September 2008

Spotlight on Staff: Andrew Goretsky

BY JILL LINDSTROM

Who better suited to help GW students navigate campus housing than someone who has lived in residence halls for the past 15 years? Andrew Goretsky, director of House Life at GW Housing Programs, has a decade of experience managing residential college life, working at Landmark College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University of Maryland, College Park. In March, he came to GW, where he lives on campus, as he has done since he was a college student himself.

As director of House Life, Goretsky manages all activities within the residence halls, including the four-year House Life curriculum; roommate dispute resolution; student-driven living and learning cohorts, such as the Green GW House; and the first-year student theme houses. He also is responsible for working with the faculty in residence and faculty guides programs, which enable students to engage with faculty informally outside the classroom.

Q: What advice do you offer freshmen?
A: Take the time to get to know your roommate. Roommate mediation is a major focus for us since overall student satisfaction often centers around the roommate experience. We also tell students to get to know their house proctor, who can connect them to other resources on campus, and their faculty guides, who help them develop strategies for academic success.

Q: Where do you live now?
A: My wife, Debra, and I live in Strong Hall, which is an all-female building. When I was new, some students called UPD on me once because they thought I was an intruder.

Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: Right now I spend a lot of time exploring D.C. Since we moved to Washington, we have made an effort to explore different areas and neighborhoods of the city. This weekend, we’re hitting Chinatown. We have done a lot of walking—I really ought to get a pedometer.

Q: What kind of books do you read?
A: I enjoy alternative history. The author chooses a point in history and changes how history played out and creates a story from that time forward. For example, having the Confederate states win the Battle of Gettysburg or having the plague kill 99 percent of the European population during the Dark Ages.
Q: What kind of pro athlete would you like to be?
A: I would love to be a swimmer. It’s an amazing sport! I admire the athletes’ individual motivation and drive. The only sport I play is softball with the GW Housing team.

Q: Are you a thrill seeker?
A: Yes, I am an adrenaline junkie! I have bungee-jumped, and I would love to try sky diving. I have promised my wife not to tell her if and when I do it. I have regularly been a season pass holder to Six Flags America. This is actually one of the only summers that I haven’t had a season pass, and I miss it. For our honeymoon, I wanted to take a cross-country road trip, visiting amusement parks along the way and riding every roller coaster possible. But we ended up going to Hawaii instead.

Q: Do you play an instrument?
A: I used to play the tuba. I was in fourth grade and was told to pick an instrument to play in the school orchestra. It was big and it looked funny, so I said, “Sure! I’ll play that”—not knowing it was the least cool instrument ever, and I played it for nine years!

Q: If you didn’t have to work, what would you do?
A: I am an amateur cook and would love to be a chef! I find cooking very relaxing. I love the Food Network. I think I watch Iron Chef a little too often. I need to work on the appearance of my food, though; it tastes great, but it doesn’t always look appetizing. My omelets are always in bits and pieces all over the place.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu