The Faces That Make Us: Andy Auguste

Andy Auguste started at DeSales as director of residence life in August 2020, and he credits past connections with helping to bring him here. 

“What drew me to this campus—Linda Zerbe [vice president for student life] and Jen Bunting [associate dean of students for campus life and student conduct],” he says. 

Auguste and Bunting worked together as entry-level coordinators at Penn State Berks, and he sat on an alcohol consortium with Zerbe. Auguste never lost touch with the two, and when a position opened up at DeSales, he knew he wanted to be a part of this campus community. 

Describe your role here as director of residence life. 

I oversee the residence halls and the health and safety of our students in the halls. I also oversee graduate residence hall directors, we have five of them; I oversee the resident advisors, we have 43 of them; and the federal work study staff in the res life lounge.  

I educate the resident advisors to be helpers, to understand how to be empathetic, and to understand how to guide our students through the different stages—in terms of retention, success, and happiness. It’s helping students navigate their life crises and their cocurricular development. It’s also helping them gain some resiliency and building genuine relationships with each other. I love that stuff. 

What’s the best thing about being a Bulldog? 

The best thing about being a Bulldog here is the level of family. I’ve only been here three years and it’s been an awesome ride—ups, downs, goods, bads. But it’s nice that it’s anchored in a genuine common goal, which is the students. That’s something that’s different from working at larger institutions.

What’s your favorite off-campus event in the Lehigh Valley? 

Celtic Fest. It was new for me, and I really liked it. I like to visit downtown Bethlehem. The people are eclectic there and they have a nice variety of restaurants and pubs.

Favorite DSU tradition? 

My favorite DSU tradition is the first-year student move in. I’ve been to several institutions over the years, and this is the only school that does it like this. 

Here, that whole excitement of welcoming the new students—the Orientation leaders, Character U staff, the resident advisors, and all the different staff from the president on down—in different spaces working together and greeting families, it’s a really happy day. 

Advice for new employees? 

Get to know the people. Come with an open mind and leave behind your preconceived notions about what a Catholic or Salesian school is. If you’re looking for that level of community, that level of camaraderie, and teamwork, it’s a great place. Also, don’t stay in your silos because although it’s a big campus, it’s a small space where you can truly build community amongst your colleagues.