What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am the Deputy Student Accommodation Manager and have been at Loughborough for over two years. I absolutely love my job and have a really fantastic team!

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

The role of the Student Accommodation Centre is to allocate rooms to our students and work closely with Hall Management and Warden teams to make the student experience as smooth and seamless as possible. Where you live is a big deal, so it’s important we get it right!

With over 6,000 students to look after, there’s always something different happening, and my day varies depending on which cohorts of students we are working with at the time. From our new undergrad starters, postgrad students, presessionals, OnCampus, preseason, returners and much more, there’s always a lot going on. There’s also wild logistics to work out all the time, like emotional support tortoises or surprise students turning up on the doorstep with no accommodation booked! The core of the job is absolutely communication and reassurance, especially for parents as they worry more than the students do. It’s also a giant game of emotional Tetris to ensure everyone is happy.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

I run the Accommodation Call Centre of around 20 volunteers during the week of A-level results when the majority of our students book their accommodation. It’s a huge buzz with hundreds of phone calls coming in with queries to be solved. It’s a high-stress time for our students, and some can be disappointed, especially if they don’t get what they have their heart set on (ensuite bathrooms being by far the biggest deal for people). Managing emotions and logistics simultaneously is a massive operation, so it’s an amazing thing to run and be a successful part of.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

The proudest moments are always the individual ones with students or parents when you can really help to make a difference to them. We manage a lot of students with additional needs, some of which come in very last minute, so being able to help people in distress is the best part of my job. First and foremost, I’m a people person, so working things out for a great student experience is an amazing feeling. I’m also really proud of the interdepartmental relationships my team have built, which only goes to strengthen the Loughborough experience.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

It’s got to be collaborative. Working together gets the best results, especially in such a huge operation like a university. When departments work together, it makes the University offering so much stronger and keeps us in that top 10 spot!

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I’m a massive sucker for an old fat dog; I used to volunteer at Dogs Trust doing walks and just loved it. My dog Lulu is 15 years old; she’s a lab, so very rotund and the absolute best. I would take all the senior dogs if I could!

What is your favourite quote?

“I’m suspicious of people who don’t like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn’t like a person.” ― Bill Murray

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.