By ALEXANDER
WHEELER
Contributing Writer
It was August 2015 when I failed to follow the correct Residence Life protocol. I neglected to knock three times, announcing “Residence Life” each time, before keying into Brubacher Hall Room 242 to find Vito Van Dunk laying on his bed. “Oops, I’m so sorry,” I said as I awkwardly closed the door.
In May 2019 we are sitting in my office in 204 Partridge on campus. Vito originally hails from Montaugue, NJ. Vito described his hometown as having “four farms, seven gas stations, and not many people.”
“I was a peer leader as well as on the class advisory council. I guess I have always been involved,” Vito said of his journey from high school to The College of Saint Rose.
When asked about what helped him choose Saint Rose, Vito said that “it was the small community. There was plenty of opportunity for growth. I wanted something that wasn’t New York City, but something that was different from my hometown.”
Vito explained that what kept him at Saint Rose for all four years were the, “connections; building relationships. Student Association, Student Events Board, and Identity played a big role. The people on campus – Lai-Monte Hunter played a huge role.”
Vito’s favorite Saint Rose accomplishments were during his time as SA President and SEB President. “As SA President I was able to advocate for gender inclusive housing and was able to provide students on campus with access to condoms. During my time with SEB it has to be our national award we won through APCA,” Vito said.
Vito is unsure where his journey goes after Saint Rose. “[I’m] uncertain. I plan on staying in the Albany area and continuing my education at graduate school learning about Human Resources. I want to be able to continue to foster my connections more professionally.”
When asked one thing that Saint Rose has taught him, Vito went on to say “you can’t force people into leadership. We don’t allow people to discover themselves at times. The path to self-discovery can be hard.”
“If you had a mic-drop moment, what would be the thing you would leave the Saint Rose community with?” I asked Vito as our interview came to a close.
He said, “everything that I’ve done in my leadership roles I have done for a reason and I’ve had a supportive team behind me and those decisions. Everything I did – I did for the students. I would leave Saint Rose with this: be you; persevere. Whether it is in the classroom or in a leadership position – you have to know yourself and the reasons why you’re doing what you’re doing.”
Earlier that same day I sat down to interview mentors that Vito had at Saint Rose. I asked all of those interviewed the same questions. Those interviewed were Jennifer Richardson, Director of Residence Life. Second, Rita McLaughlin, Student Affairs, and Mathew Vincent, Previous Area Coordinator.
Richardson spoke about his fondest memories of Vito as, “times that he would pop in on a Friday afternoon to get bulletin board paper. His Jenny from the Block poem that he wrote me. Watching him grow and mature and the way in which he has interacted with students, faculty, and higher administration.”
McLaughlin remembered all of the times that Vito made her laugh, “He just has such a sense of humor. I’ve had so much fun with him. He has such a dedication for students.” Vincent explained that watching Vito plan his own Rose Rock was a highlight, “I am incredibly proud of the man and leader he has become.”
When asked if they could leave Vito a piece of advice upon graduating, Richardson, McLaughlin, and Vincent all encouraged Vito to stay true to himself, go after all of the things you want in this life, and to continue to “be the change you want to see in the world.”
Vito was my resident during my last year as an undergraduate at Saint Rose. I don’t remember that encounter, but Vito cites it every so often. I do recall my first impression of him when I would see him walk around my hallway in Brubacher two Center West. I thought he was going to be a troublemaker, honestly.
Vito’s command presence I mistook for negative energy in my hallway along with how quiet and displeased he looked during his first few days on campus. Later, Vito would tell me that he was just “silently judging everyone” in our hallway and that was the first time I was introduced to Vito’s sense of humor.
I was the Student Association Director of Social Activities during my time as Vito’s RA and I asked him to come to an SA meeting with me. I had him walk to the meeting with me, urged him to work during my office hours, and after I found out how hardworking he was, eventually nudged him onto my Harvest Fest committee.
I remember an email chain between myself and Vito where I sent him my cell phone number – something I hadn’t done with any residents of mine. I found that I leaned on Vito for so much assistance during my first semester in SA that I needed his phone number to ensure our communication was quicker.
Vito filled in a lot of gaps for me on SA; he is creative and can produce marketable content, he has a knowledge of how to market that content effectively, and he has the ability to take vision and make it a reality.
The mornings that I held my office hours, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m, with a Cam sandwich and coffee in hand, without Vito (he would miss a day now and then) would feel quiet and empty.
I’ll admit that throughout my three years working in Residence Life as an RA that I was subpar at best. I found it hard to connect with residents that didn’t engage with me, my bulletin boards were alright (I have vision, but am not artistically inclined), and my programs found a hard time reaching a wide audience.
Aside from a handful of residents from Brubacher 2 East and 188 Partridge I had not been assigned to a student that had taken such an interest in me and the things I had decided to share with them. In a way, I think that Vito’s investment in me and in SA, and eventually Residence Life is what led me on my path to being able to wake up every morning and go to a job that I love with my whole heart. For that I am eternally grateful.
Vito asked me a few weeks ago to write his senior profile. During the 2014-2015 academic year I was the Features Editor for The Chronicle. During that time, I was driving one of my college friends to her weekly allergy shot appointments. As a thank you, she bought me a scrapbook to put all of my articles in. This book sits on a shelf in my office in Residence Life and it only has room for one more article in it and I find it fitting that paying my dues to the student that led me to where I am today is going to bring that chapter of my life to a close.
Recently, I wrote an article for The Chronicle that allowed me to thank Iron Man and the MCU for teaching me about mentorship, getting me involved with film, and for helping calm my anxious thoughts about fatherhood. Vito has almost always referred to me as his dad and as SA traditions go, since I am his DOSA predecessor, I technically am.
Lately, in our unofficial one-on-one meetings, we’ve been talking about the uncertainties of life and how they have been stressing Vito out as he prepares to walk across the Times Union Center stage. Last Saturday night comes to mind as we prepared our LEAD Core day training session we were doing together. It was nearly 11:30 p.m and we were sitting in my office. I couldn’t help but think back to when I had Vito sit on an identical couch in my room in Brubacher Hall as we went over his roommate contract with Ryan Jonuskis. That seems like a thousand years ago – and you’ve done so much since then. You took over my role in SA, you became the student body President. You were an RA in the same placement I got when I was your age. You led SEB to national recognition. You’re about to graduate with your Bachelor’s, get an apartment, and start changing the outside world. Thinking about working at Saint Rose without you to harass on a daily basis has made this profile one of the hardest things I’ve written.
As I bring this senior profile to a close, I am reminded of a quote from my favorite author, Raymond Carver: “Get in. Get out. Don’t linger. Go on.” If I could extend that quote for the purposes of this article I would include “do extraordinary things.” We all know you will.
