With the departure of Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco today, Dartmouth students are losing one of their most fervent advocates in the administration.
Turco's involvement with the College began when she was a graduate student in the early years of Dartmouth's coeducation. She has since held positions in a variety of administrative offices, providing her with a comprehensive knowledge of both students' perspectives and the inner workings of the College's administration.
While Turco's decision to resign earlier this term came in the middle of a string of such announcements, her rapport with students sets her apart from other departing administrators.
Unlike many administrators who claim to speak on students' behalf but are often only concerned with the abstract interests of the College, Turco has been an unwavering voice for students in opposition to an often stubborn administration.
During her 10 years as dean of residential life, Turco has demonstrated an understanding of the College and its students that is almost unparalleled in the administration.
She has consistently represented student viewpoints and interests, acting as a proponent for plans to improve the quality of Dartmouth's residential life programs.
For example, in addition to working to make the turbulent process of coeducating Dartmouth's dormitories as smooth as possible, Turco also began the residential education program that shapes the experiences of first-year students.
Turco has also led a campaign to ameliorate the current housing crunch by "decompressing" student dormitory rooms, reducing the number of occupants in many of the smaller rooms on campus.
Turco's small, often unnoticed changes to residential life, such as purchasing student artwork for dormitories, have also improved the quality of students' living experiences at the College.
In an administration often characterized as deaf to student concerns, Turco stood out as an administrator whose true concern for student welfare was obvious in both her words and her actions.
