This week’s HerCampus Celeb wears many hats: GC Brungolo is the Assistant Director of Student Engagement for Operations, overseeing both Kanbar and the brand new Ravenhub, a First Year Seminar professor, and oversees all of Greek Life. With this being his third year at PhilaU, he feels like he’s hit his stride, and largely attributes that to the students he gets to work with every day.
Kanbar and the Hub:
GC’s main duties revolve around the spaces that we use every day – Kanbar on Main Campus, and Ravenhub on Ravenhill side. He manages a staff of 14 Building Managers (including last week’s celeb Brittany) and 12 Desk Assistants. The students are responsible for keeping the Kanbar and the Hub operating, everything from helping with directions to lending out equipment. That was the hardest part of his first year at PhilaU, since his predecessor left big shoes to fill. “I feel I did a better job with the Greeks than with operations that year,” he said, admitting that it took some time for him and his staff to click. But once they did, his staff became a huge part of his experience here. (He even made sure to send them a shout out, saying “I truly love my staff.”)
Greek Life:
While operations had a bit of a learning curve, “the Greeks welcomed me with open arms…It was a really exciting time to be a Greek, it still is a really exciting time.” GC says. Despite never being in a fraternity in his own undergrad, GC was excited to be along for the ride with them. “I’ll admit, I was not a fan of Greek life at all until I learned about it in grad school.” he confesses. However, being so involved with them here at PhilaU completely changed his perspective, and now he’s a big proponent of Greek life. The Inter-Greek Council, newly formed when GC took over, is a major player in the group’s ability to rise above the negative stereotypes. He describes it as a collaboration, where the Greeks can take initiative and he can offer support as an advisor. If an issue is brought up, the Greeks’ peers are the ones holding them responsible, instead of an administrator passing down judgment. It creates a very positive Greek Life environment, and GC asserts that “when they rally, they are a force to be reckoned with.”
First Year Seminar:
First Year Seminar is a new program for freshmen, designed to “help students survive their first year.” Alongside his TA, Ciana Anthony, he teaches everything from Title IX to Study Skills. The program has had a huge impact on PhilaU’s retention rates, and GC sees it as a support system for new students. It also lets them see what the school has to offer, and most TA/Peer Mentors are highly involved students who love what they do, which makes for a great experience for the freshmen enrolled in the program. Overall, FYS instructors and TA’s have the opportunity to help freshmen find their own organizations and activities that they will love, and show them all that they can do at PhilaU.
Tying everything in, for GC, it’s the students at PhilaU that make the school what it is. His staff at Kanbar and the Hub, the Greeks, and Ciana and his students in FYS have all shown him that “there’s a special kind of student here.”