Work-Life Balance Part 1: Sue Wasiolek
Sue Wasiolek blends work and play at Duke.
At 2 a.m., Sue Wasiolek's cell phone rang, awakening her from a light sleep.
A student monitoring tenting at K-Ville wanted her advice on whether to suspend tenting temporarily because of cold weather.
"He just needed someone to support him as he made a decision," said Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students. "A few minutes after we hung up, he texted me to say K-Ville would stay open and all was well. Then I could fall back asleep."
As one of several administrators on call around the clock, Wasiolek has often been roused from her bed for everything from flooded dorms to student safety and health concerns. "You can't plan when events like this will happen," she said. "Like my colleagues,
I am often on campus at strange hours."
Wasiolek, who graduated from Duke in 1976 and joined Student Affairs in 1979, said she probably spends as much time at Duke as she does at home. "I view what I do at Duke as a way of life, not a job," she said.
Even when she relaxes, Duke tends to demand her attention. While attending basketball games in Cameron Indoor Stadium or lifting weights in the Wilson Gym, she is often approached by students for informal conversations or academic advice. "I like it that way," she said. "There is a sort of blended efficiency that comes with putting work and play together."
There are times, however, when she doesn't think about work.
"I belong to a group called the Wheezers and Geezers that runs every Saturday morning and talks politics and sports over breakfast at Elmo's," she said. "I can't always make it because of Duke commitments, but when I do, it takes me far away mentally from my Duke responsibilities."
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