will fulfill a three-year contract with the Education City Qatar Foundation.

There, he will help universities such as Northwestern University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, and Texas A&M to establish culture and a commitment to deep and holistic learning on Education City Qatar’s 2,500 acre campus.

“What this represents is using everything I’ve learned in my career thus far and packing it all up to make a difference to this institution,” Roberts said. “This is really going to stretch me.”

Nevertheless, Roberts is excited at the opportunity to live in and learn about a different part of the world,

“I want to help bring the message back in terms of what’s really going on in the Arabian Gulf area,” Roberts said.

While Roberts will be thousands of miles away from Miami’s sprawling green campus, he still plans on being in contact with ASG and other Miami organizations he’s been a part of.

“He’s moving to the Middle East but I’m not losing a friend,” Sutmöller said.

Manka wants to make sure that part of Roberts’ legacy lives on at Miami through ASG.

“His fingerprint has been left here. It’s up to us to make sure it’s not lost.”