Proctor Appreciation Day, Transitions

Proctor Appreciation Day

by Joel O'Kane, BAAJ II

Proctors Kevin Hull and Alison Kidston

Not everyone can be a proctor. A proctor is a person who, if a student is locked out of his room at three o’clock in the morning, that student can count on a proctor to wake up and unlock the door. If one is going through rough times, and cannot seem to keep afloat in the torrent of term papers, a proctor can be counted on to keep everyone focused and in high spirits. They are the glue that holds the university residence community together.

That is why Gayle Churchill, the student & residence affairs coordinator, was pleased to announce that St. Thomas University was part of an international “Residence Assistant Day “ on February 20. “The proctors are those type of people who can be counted on to be there for students in need,” she says. “Proctor Appreciation Day is about giving thanks back to these people who put so much into their community.”

Kevin Hull is one of St. Thomas’s outstanding proctors. Kevin has been a proctor for two years at Harrington Hall while also working on an Honours degree in English with a minor in History and Psychology.

“To me, being a proctor is about being available to people around you as an information source,” Kevin says. “We are a place to turn to for help when it is needed and people are very appreciative of what we do.”

“We are friends with the students, but we are also disciplinarians who try to make sure that everyone has an enjoyable experience in residence,” agrees Alison Kidston, a third-floor proctor in Rigby Hall. “It’s the little things that makes being a proctor a rewarding experience, such as when you help out someone with a problem and the next day you find a thank-you note on your door. Those little thank-you’s make the difference.”

This is the second year St. Thomas celebrated Proctor Appreciation Day. The international celebration was originally discovered by Gayle Churchill, a former proctor, who thought it would be a great idea to honour the dedicated proctors at St. Thomas.

This is a way of saying thank-you to the proctors,” she says. “They are the first people you see when you arrive in residence and the last people you see when you leave for the summer. They are really special people, and the St. Thomas community could not function without them.”