Assistant Dean of Student Life and advisor to black students Quantrell Willis resigned on Nov. 21, following a five-month tenure at the College, Director of Media Relations for the College Justin Anderson said in an email to The Dartmouth. Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson announced Willis' decision along with information regarding an upcoming search for his successor in a Nov. 28 email to a select group of students that was obtained by The Dartmouth.
Willis, who arrived at the College in July, said in the email to students that his resignation was the result of a "tough decision" he made in order to have additional time to focus on his family.
"Family issues have made this term a trying one," Willis said in the email. "I want to thank you all for accepting me into the Dartmouth family and would be remiss if I didn't say I'm going to miss you all."
Willis did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Johnson deferred requests for comment to Anderson.
Ana Sofia De Brito '12, a student who received Johnson's email, said she was surprised by the announcement.
"I was shocked when I first received the email," De Brito said. "It was really saddening. It came out of nowhere."
Several students interviewed by The Dartmouth said they sympathized with Willis' decision and understood that family must come before professional obligations.
"I think he made the right decision," Francisco Herrera '13, who also received the email, said. "He's a person too, and has his own family and own things to take care of."
The Afro-American Society will meet with Johnson this week to discuss "how student advising needs will be met" during the upcoming search for a new advisor, according to Johnson's email.
The search for a new advisor will begin after the new director of the Office of Pluralism and Leadership is named, Anderson said. Student Assembly announced at an Oct. 13 meeting that OPAL had informed the Assembly that a new director will be in place by January 2012.
Some students were upset that the College did not directly inform a larger group of students of Willis' resignation, De Brito said.
"I think other students were upset with how the College handled it, by only approaching a few students who they knew worked with Quantrell," she said. "He was an advisor to all of us. He impacts the whole community, so the whole community should know when something like this happens."
Herrera said Willis' resignation extended a concerning lack of continuity among minority advisors.
"The Latino community has had three advisors in three years," Herrera said. "We can have great advisors for really short periods of times. Sometimes what you really need is continuity."
Rodrigo Ramirez '06, the current advisor to Latina/o students, has served in his position since March.
Since he did not serve in any position other than an advising role at the College, Willis devoted all of his attention to assisting black students, according to De Brito, who worked with Willis throughout the term as social chair of the Afro-American Society.
"We finally had a dean that just had us to pay attention to," De Brito said. "It was really refreshing."
Former advisor to black students Samantha Ivery, who resigned in June, served as acting director of the Center for Women and Gender in addition to her role as Assistant Dean of Student Life, and was also involved with various organizations including the First Year Scholarship Enrichment Program.
Various students interviewed by the Dartmouth praised Willis' spirited though short-lived tenure.
"It was amazing overall, he brought a really great spirit to everything he did," Olivia Scott '13, an intern at the Office of Black Student Advising, said. "He's really open and accepting of any idea and always brought new and innovative ones to the table."
Students complimented Willis' contagious energy and frequent presence at community events. Just two weeks after Willis arrived at Dartmouth, he readily agreed to participate in a Black Underground Theater Association production, according to Scott, who serves as the organization's chair.
"He wrote a piece a poem even though he was just out of the gate," Scott said.
De Brito, who said she first spent time with Willis at an Afro-American Society retreat early this fall, said Willis worked to ensure "solidarity" and made sure that the black community was integrated within the larger campus community.
Willis also helped the Afro-American Society project a different image than in prior years, according to De Brito.
"Even though he left, we're going to continue to make changes and do it big," De Brito said.
One of Willis' strengths was his ability to collaborate across community lines, Herrera said. Willis worked to rejuvenate the Men of Color Alliance, a student group that seeks to unify minority men by increasing awareness of academic, political and social issues pertaining to them, he said.
"It's nice to see an administrator really become so invested in it and to have such an open approach," Herrera said. "He wanted to make it very clear that to be of color, you don't have to be black. I think a lot of people forget that."
When the Afro-American Society told Willis it would like to connect with other schools in the New England area, Willis helped brainstorm ideas and organize trips, according to Scott.
"That was him, always saying, Yeah, we can do this,'" Scott said, adding that she hopes the new advisor will display the "same spirit of enthusiasm."
"I hope it will be someone, like Quantrell, who wants to really get to know students on a real level," Scott said. "And I mean the entire community, not just those who come to meetings. Quantrell tried to get to know everyone."
De Brito praised Willis' ability to act as an advocate for students by raising their concerns to the administration.
"He was always there to lend a helping hand, and never said no' to something without hearing it out," she said.
Before arriving at Dartmouth, Willis taught and co-faciliated courses on academic enrichment, leadership and multicultural advising as an academic services coordinator at Kansas State University from August 2008 to July 2011, according to his biography on the Office of Black Student Advising's website. Prior to his time at Kansas State, Willis served as an advisor to minority student organizations at the University of Arkansas, where he helped develop a chapter of the Student African American Brotherhood, a national organization that promotes the holistic development, retention and graduation of African-American men.
Willis received his bachelor's degree in sociology and African-American studies and his master's in higher education from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He will receive a PhD in student affairs in higher education this December from Kansas State University, according to his online biography.
