Broadening communications within the Department of Residence was a central theme of a presentation given Friday by a candidate for the department’s director.

“We have a lot of challenges that we have to overcome,” said candidate Ginny Arthur, associate director for residence life at Iowa State. “At this point in time, this position is a calling. It speaks to me.”

Speaking Friday to a crowd of about 100 people, many of whom were current or former DOR employees, Arthur said she believes much of her effectiveness comes from relationship building, and she feels her experience at Iowa State would help her to be successful if chosen for the director position.

Arthur, who has been at Iowa State since 1975, said she is applying for the position because she wants to improve the DOR and does not see it as a stepping stone.

“I have no interest in climbing the career ladder,” she said. “I really believe I have what we need right here.”

Arthur said there are five areas in which she would like to emphasize development if chosen for the position — finances and resources, partnership and collaboration, students, staff and leadership.

“If our end goal is to help students achieve academically, how can we do that if they don’t feel comfortable?” Arthur said. “You’re going to need to be able to relate with people who are different than you are.”

She said learning communities could be used to make students feel more at home.

“I think students want to have a place where they can be who they are. They want to have connections with their in-class experiences and their out-of-class experiences,” Arthur said. “I think that’s why the learning communities have been so successful.”

The benefits of two-way communication between the DOR staff and residence hall students are able to be seen throughout the university, Arthur said. A successful implementation of open communications was seen through the coordination between the DOR, student government and residents in discontinuation of the Fresh Start program.

Arthur said she would like to continue recent successes.

“I think we’ve had a good year with student government,” she said.