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Getting to know Angela Batista

November 14, 2014

Upon the arrival of Dr. Angela Batista, dean of students, in 2012, the Dean of Students Office (DOSO), underwent a major restructuring. The shift included new opportunities for more outreach and student advocacy, and revamping of the Behavior Intervention Team, which changed its name to Campus Action Response and Engagement Team (CARE). An assistant dean of students, Dr. Tara Frank, was added to the department and together they serve as a comprehensive centralized resource for student concerns.

Bastista threw me for a loop when I went to interview her for this article. Like others before, I emailed my list of questions for her to ponder in advance. Upon my arrival, she had a printout of answers to the questions offered by friends, family and colleagues. "I knew what I would say, but wondered what they would say," said Batista. It was a fun twist and their answers can be found in the "what others said" sections.  

What does the dean of students do?

It really depends on the day. We oversee conduct for the whole University and many have the perception that all this office does is conduct. It couldn't be further from the truth. A lot of our restructuring has been about looking at what services and resources we needed to add to better serve students. We added the assistant dean position and spend most of our time and efforts on outreach, retention and education. There's also lots of policy development and compliance work that coordinate to ensure student safety and wellness. Most of it is about making sure we are responding to students as issues come up.

What do you enjoy about your work?

For me, it's the students! When one works with people who are making choices that can really shape the rest of their lives, whether they are traditional or nontraditional students, everybody's in that place of trying to figure out how to get to the next stage. That's what gets me up in the morning, having the chance to contribute to that developmental process.

Angela ListeningWhat do you do better than others?

I don't want to sound pretentious, so I asked other people. I was grateful for those.

What others said:

If Starbucks named a flavor of the month, devoted to you, what would they call it?

I grew up in the Dominican Republic and lived there until the age of 12.   My grandmother and I used to roast coffee and I had to grind it by hand. We had a mortar and pestle that was made out of wood and was bigger than me.

I could literarily drink coffee in bed and fall asleep. It's really about the experience. I actually go to Starbucks more when I am at USI.  I find that when meeting with students, faculty and staff getting out of the office is a good thing.  Sharing coffee or a snack with someone makes it easier to connect with him or her. Sharing a meal can help people feel less defensive and more open. In my culture, sharing food is a one way that people connect. It takes me out of the day for a little while. It is also important, as a dean, for students to see me outside of my role.

What others said:

How do you share your experience of food with others?

I think I haven't done that as much here. When I lived in Vermont, my friends and I used to have monthly brunches at my house and there could easily be 20 people. People would just come and bring whatever they wanted and we'd cook together and hang out. Some people would eat and run and some would hang out; a couple even took naps after eating.

There's nothing like when one feels really relaxed and can let the stories go wherever. You have the most amazing conversations and really get to know people.

Heidi Gregori-Gahan and I recently went to Ecuador and Colombia for a recruitment trip and there was a student whose parents went to see us at the fair. The next day they wanted to bring us breakfast at the hotel. They cooked it in their house and just came over. It was important to them that they share this with us. That's the kind of thing that, for me, is part of who I am, especially as a bicultural person. There's a certain ease that can be present when people are eating together.

How do you unwind outside of work?

I like to watch movies (especially Jane Austen films), listen to books and travel. I take short trips by car and explore. I have this map where I track where I've been. I think there are seven states I haven't been to. I've lived in all four corners of the United States and now I'm in the middle. I enjoy it because I grew up in a different country and had the opportunity to travel. I'm the only one who has moved away from my family. I'm pretty adventurous. And of course, I like to spend time with my dog, Toby.

TobyTell me about Toby.

Toby es puro amor (is pure love). He's a five-month-old toy poodle. I committed to him right after he was born and got him when he was two months old. He likes to watch television with me. I was very intentional about getting him because I wanted a dog as a way to have more balance. It can certainly be hard at times with my role at work and when you're taking care of people and responding to issues all day, a forced pause is good. I wasn't sure I wanted to make the commitment, but this job has helped me see what I need in a different way and the importance of modeling that for students as well. I can't be at everything or everything to everyone. I have to be able to say no and be ok with that sometimes.  For me, it's about being really present wherever I am and trying not to worry too much about people being upset.

What was your favorite toy as a child and why?

We didn't have many toys because we were very poor and grew up in a very rural village so we mostly entertained ourselves with the surrounding environment. But there was one Christmas when I became obsessed with a blue-eyed, blond-haired doll that I really fell in love with. I think it was mostly about how I was looking at beauty at the time. My grandfather had blue eyes and my father has green eyes. My family is a mixture of Spanish, indigenous and African, so we have all kinds of people in our family in terms of looks.

As a child, I wondered why my eyes were not green or blue too and would say to my dad, "I wish I had your green eyes." I think that's partly why I liked the doll.

Anyhow, my parents sacrificed and were able to get me this doll. It's the only toy I remember having.

What was your first job?

My very first job was taking care of my two younger brothers at an early age. My first official job was at the age of 16 when I worked as a summer mentor and coach for incoming high school students in Brooklyn.

AngelabatistaYou're in an imaginary Jane Austen novel. What's your character and what's your role?

I do enjoy Jane Austen. I was an English major love 19th century British literature. I must have every movie version of every book and anything that's based on it, Indian movies like Bride and Prejudice or Aisha, which is based on Emma. When I need to escape, it's just great to watch something like Pride and Prejudice. I've always been fascinated with the psychology and social norms of the times because I'm so relationship focused - the way that people had to engage with each other ­- it was so strategic.

What others said:

Throwback PictureDo you have a childhood photo to share?

This is my brothers, my grandparents and me. I was 11-years-old. It was a year before I came to the United States, so I was living with my grandparents while my mother had come here ahead. Those were the first outfits my mother sent us. This is my grandmother's house. There was a little black and white television my uncle had brought from the U.S. the year before. We had sporadic electricity, but on Sundays, the kids would come and we would all sit on the floor, when there was electricity, and watch cartoons like Felix the Cat in Spanish.

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