Getting by with a little help from her friends

Hathaway’s colleagues from the IU campuses around the state pitch in to keep registration services running

Staff of the Office of the Registrar at IU Kokomo, who have worked to keep the office on track following the unexpected death in November of Lois Hathaway, are (left to right) Cheryl Calhoun, Tina Stone, Abby Secrease, Becky Young and Linda Gillem.

Three weeks after the unexpected death of Lois Hathaway, her mourning co-workers processed fall semester grades, getting them to students without delay. The staff stepped up to the challenge with determination and a clear plan, relying on routines Hathaway had set during her 17 years in the office.

But, IU Kokomo still needed help with technical aspects of the job that Hathaway had handled personally, said Jack Tharp, IU Kokomo’s vice chancellor for student services. Then, and in subsequent months, numerous IU colleagues volunteered assistance to keep IU Kokomo student registration services running. “It’s the sort of thing that a small college without IU’s resources and collegial ties probably wouldn’t have been able to do,” Tharp said.

“I could list dozens of people” who’ve helped in person or by phone, he said. “The registrars at the other IU campuses contacted us immediately. They said, ‘What can we do?’”

Registrars Mike Carroll of South Bend, Roland Cote of Bloomington, Dennis Hicks of East, Peter Kesheimer of Northwest and Mike Grove of IUPUI, as well as Terri Langel, assistant registrar at IU South Bend, and Tom May, associate registrar at IUPUI, offered encouragement and handled some specific transactions. “They did the sort of things that only a registrar would know how to do,” Tharp said.

“IUPUI gave us names of people we could contact at any time, and our staff has been on the phone with them frequently getting instructions.” The university’s Office of Student System Services staff—JoAnne Bowen, Janet M. East, Jo Daran and Teresa Sanders—has regularly reminded the Kokomo office of tasks scheduled on the university calendar. “I try to spread it around, so that I’m not calling the same people for help all the time,” Tharp said.

Tina Stone, enrollment information technician on the Kokomo campus, is the only full-time staff member at the IU Kokomo Office of the Registrar. Assistants Linda Gillem and Cheryl Calhoun have a job-share appointment. Part-time employee Becky Young and student worker Abby Secrease round out the office crew. As of late January, Tharp said, all five were still working longer hours than usual without complaint. “They schedule themselves; they’ve kept everything operational,” he said. Before Christmas, Tharp and the assistants completed advanced registration for spring term, prepared fall grade rosters for faculty and processed grades on time. After Christmas, they dealt with students on academic probation. On Jan. 7 and 8, they successfully completed registration for spring semester, despite some computer glitches.

“Returning to work the Monday morning following Lois’ death was difficult and emotionally draining,” Stone said. “However, I felt what better way to pay tribute to Lois than to maintain the level of excellence that she worked so hard to instill in all of us.”

Calhoun agreed. “Lois ran a tight ship. She had various processing and event calendars that we are able to use to keep us on track.”

Operating “as a team” is another Hathaway axiom that the staff carries on, said Gillem, who has worked in the Office of the Registrar for 23 years. “We continue to meet together to solve problems as they arise.”

The three women all expressed appreciation for the emotional support offered by fellow IU employees, both in Kokomo and elsewhere. Jack Tharp has been first among them, they said. “He came to us that first day with sensitivity, praise, sensibility and leadership,” Gillem said. “He is open to discussion when we differ over possible changes needed. He continues to include us in the search for a new registrar, which I consider respectful.”

“Jack had known Lois longer than the rest of us, with the exception of Linda, yet he was so concerned for us and how we were holding up when I knew he was also suffering from the loss,” Calhoun said. “Jack has had confidence in us and has continued to encourage us.”

IU Kokomo campus mourns loss of colleague, friend

Scholarship fund honors late registrar Hathaway

For more on IU Kokomo:
http://www.iuk.edu/