Tag: People of the Year

By Meghan Finlayson

Staff Writer

After coming to the University in 1998 and being officially appointed as director of the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) at the end of last year, one woman on campus has spearheaded efforts to address many issues both women and men face on campus.

Since Tracy Shaynak has started working as director, she has worked with faculty, administration and students to address important issues in the University community. She has been involved in numerous campus events that address them, such as the Take Back the Night Rally, and she has been working with Bucknell Student Government to reconfigure the “For a Better Bucknell” rally next year.

“She has worked with BSG through getting to know individual members,” Sonali Basak ’12 said. “[She] provides an atmosphere of comfort, where anything goes and all ideas are accepted.”

Shaynak’s responsibilities include supervising students, staff and volunteers who work in the WRC and coordinating the Center’s programs and initiatives. She also runs the Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate Program, which provides assistance and support for those who have been sexually assaulted.

The WRC serves as a place of support for students, faculty and staff. It promotes awareness and “understanding of issues related to women’s rights and gender inequities, both historic and contemporary,” Shaynak said.

Shaynak also serves as an adviser to the women’s student group Essential. “As an advisor, she has gone above and beyond to ensure the success of our organization. She is a friend, a mother figure and most of all a teacher to all of us,” said Juanita Jeffrey ’13, president of Essential.

Shaynak has worked with the Interfraternity Council to inform Greeks about the programs and resources offered by the WRC. “She is a very genuine and kind person who is always willing to help out others and has been a very strong ally of the Interfraternity Council,” said Michael Higgins, president of the Interfraternity Council. “We are truly blessed to have her, her skills, knowledge and dedication on campus.”

In working with Associate Provost Robert Midkiff, Shaynak has developed the Sexual Assault Task Force and helped the LGBT Awareness Office continue to move forward after the loss of Fran McDaniel.

“We have worked together on issues of sexual violence, alcohol education and heterosexism and homophobia in the campus community,” Midkiff said.

Shaynak is an advocate for collaboration. “For me, there is real value in recognizing how programs, policies and people interrelate, and when we can bring departments and organizations together in creative ways that maximize and take advantage of these connections, we have the ability to truly enhance the educational experience,” she said.

She has also taken a role in the Campus Climate Task Force by sitting in on meetings and serving as a resource to the group.

“Where we have been successful and what gives me real hope is that the campus community has begun to have an important and meaningful dialogue around some very important issues this year. Student leaders, including those from the Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council and Bucknell Student Government, have been coming forward and coming together in ways that are simply unprecedented in my time here,” she said.

Shaynak is best known for her compassion and dedication to understanding student opinions and concerns.

“She listens carefully to students and assists them in making good academic and life choices,” Midkiff said. “I think she is really good at empowering students to critically examine their beliefs and their actions and to live their lives consistently.”

Through her deep involvement and myriad contributions to the campus this year, Shaynak has made and will continue to make a real difference in the lives of students.

By Olivia Seecof

Writer

Kristin Vallis ’11 from Ridgefield, Conn. originally came to the University to play water polo, but that is not what defined her during her time here. Vallis’ work in the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Awareness (LGBT) has earned her a Person of the Year award.

“I started working there sophomore year because I didn’t know what else to do with myself after coming out freshman year,” Vallis said. This year, Vallis was the office manager and attended four different national conferences on behalf of the office.

“Kristin’s continued presence in the office this semester has simply been invaluable as we have been continuing the good work that began under Fran McDaniel’s leadership,” said Tracy Shaynak, director of the Women’s Resource Center.

Vallis is graduating with a bachelor of science degree in biology. In addition to her work in the LGBT Office, she is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, studied abroad through the Semester at Sea program and was a member and Junior Fellow of the Environmental Residential College.

Vallis’ efforts in all that she does have proved to be very inspiring to everyone she comes across. “She taught me to always ‘do you,'” Stephanie Walters ’11 said. “I don’t know if she even realizes but when we met during recruitment, she encouraged me to continue being myself.”

McDaniel had a significant impact on Vallis, and losing her was difficult. “Fran always gave me space to figure out who I was,” she said. “Fran did so much [for the office], but we couldn’t depend on her anymore. We’ve picked up the pieces and pushed the envelope of how to make Bucknell aware of more perspectives in general.”

“[Kristin] has become an effective facilitator of dialogue among students and has earned the respect and admiration of her peers, and of faculty and staff,” Associate Provost Robert Midkiff said. “It is always rewarding to see students become an effective self-advocate–it is even more rewarding when you see that student step out of their comfort zone and become an advocate for others.”

One way Vallis has educated the University community is through the Safe Space program. At each of the conferences she attended, she presented workshops on the Safe Space program. One conference Vallis attended was the Out & Greek National LGBT & Ally Fraternity & Sorority Leadership Conference at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. This conference discussed the position of LGBT in Greek life. “Since Greek life is such a big thing on campus, it was awesome to discuss issues with other LGBT greeks,” Vallis said.

“[During] presentations, she was an equal partner in our work,” Midkiff said. “Her peers from other institutions were clearly inspired by her work in Safe Space as they eagerly sought to speak with her in greater detail about her experiences, the obstacles she encountered and how they might bring a program like Safe Space to their own campuses.”

The Safe Space program has been in the University community for about 10 years, but approximately seven years ago, the University changed the program to have students engage with other students. This program is “unique to Bucknell because it is the only program with peer educators and a voting system,” Vallis said.

“Although [the program is] simple definitions, the real gold mine is that peer educators tell peer strangers, ‘Hey, this is my life here at Bucknell,’” Vallis said.

“I cannot think of a better woman to receive this honor,” Walters said. “Kristin is a friend to all and a best friend to me. She has the ability to free a little nervous sophomore, strengthen a junior and love a senior.  Congratulations to Kristin, the woman who taught me more than I can ever express. Bucknell will truly lack a certain ‘cool’ once Kristin graduates.”

“Kristin has conquered Bucknell in her four years and will leave it overflowing with cultural awareness, respect for all and the motivation for further change,” Chelsea Burghoff ’11 said.

Vallis has been extremely dedicated to educating the University community about the LGBT organization and Safe Space program.

“To quit water polo and leave the identity of an athlete was really hard for me,” Vallis said.

While it was a tough time, Vallis was able to think about what was truly important to her. She put all of the discipline she learned from being an athlete into giving something back to the University, and that is why she was selected as one of this year’s People of the Year.

By Tracy Lum

Senior Editor

The words “dream” and “imagine” decorate the walls of Missy Gutkowski’s office, a room that beams and radiates with as much positive energy as Gutkowski herself. A career consultant, the manager of the externship program and the assistant director of Alumni Relations and Career Services, she helps students pursue their dreams–whatever they are.

For Gutkowski, who began working at the University in September 2006, a career in career services was a natural fit. Having graduated from Susquehanna University with a degree in sociology, she then pursued a master’s degree in social work at Marywood University. Throughout her time at Susquehanna, she worked in the career office and even spent a summer interning at our University’s Career Development Center (CDC).

“I loved the aspect that everyone has a career, and everyone has a job,” Gutkowski said. “It was this topic I could talk about with anyone, and I knew that [Bucknell] was where I wanted to be eventually.” She got there sooner than expected.

Gutkowski was initially hired as the program director of externships, a position she still holds. The externship program allows sophomore students to job shadow a sponsoring employer for two days over winter break. As the program coordinator, she expanded the burgeoning idea into the thriving program it is today.

“She’s really been the person to tweak the program and see what’s working,” said Pamela Keiser, Executive Director of Career Services.

At first, the pilot program was only offered for the College of Engineering and a few arts and science majors. Each year, Gutkowski incorporates new concepts into the program. For example, she requires students to get their résumé critiqued before they can apply to the program. She also provides tips on how to behave and dress professionally during the externship experience. “This has really paid off over the past few years in a very positive way,” Keiser said.

Gutkowski also serves as a career counselor and oversees the student workers at the CDC. In both roles, she goes above and beyond, developing genuine connections with students as she helps them achieve their goals.

“One of the things I admire most is her total commitment to educating students and the excitement and motivation she gets out of working with students,” said Sarah Bell, Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Career Services.

Many students who have worked with Gutkowski over her tenure agree. Rob Shanahan ’10 worked with Gutkowski for two and a half years, and he  believes that she truly defined his experience at alumni relations and career services.

“She was and continues to be the best supervisor that I’ve ever had,” Shanahan said. “Her management style is such that I loved my job, even the more mundane parts of it because I could see how it all fit into the big picture.”

Overseeing the student worker program gives Gutkowski insight into how to reach out to students. She not only hires and trains students, but also develops a personal connection with them.

“That’s a blast. I love it because I get to keep the pulse of students,” she said. “I want to know what students are thinking.”

Career counseling is another way that Gutkowski reaches out to students. Up to 12-14 students work with her per week, a vigorous schedule that could drain even the most resilient of workers. Gutkowski, however, keeps her energy level up–-even without coffee.

“Throughout the week, the students energize me, and just loving what I do,” Gutkowski said. “It’s awesome to know that you can be a piece in teaching someone about what’s going to make them so great or what they’re choosing to do with their life.”

The students who consult with her also notice her dedication, energy and vivacity.

“Missy is the most helpful person when it comes to advice and help with networking [and] job/internship searching,” Malika Subramanian ’11 said. “She is always detailed in her response and never lets you down.”

John Stevenson ’11 also believes that Gutkowski was immensely helpful in his job search.

“She consistently strove to help me with my search, including working on my resume after she had left the CDC for the day,” he said. “She is dedicated to helping students find solutions to their issues, and the Bucknell community is blessed to have her.”

Across her roles at alumni relations and career services, Gutkowski strives for excellence and demonstrates her genuine passion for counseling.

“It’s just this idea that [University students] can do absolutely anything. This is truly just the beginning,” she said.

“Seriously,” Gutkowski said, “dream, imagine.”