Tim Touchette has worked at Brandeis since 2014, serving first as Director of Community Living before rising to the role of Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, which covers the Department of Orientation in addition to Community Living.
What is your main role at Brandeis?
As the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, I oversee the departments of Community Living and Orientation. I also co-chair Brandeis’ behavior intervention team called the Care Team.
Tell us a little bit about your overall background before arriving at Brandeis.
Before Brandeis I worked at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, as an Area Resident Director for a first-year area and also in operations. I was also the University’s dance team coach for 4 years. After that, I went to Northeastern and became an Assistant Director for Housing Operations. I spent about 10 years there and then came to Brandeis to take over as the Director of Community Living. After spending a few years in Community Living, I was asked to step into a larger leadership role as the Assistant Dean.
How did you get involved with residence living? What made you want to pursue it as a living?
As an undergraduate at Rhode Island College, I was a Resident Assistant and then went on to become a Senior RA as well. I enjoyed my time working in the office of Housing and Residential Life and learned that this could be a path to a career in Student Affairs. I initially set out to be an elementary school teacher, but once in the classroom, I decided that it was not quite the route for me and returned to college to secure a degree in communications.
What opportunities does DCL have for student-athletes?
We have so many opportunities, not only for leadership roles as a Community Advisor, but also working in our main office in Usdan as a work-study student. We have many positions available and if interested please contact me or Melody Smith in our office. Athletes also have the opportunity to connect with our team through programming! We offer so many opportunities throughout the year, be sure you take advantage of everything we have to offer.
How can a student-athlete balance playing a sport with being a CA?
Time management is a complex skill, but most student-athletes are quite adept at managing their time out of necessity. As long as you follow through with your commitments, the position of a CA is totally doable alongside the strict requirements of being a student-athlete.
Do you have any advice for success in the upcoming semester given the challenges with COVID-19?
Wash your hands, wear a mask as much as possible even in your room if you have guests over. Try your best to follow the rules as best as possible, they are not fun for us to enforce AT ALL, and it has caused the staff a great deal of stress this year on top of a lot of already existing responsibilities… but we get it done and we get it done with your help.
What are your interests beyond Brandeis?
I am an avid spinner, working on getting my MadDog Spin certification. I also coached Bryant University’s dance team for many years and miss that dearly. I love to travel and spend time with family and friends, especially in environments that have a lot of sun!
You can visit this page for more information on becoming a Community Advisor. The process is underway already, but DCL is always looking for interested students!