{"id":132,"date":"2017-06-14T12:13:44","date_gmt":"2017-06-14T16:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/psa\/?page_id=132"},"modified":"2020-03-05T13:05:53","modified_gmt":"2020-03-05T18:05:53","slug":"spotlight","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/rsa\/spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramapo Staff Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Would you like to be featured or do you know of a colleague that you would like to be featured?
\nEmail the RSA at rsa@ramapo.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Have you met… Marie-Danielle Attis?\"\"<\/h3>\n

Have you walked through the proverbial \u201cFishbowl\u201d any time in the last three years? If so, you\u2019ve likely noticed the Office of Violence Prevention\u2019s (OVP) arrival to the hallway, right across from the Women\u2019s Center. Having walked past it a few times, and also having popped in to grab some yummy snacks and chat with the staff, I grew to enjoy how the space was transformed to host the resources of the office, and became acquainted with the Coordinator of the OVP: Marie-Danielle Attis. For this reason, I wanted to speak to her, Attis to Atti, so that the entire campus community could see how awesome she is.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marie has worked in higher education since she was 19 years old, and aside from a two year stint in another industry, has not left the field since. She began her higher ed career working at Rutgers Health Services as a health tech at the front desk, and had the original life plan to be in a traditional teaching role. The health tech position sucked her in, however, as she realized that she had a budding interest in health education and promotion. Had it not been for the staff who influenced her as a student, way back when, for all we know Marie would be in an entirely different field!<\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually, Ms. Attis became a Coordinator of Health Promotion, and through rigorous self-study, became deeply interested in domestic violence and Title IX. This passion led her to an Assistant Director of Health Promotion and Sexual Assault Services at Rutgers, before coming to Ramapo to run the OVP along with 14 students (10 of which are volunteers). Marie is a Prevention Education Specialist, in addition to being the Coordinator of the OVP. In June, she will have been in this position for three years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marie loves working with the students and staff of the College (\u201cIf I could spend all day with students, that\u2019s what I would do!\u201d), and is extremely proud of the students who help support the office. Through educational film screenings, working with First-Year Seminar classes, and running training sessions as well as annual events, such as Take Back the Night, Marie impacts nearly all of the campus population on both the student and faculty\/staff levels. All incoming students receive training in seuxal violence prevention, and as an employee, so have you, thanks (in part) to Marie, and her crew.<\/span><\/p>\n

One might think that this type of position would make anyone a stoic, but Marie\u2019s sense of humor is one of the salient features of her personality. A self-described \u201cpreacher\u2019s kid,\u201d Marie\u2019s parents are missionaries who currently live in Haiti. After visiting in 2010-2011 after the earthquake, she developed the hobby of expertly crafting cremas (a delectable Haitian drink), so much so that her friends now heckle her to make it for them on a regular basis. Note: had I known this before our interview, I would have asked for a sample. In addition to crafting drinks, Marie\u2019s other hobbies consist of being the \u201ccool aunt\u201d of her 17 nieces and nephews (some of which are in college right now) and reading the excellent works of Maya Angelou and C.S. Lewis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked what her most memorable moments are Ramapo were, Marie did not hesitate: the opening ceremony of the OVP was the first to come to mind. To Marie, the care put into the OVP opening ceremony was just one of many indicators that Ramapo goes above and beyond for sexual violence prevention, as several community leaders were there at the grand opening. As Marie says, \u201cit takes a village\u201d to maintain the successful programs of the OVP. Her second most memorable moment at the College: the first Arching she witnessed. Marie thought it was a wonderful ceremony, and hadn\u2019t seen anything like it before.<\/span><\/p>\n

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, so if you haven\u2019t met Marie yet, perhaps you can pencil some time into your calendar to attend one of the OVP events. Students, survivors, and allies are also all welcome to visit the OVP to ask questions and talk about issues whenever the office is open. They also have free coffee. Do with this information what you will.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upcoming events from the Office of Violence Prevention will be publicized to the campus, and made available on their website: <\/span>https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/student-affairs\/ovp\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Written by John Atti
\nFebruary 27, 2020<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ramapo\"<\/div>\n

Past Ramapo Staff Spotlights<\/h3>\n
<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/span>Odailin Dume<\/div>

\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Have you met… Odailin Dume?<\/h3>\n

Before our interview began, Odailin Dume (OD) successfully completed my test: finding my office.<\/span><\/p>\n

For those of you who don\u2019t know, OD works in D wing, while I\u2019m all the way over by lot C3. Normally, I try to hold my interviews in the interviewee\u2019s office. However, for this interview, I fully gave into my lazy tendencies. Yes, I felt bad about convincing OD to navigate campus on a warmer than usual day (March 29th), but in the end, I think the walk really got the blood pumping (well, for her – I was sitting down the entire time), which allowed us to have a really eye opening interview. As a fellow New Milford-ian, and fellow former Leonia-ite (potentially from the same apartment complex, even), we had a lot in common, so I knew this interview would go well.<\/span><\/p>\n

OD has been at Ramapo for five years, over at Business Services, and maintains the position of Accounts Payable Accounting Associate. As her title would denote, she handles a large amount of accounting matters in her position, as well as such things as p-card purchases, cash receipts, and select involvement in the auditing process. Now, looking from the outside in, one may think that the folks over in accounting-type positions simply hang out in cubicles, with their abici and fancy paper-printing calculators, far away from student interactions. This, however, is not the case, as her position places her in contact with many Ramapo students.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is where OD\u2019s favorite part about the position comes into play. You see, OD has a unique experience of having formerly worked at the housing authority for a nearby city, where she maintained the roles of waiting list coordinator, rent collector, accountant, and receptionist (not in that order). In this position, she worked on helping out many families find places to live and utilize their resources. Now at Ramapo, years later, she is able to interact with some of the same students that she helped in her former position at the housing authority, when they were much younger. Seeing these students grow up (quite literally – some of them were rather small when they first met) and become successful Roadrunners has truly been a blessing for her.<\/span><\/p>\n

When not at Ramapo, OD is also the mother of three lovely children (aged from 18 to 3), the oldest of which is aiming towards studies in computer engineering. She also enjoys reading, but based on her busy schedule, she generally sticks to the audio books. In addition to this, OD loves to dance! When she was younger, she studied ballet, as well as other styles such as meringue and salsa. OD, with her sister and cousin, would even perform dance routines across the NY\/NJ area (their group was called the Chiquita del Can)! Although she\u2019s no longer in the formal dancing field, anyone going to OD\u2019s gym would probably tell that she has a love for it, as she let me in on the secret that she has a habit of dancing during her cardio routines. When I asked her if she still performed, she let me know that she didn\u2019t, although she would like to try teaching Zumba one day. <\/span><\/p>\n

As you may have noticed from one of the above paragraphs, OD and I both live(d) in New Milford, and Leonia. In addition to this, however, we both have a love and connection to the Dominican Republic. Odailin came to our country from the DR when she was only 9 years old, and I went to the Dominican Republic as a former Ramapo student through the BRIDGES trip, run by the College\u2019s former Campus Minister, Father Ronald Stanley. These above similarities meant that I could not only ask her how my favorite pizza places were doing in my former home towns, but that I could also bond with her over how awesome pizza was in the Dominican Republic (you might not think that corn on a pizza sounds appetizing, but I assure you that it\u2019s amazing when done correctly). For those of you wondering, Big Jim\u2019s is still doing well in New Milford (although OD\u2019s loyalty lies with Soprano\u2019s), the pizza scene in Leonia is still sufficient, and both of us agree that the red saucey part, just after the cheese, and just before the crust, is the best part of any slice. Unfortunately, however, \u201cNew Milly\u201d no longer seems to be what people refer to New Milford as, anymore. <\/span><\/p>\n

From the start of our interview, it was clear that Odailin is an energetic member of the RCNJ community with a committed passion to helping others, no matter what her role is. The students she has worked with, and Ramapo as a whole, must be happy to have her positive energy picking up the place. Only one question remains: when is she going to start teaching that Zumba class?<\/span><\/p>\n

Written by John Atti
\nMay 2, 2019<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/span>Ed Roessler<\/div>
\n

Have you met… Ed Roessler?<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ed Roessler walked into my office at around 9 a.m. on December 6. He placed his Contigo mug of cold brew coffee on my desk. Across from him, I sat with my own Contigo mug, also filled with cold brew coffee. I could tell that this was going to be a fun interview (at least for me).<\/p>\n

You may not know Ed Roessler by his face, but you definitely know him by his team’s handiwork, through Facilities.<\/p>\n

Remember those nice vines attached to the Adler Center? Ed’s team installed them (and they’re hops, believe it or not). The magnolia tree planted during the fall semester’s EOF dedication? Also Ed. Perhaps you’ve noticed a few new bike racks appearing in certain spots around campus, or the lawn being painted to welcome the new incoming class? Yep, Ed and co. set that up. If you’ve ever eaten at the outdoor tables by the Arch, you can thank Ed for his handiwork: the tables were installed there to complete the space. Ed definitely has his mind on continually improving the landscape of the College.<\/p>\n

Four years ago, Ed started as a Grounds Worker at Ramapo. He’s now the Supervisor of Landscape Maintenance, with a team of six working along with him. As a part of this job, in addition to installing bike racks and planting, he helps maintain the athletic fields, manage snow removal, and picking up the garbages from around campus. I asked him if he could share any of the new projects coming down the pipeline, but he is unfortunately sworn to secrecy.<\/p>\n

Before working at the College, Ed did his time in private industry, including a stint where he worked on a golf course and honed his landscaping skills.<\/p>\n

Concerning Ramapo, although it was hard to pick out a favorite project, when heckled, Ed ultimately talked about the time he helped relocate some large trees across campus. The job required the use of a tree spade (large piece of machinery that wraps around the tree and uproots it), which ended up being pretty fun to work with. He also spoke about installing the aerators in Kameron Pond to help circulate the water. Those of you who were here long enough may remember that the pond used to have a fountain. Having aerators instead may be a good thing: back when he worked in the golf course, he recalled having to remove the fountain sprinklers every winter, and always forgetting to buy oars for the boat. As a result, he had to row his way to the sprinkler with shovels. If it works, it works, right?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> One of his favorite parts about his job, according to Ed, is taking a place that people walk past every day without much fanfare, and then modifying it so that it becomes much more noticeable. Remember those vines I mentioned before, by the Adler Center? Well, you might have also noticed that some strikingly red canna lilies were also planted there. Do you know where they came from? Les Paul’s house. Turns out that they also multiply quite quickly: they started with about 12 a few years ago, and now have about a dump truck bed full of bulbs on reserve.<\/p>\n

When asked how much he liked plants on a scale of 1 to 10, Ed ranked them a solid 8. Surprisingly, though, he has no plants on his house (they would conflict with his cats). As a fellow cat owner and plant lover, I find myself in the same boat (all of my plants were moved into my office after the cat came home).<\/p>\n

When not working or dealing with plants\/cats, Ed enjoys reading biographies (Elvis Costello and the Beastie Boys are the last two that he finished), as well as historical fiction. He also takes pride in cooking for his family, and bragged that he made a killer pizza dough (his method takes three days, but is good enough to warrant hosting several formal pizza parties with family and friends). In addition to this, Ed is a member of multiple bands (at least three at any given moment, he says), and plays both guitar and bass. I asked him if he would ever take part in one of the open mic nights at the College. The jury is still out on that.<\/p>\n

One thing’s for certain: we can all trust that the campus grounds are in good hands as long as Ed and his team are on the case.<\/p>\n

Written by John Atti
\nJanuary 16, 2019<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/span>Joanne Caselli<\/div>
\n

Have you met… \"\"Joanne Caselli?<\/h3>\n

Meet Joanne Caselli, a Ramapo alumnus that has been involved with Ramapo in one way or another since 1999! An avid fan of bowling and th<\/span>e \u201ccozy mystery\u201d detective genre (wherein extremely nice people build relationships and have a good time while solving grizzly murders), Joanne can b<\/span>e found on the 2nd floor of the E wing, in that fancy secondary hallway for Teacher Education.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joanne has worked at Ramapo as a staffer since 2006. Her original position was that of a Center for Learning and Instruction Trainer. Even before that she worked as a student employee in the Writing Center, which at that time was located in almost the exact spot as her current office! Students went there for tutoring, amongst other things (I myself went there for help with my College English class – you can judge for yourself if it was helpful by proofreading this article).<\/span><\/p>\n

Joanne started her current position as a Teacher Education Certification Officer in 2008. In this role, her main goal is to make sure our Teacher Ed students get certified. This involves working hand-in-hand with the state to ensure that all paperwork is handed in appropriately. Now, this doesn\u2019t just involve accepting one form, rubber stamping it, and sending it on its way. In addition to reviewing the paperwork, Joanne has to wait for grades to come in and ensure that the degrees are conferred. She then needs to make sure that any missing paperwork and separate test results are accounted for, and passed along to the state for review.<\/span><\/p>\n

She also advises along the way, to ensure that students will be able to receive that certification during their time as students by takin<\/span>g the right classes and tests, including students pursuing Ramapo\u2019s new Elementary Education major. As there are many certification areas, each student has to make sure they follow their certification guidelines correctly to receive the appropriate cert (including ones for elementary students, and specific certifications for content certification, also known as secondary certification). <\/span><\/p>\n

To add some more variables into the mix, Joanne\u2019s specialty deals with those students who have already earned their degree and want to get a certification as well. This sometimes includes students who have transfer credits from several institutions, as well as students pursuing their Masters (including those in our Masters in Special Education or Educational Leadership degrees). Some programs (especially the ones for those on track to become a Principal) also require several years experience first, or signed letters from officials from other institutions. This leads some students to get the degree, and then return years later to get all their t\u2019s crossed for that wonderful certificate. Joanne has had students from the 1990s reach out to her for paperwork from our archives to help them with their certification. Imagine sorting through all of that?<\/span><\/p>\n

By now, you may be guessing that this involves a lot of tracking, and a confident grasp on the certification knowledge-base for the state. Joanne has a knack for it, though – she used to help students out with this, even when she was a student here herself! Her role has made her quite familiar with our College\u2019s Banner Self-Service software. I think it\u2019s safe to say that our students\u2019 certification needs are in good hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

Written by John Atti
\nJune 14, 2018<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/span>Ivy Payne<\/div>
\n

Have you met… Ivy Payne?<\/h3>\n

\"Ivy<\/p>\n

Many of us may know Ivy Payne as a smiling face in Student Affairs, but through our exclusive interview with her, the PSA has uncovered some extra fun facts about this awesome pillar of the Ramapo community!<\/p>\n

Ivy has been working for Ramapo College in one form or another since she was 14 years old. As a part of a program for Native American youths, she was assigned to learn the ropes in Human Resources over the course of several summers. By the time she was old enough to get a full time job, Ramapo was more than happy to take her in as a Senior Operator Automated Typewriter for Payroll.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right: Senior Operator Automated Typewriter. That title just rolls off the tongue, doesn\u2019t it? Ramapo staff that have been here long enough most likely remember the old black-and-green terminals in some of the offices. Ivy recalls working on those, as well as traditional typewriters, before the College began upgrading their machines. Do you remember working with Webmail before we converted to Gmail? Well, Ivy recalls a time that email used to be accessible only through the terminal system itself (Orion). Things surely have changed, haven\u2019t they?<\/p>\n

Since then, Ivy has transitioned into her most recent position as Student Affairs Coordinator (a title that is, some may say, a bit easier to articulate). Through this role, Ivy has a heavy amount of interaction with students, from those going through the interim suspension process to those managing student leadership roles on campus. Ivy is also in charge of correctly distributing all of the Public Safety\/incident reports at Ramapo (no small task, as those who receive these reports can attest) to many other Student Affairs related tasks. It\u2019s safe to say that Ivy has been a part of Ramapo history, and has seen this College change quite a bit since she first started working here in her teens!<\/p>\n

Ivy has had her baby and bridal showers at Ramapo, but one of Ivy\u2019s fondest memories is when her fellow staff members threw an Arching Ceremony for her. It was no normal ceremony, however. Although Ivy always loved a good Arching, as she completed her degree elsewhere, she did not expect to be given any type of ceremony at Ramapo.<\/p>\n

Lo and behold, while returning from lunch one day, Ivy was intercepted by some of her colleagues. Within a few moments, she had been draped in her college\u2019s cap and gown (which they had somehow acquired), and escorted to the Arch. When she got outside, she was greeted by an archway that was completely filled with people. Family members and colleagues (including our very own President Mercer, Dean Nancy Mackin and Vice President Pam Bischoff) lined up waiting for her. Now THAT\u2019S a Ramapo memory, eh?<\/p>\n

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