Any organization would be unsettled by rapid leadership changes, and Oliver-Boppell units are no different. Throughout this current academic year, the two dorms have seen three Area Coordinators (ACs). Bailey Sauls stepped down due to personal reasons early in the year, and Marie Curtis took his place as interim after previously working as AC for resident halls McMillan and Ballard. Curtis soon left when her interim contract ended at the end of Jan term. Aaron Rider took her place in the spring semester. 

Oliver Hall’s Resident Assistant (RA) Jack Odone, who has worked with all three AC’s thus far, shared his thoughts on the distinctions between them and how Rider stands out.  

“Bailey was excellent at conflict resolution and guiding everybody through that. Marie was very organized, which helped me, since I am sometimes a bit scatterbrained,” said Odone, “I am still new to working with Aaron, but his strength to me seems to be his ability to connect and create relationships.” 

 Rider is already gaining a reputation with his team as a person who genuinely cares about building a long-term community here at Whitworth. 

For Rider, this meant stepping onto a moving treadmill.  

“Stepping into a role midyear means inheriting systems and rhythms already in motion,” said Rider about this transition.  

However, this job wasn’t his first foray into campus living.   

Before coming to Whitworth, Rider knew he loved working in residential life on campuses. During his time gaining his Master’s in College Counseling and Student Personnel in California, he worked as the graduate resident director at his school.  

“During that time, I fell in love with residence life,” said Rider, “The work of building community, supporting students, and developing student leaders felt deeply meaningful.”  

This is how Rider says he knew he wanted to continue in this field long term.  

Due to his prior experience in a similar role at his alma mater, he is well-equipped for his new role here at Whitworth. 

“At the macro level, student support, staff supervision, crisis response, the core responsibilities have been familiar,” said Rider.  

But at the micro level, the individuality of Whitworth has been a pleasant surprise for him.  

“There is a genuine, visible love for students here and a dedication to giving as much as possible to the student body. That culture has made the transition not just manageable, but meaningful,” he added.

Rider expressed his respect for the previous AC Curtis.  

“She was not only an excellent Area Coordinator but an exceptional human being. She built a strong foundation through her organization and dedication to students, and I am fortunate to step into a role so thoughtfully prepared,” Rider said.

This fits with Odone’s personal definition of what makes a good AC.  

“I think a good AC knows their team. They are able to see the individual and the collective group and can act sort of as a captain of a ship, steering it and leading it where it needs to go,”  he added.

This sentiment was echoed by fellow RA for Boppell and student athlete, Kian Vae’ena, who spoke on how valuable it was to train alongside his “Boss” and how it began their relationship.  

“Me and him got put in a position where we could work well together because we were being trained at the same time, and because we were both new to the team…I feel grateful for that,” Vae’ena said.

Vae’ena went on to talk about the impact Rider has had in the residence halls so far.  

“He’s done a lot of work for the RA team, because he’s taken off so much work from people’s shoulders. And he’s like, ‘Oh, that’s above your paygrade.’”  

According to Vae’ena, Rider has not only shown up on campus but also made an effort to show up for his RAs personal lives. Rider has even made plans to attend Vae’ena’s swim meets to support him personally.  

In turn his RAs reflect that same friendly manner.  

“They’ve also attempted to help me improve my worm, which remains, admittedly, a work in progress,” Rider says about his team helping him learn a dance.  “I could not have asked for a better team to begin my time at Whitworth.”  

The value Rider places on friendliness and intentionality show through his personal policy on what makes for a good AC. 

“One of my core values is honoring and promoting the stories of others. I believe students thrive when they feel seen, heard, and valued.”   

According to his team in residential life, Rider has walked the walk and talked the talk. Rider has truly found his stride on the ever-moving residential life treadmill.