The Office of Residence Life is staffed by the Director of Residence Life, three Assistant Directors, 24 Resident Assistants, an Administrative Assistant, and Work Study Students.
The Director of Residence Life
The Director of Residence Life oversees the department including the Residence Centers. In collaboration with other campus departments, the director supervises the day-to-day management of the department as well as larger projects to grow the department and services we offer. The Director of Residence Life resides on campus.
Joseph Dratch, Director of Residence Life
Phone: (845) 848-7600
Email: joseph.dratch@duny.edu
Joseph Dratch fell in love with higher education while he was Resident Assistant attending Dominican University. In 2013, Joe graduated from Dominican with a B. A. in Social Sciences.
After graduating from Dominican College Joe moved on and began to work on his masters at Rosemont College while working in the Department of Residence Life. While going to graduate school and working Joe was promoted to the Assistant Director of Residence at Rosemont. In 2015 he graduated from Rosemont with Master of Science in Leadership.
A few months after his graduation, Joe accepted a position at Dominican University as the Assistant Director of Residence Life overseeing Housing and Operations. During his time as Assistant Director, he has worked on improving the department in many different ways. He loves the connections he has made with students and seeing them grow outside the classroom.
In 2019 Joe became the Director of Residence Life and is very excited to see continued growth within the department. He feels that Dominican University has helped him become the person he is today and is looking forward to helping the next cohort of students.
Residence Life Administrative Assistant
The Administrative Assistant is an integral part of the Residence Life Department and manages all clerical aspects of the office. This includes all paperwork, housing registration, incoming freshmen paperwork, all general phone calls, and scheduling for department administrators.
Kathie Boylan, Residence Life Administrative Assistant
Phone: (845) 848-7601
Email: kathleen.boylan@duny.edu
Kathie Boylan joined the Residence Life Staff in 2007 after holding several management positions at local Bergen County non-profits. Her responsibilities in Residence Life have allowed her to participate in the new challenges facing the office with the addition of new residence halls, growth and development of new professional staff, and of course — the enthusiastic resident students.
Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Ramapo College and a Masters of Science in counseling. In addition, she is a freelance dance professional; teaching, coaching choreographing, performing and creating special programs and classes.
Assistant Directors of Residence Life
The Assistants Directors (ADs) are responsible for Student Conduct, Housing and Operations, and Programming and Leadership Development. In addition, they are each responsible for overseeing a specific Residence Center and the staff of Resident Assistants and Work Studies employed in that building. The ADs participate on a rotating 24 hour-a-day schedule to address any emergency situations that may take place after their office hours. Because of the nature of their work, ADs live and work in their Residence Center.
Debra Ferguson, Assistant Director of Residence Life for Programming and Leadership Development
Phone: (845) 848-5000
Email: debra.ferguson@duny.edu
Rosary Hall
Before becoming an Assistant Director (AD) in Residence Life in 2013, Debra worked as a Student Account Representative in the Bursar’s Office for five years along with being a Housing Professional. In May of 2013 she received her B.S. in Accounting from the college. Prior to joining the College’s family, she worked at the Corporate Headquarters of Loehmann’s in the Bronx.
In addition to being an AD, Debra is the Advisor to the DC Dance Team. On her off time she likes to go bargain shopping. When she is not shopping, she us usually spending her time her mother and sister Bronx going to craft shows and learning about different do it yourself projects. Every opportunity she gets, Debra takes classes for the enjoyment of learning new things. Currently she is taking an online embroidery class with her mother. In the past she has taken kickboxing, hip-hop jazz, Reggae Dancehall classes. If there is a something that she is passionate about, she will learn as much on the subject matter as she can. Debra feels that you are never too old to learn.
Jonathan Delgado, Assistant Director of Residence Life for Student Conduct
Phone: (845) 848-7420
Email: jonathan.delgado@duny.edu
Guzman Hall
Jonathan joined the Residence Life team in 2017 as a Housing Professional. He is a proud graduate of Dominican University (Class of 2012) with a B.A. in Social Science. While attending Dominican, Jonathan was a Resident Assistant for three years and has lived in every residence hall including off campus housing.
He has worked for the State of Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and New York State Office of Children and Family Services where he supervised high risk juvenile offenders. Jonathan has also served as an Organizational Learning and Employee Development Specialist, overseeing training and development for over 800 employees.
Jonathan has been a N.Y.S. EMT for over ten years. He has held the ranks of Field Training Officer, Lieutenant, Captain and Assistant Chief. Jonathan holds national instructor certifications from the American Heart Association, American Safety & Health Institute, the American Lung Association and the National Council for Behavioral Health.
In his spare time Jonathan enjoys listening to music, going on hikes and spending time with his family and friends. He also enjoys cooking and creating new dishes!
Gabriella Vasquez, Assistant Director of Residence Life for Housing and Operations
Phone: (845) 848-7602
Email: gabriella.vasquez@duny.edu
Hertel Hall
Gabriella Vasquez was born in the Bronx, New York and spent most of her adolescent years in Bergen County, New Jersey. During her undergraduate years she found her passion in Student Affairs. And, while completing her Master’s degree in Higher Education, she was provided the opportunity to work with collegiate students in Canada and the Northeast through her sorority affiliation (Delta Phi Epsilon). After completing her M. Ed., Gabriella spent two years working as the Housing Operations Coordinator at a small liberal arts school in Central, Pennsylvania.
In August 2020, Gabriella was thrilled to accept a position at Dominican University where she can continue to work with and serve to empower students to be their ‘best self’. She is ecstatic to meet and work with all of the Charger community!
Some of Gabriella’s “favorites” include: her 4 year old dog-‘Cali’, mozzarella sticks, going down the Jersey Shore, Collegiate Wrestling and spending time with friends and family.
Resident Assistants
These students are the most visible and active members of the Residence Life team. Each module/ hallway in our Residence Centers are assigned with one of these campus leaders who are extensively trained to promote community and safety across campus. This includes working with their AD to develop a community atmosphere designed to assist with academic success and social growth through responsibility. They do this through programming events, being present in the building, and staying attune to their residents personal, social, and emotional needs all while maintaining their own academics.
The Resident Assistants participate on a nightly and 24-hour weekend schedule every night the semester is in session. You can reach the RA on duty Monday-Thursday from 5 p.m. until 9 a.m. and there is 24 hour coverage from Friday at 5 p.m. until Monday morning at 9 a.m.
Residents Assistants also maintain office hours every night from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. To contact the RA on duty, students should call the RA duty phone for their respective building or report to the security desk to have them contacted.
Work Study Students
Every Residence Center employs Work Study Students through the Financial Aid office. These positions are overseen and filled at the beginning of every semester by the ADs of the Residence Centers. Responsibilities of these student workers include a variety of clerical tasks, delivering items to other departments, and overseeing student lounges.