DAVID KOB
Staff Writer
“There’s a 100% chance there’s a message on my answering machine when I get to work in the morning.” Chris Van Velzer’s life can be summed up in one word: Busy. He’s often walking, more likely running, around campus, briefcase in hand, waving to students as he flies by. On any given day, Van Velzer sends or receives roughly 100 emails, 25-30 phone messages, and attends four hours of meetings. “That’s the easy part,” he joked. He must also be present at campus events, manage the inter-club council budget, and do weekly paperwork for Greek organizations.
So how does a man with so many reasons to go postal keep it all together? “Easy,” he said. “I went to Pepperdine.”
Van Velzer graduated from Pepperdine in 2001. “I was almost as busy in college as I am now, if you can believe it,” he said. By senior year, he was photographer and editor for the Graphic, Songfest host, a Residential Advisor, a member of choir, Judicial Chair of Psi Upsilon, and the leader of a college group at Malibu Vineyard. “It’s not that I enjoy being busy, I just enjoy the personal relationships that come with it,” Van Velzer remarked.
Immediately after he graduated, Van Velzer took a job as University Events Coordinator at Pepperdine. He organized fundraisers for potential and longtime donors in order to keep them donating, “which anyone knows takes more than a smile,” he joked. At night he took graduate classes at Grazadio School of Business and Management where he earned his MBA.
However, his job kept Van Velzer secluded. “I wanted to get back to what I love most about Pepperdine: the students,” he said. When the Student Organizations Coordinator position opened up in 2004, he jumped at the opportunity. He got the job and has been there ever since.
Van Velzer oversees all 53 student-operated clubs and 11 Greek organizations on campus. If anything club-related needs approval, Van Velzer is the go-to guy. “There’s sometimes a big stack of documents on my desk when I walk in, and I have to read through each one and sign my name,” he said.
The Greek Organizations are slightly more complicated. There are constant issues with sororities and fraternities; philanthropies, mixers, formals, they all must be discussed with Van Velzer. There is a lot more to consider when dealing with Greek Organizations. Their events are usually more complicated, involve more people, and essentially are a bigger liability if something goes wrong, “and something always goes wrong,” he said.
In the past year, Van Velzer had to deal with the numerous drinking allegations that put Beta Theta Pi on suspension and three other Greek chapters on probation. “Students were angry, and all I could say to them was ‘I know how you feel, I was a student here once,’” he said.
The rules have changed, however, in the last five years. “Back in my day, judiciary actions were significantly more lax, but the new administration has changed all that,” he said. Probation was rare then and suspension was practically unthinkable. “The Administration either didn’t know about the drinking going on or just didn’t pay attention to it,” Van Velzer said. “Now it’s out in the open, and most of the judiciary decisions have been argued by both students and faculty.” As a former student, Van Velzer was a key mediator during these rough times. “I understood where each side is coming from, but the policies are becoming more restrictive. Students must understand that,” he said.
Age also plays a huge part in Van Velzer’s ability to handle situations with students. He’s 27 and college life is still fresh in his mind. The job requires heavy student interaction and cooperation. “They need someone they can relate to,” he said.
Consequently, he has forged many friendships with current students. He has over 60 personal relationships with students. One is Beta Theta Pi President Gary Brophy. “Van Velzer not your average faculty member. He actually listens,” he said. With his occupation, the faculty-student boundaries are blurred because he is constantly in contact with students. “I mean of course I don’t go out and have a beer with them,” he said. “But people come to me with relationship problems, school problems, stuff friends would talk about with each other.” Most club officers and Greek Organization officers meet with Van Velzer weekly, so relationships are almost inevitable. “The more accessible and personable I am with students, the easier it is to work with them on other stuff,” he said. However, sometimes all the face time backfires. He occasionally does paperwork at home because of the constant interruption in his office.
Pepperdine has provided a lot for Van Velzer: An education, a job, and even a wife. He met his wife, Corrie, when he was a senior (she was a freshmen). “Definitely not what I expected to happen, but it all worked out,” Corrie said. They got married in 2004 and have been together since.
At age 27, Van Velzer doesn’t feel like his life is slowing down at all. “There’s still so much of my life left. Pepperdine is great and I love being here, but there’s more I want to accomplish,” he said.
His next stop might be China, where the new capitalistic economy is ripe for picking. “China is tired of being poor, and if you’ve got some business sense, this is the time to check out the opportunities over there,” he said. The first step is to learn Mandarin, according to Van Velzer, and the second step is to invest. China is the first Communist society to reject Socialism and their economy is growing faster than any other country in the world. It’s also cheap. “You can buy a huge breakfast for about 25 cents,” Van Velzer said.
Living in China is temporary. “Five years should do it,’ he said. “Get in and get out,” he said. Back in the states, he plans on raising a family and settling into normalcy.
Currently, Van Velzer is the go-to guy when it comes to Student Activities, but he has much to look forward to. “The next couple years are going to be interesting,” he said. Who knows where I’ll end up?”
03-08-2006
