Marcus D. Weemes is an easy man to recognize—big smile, friendly face and an unforgettably pleasant demeanor. But try to find him during student move-in at Mary Markley Hall and you’re in for a lengthy search.
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That’s because Weemes, hall director for Markley—working in collaboration with on-site facility and dining managers—is in charge of all the residence life functions, including administration, resident advisers, academic peer advisors, programs, events and more. As someone who helps keep Markley up and running, it’s Weemes’ job to be up and running all the time as well.
That includes move-in. On the first day, he answered a few questions at the welcome desk, walked outside and observed move-in helpers and the number of cars with permits, waved hello to students helping to direct traffic and then ran off to the fifth floor to make sure the quickly filling rooms were free of conflict before he revisited the lobby, greeted a parent and talked to a resident adviser on the way.
And that was just 10 minutes of a very long day.
This year, Markley is welcoming 1,196 residents, 1,115 (93 percent) of whom are freshmen, making it the largest population of first-year students in any hall on campus. And while that number is not significantly different from recent years—despite the recent admittance of the largest freshman class in University history—Weemes says it presents some unique problems.
“I spend a lot of time interacting with parents, helping solve issues that may arise and working with staff to make sure move-in is going smoothly. It can get pretty hectic, but it’s an important part of making the hall a comfortable home for everyone,” he says.
Though the orchestration of a nearly 2,000-person move-in may seem like a headache-inducing task to some, Weemes is a seasoned veteran. As a political science and theater major at Ball State University, he was inspired to make the move from theater to becoming a resident adviser by his own hall director. What resulted were a graduate degree in project management from University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a now six-year career in residence hall management.
“My hall director in my undergraduate residence hall was extremely supportive of me. She was a wonderful mentor, and showed me an avenue of ways I could help people. It inspired me, it made me want to do similar work,” he says.
Now in his second year as a hall director at U-M, Weemes knew what it would take to make the first few weeks of school run as smoothly as possible.
“This year will be tough because we have to be better prepared to help students resolve conflicts with roommates. It will be much more difficult for students to find places to relocate,” Weemes says.
But he and the rest of the Markley staff have managed a few light moments, even during the chaos of move-in. Exactly on the hour, they gathered in the lobby and sang the Michigan fight song for entering parents and students. Says Weemes of his hourly return to his theatrical roots:
“It’s all just part of my job.”
