Students, staff reflect on Camacho’s tenure

By Lindsey Gilbert | Thresher Editorial Staff

When Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido Camacho arrived in 1994, then-Student Association President Marty Makulski predicted he would be students’ greatest ally.

“He’s going to transform Student Affairs and the entire campus toward a philosophy that puts students as the top priority,” Makulski told the Thresher.

Ten years and 7,000 names later, Camacho leaves a legacy that many would argue proves Makulski’s prediction true.

Camacho’s sudden retirement, announced Aug. 4, capped a career at Rice that included substantial interaction with students, particularly undergraduates. As VPSA he established Leadership Rice, supported rebuilding Willy’s Pub after it burned down in 1995, antagonized hundreds by temporarily shutting down student-run radio station KTRU in 2001 and established an open-door policy that led the Princeton Review to describe his personable demeanor as one of the university’s strengths.

The name game

Many students said their favorite memory of Camacho is the effort he made each year to memorize the name and hometown of every new student.

Lovett College sophomore Diana Wu said Camacho recognized her during Orientation Week after meeting her identical twin, Jessica, at Sid Richardson College the night before.

“It was pretty remarkable … he was like, ‘You must be Diana,’” Wu said. “He put his arm around me and said, ‘You look so much like your sister.’”

Martel College Masters Joan and Arthur Few, who served as Baker College masters from 1994 to 1999, said they remember Camacho showing the same attention to detail when they first met him in 1994.

“At the same time he started as Vice President [for Student Affairs], we were starting out as masters at Baker,” Joan Few said. “We were both the new kids on the block.”

When introducing himself, Camacho revealed he already knew her name and profession, Joan Few said.

“He had done research,” she said. “That was symbolic of his whole approach.”

Last spring, Zenaido Camacho and his wife, Carol Camacho, accompanied a small group of students enrolled in MART 312: Greek Culture on a trip to Athens, Greece, the Fews said. Joan Few said she has photos of Camacho competing in an impromptu footrace with students at Nemea, the site of the ancient Nemean games.

Many will remember the Camachos as permanent fixtures at student events, including Shepherd School of Music recitals, Powderpuff games, varsity athletic events and college theater performances.

Hanszen College junior Andray Downs, a varsity football player, said he appreciated Camacho’s presence at games, as well as his visibility on campus.

“He was a big supporter of athletics,” Downs said. “Every time [Camacho] came around, he would talk to us and encourage us. Every time I saw him, he was really uplifting.”

Alumnus Charles Klein (Sid ‘97) said he thinks the time Camacho spent attending student events spoke for itself.

“Some people had their outs with him, I certainly had my moments where we didn’t see eye to eye,” Klein said. “But in the end analysis, he was at every single sporting event, he memorized every student’s name. He embodied Rice more than any administrator ever has.”

Interim Vice President for Student Affairs John Hutchinson said it would be hard to estimate exactly how many campus events Camacho attended during his time as vice president. The large number reflects Camacho’s energy and dedication to understanding student life, Hutchinson said.

A busy man

One of Camacho’s jobs as vice president for Student Affairs was to advance student programs, whether by providing discretionary funding or encouragement, Hutchinson said.

Camacho was instrumental in establishing Leadership Rice, a leadership skills course and internship placement program.

Alumnus Derek Sarley (Wiess ‘98) said he was part of the first class to complete the Leadership Rice program, and had several conversations with Camacho about his vision for the program. Camacho hoped to establish a course that would develop well-rounded, socially responsible students.

“There’s this joke in Texas about how everyone who graduates from Rice is brilliant, but then they end up working for someone from Texas A&M,” Sarley said. “So [Camacho] said he wanted to start a program that would emphasize leadership.”

Sarley said he also participated in Camacho’s shadow program, a weeklong observation of Camacho during which students listened to his phone calls, read his e-mails and sat in on some of his meetings.

Students who shadowed Camacho said the experience, whether positive or negative, helped them understand more about the inner workings of the university.

“I thought [the shadow program] did a lot for students’ understanding of his role and his position and how the administration functioned,” Baker senior Megan Batchelor said.

An open door policy

Many described Camacho as an unusually accessible administrator. The outer door of the VPSA office, located in Lovett Hall, reads, “The door is open. Please come in.”

Sid Richardson College Masters Steve and Laura Cox said Camacho was consistently available to both students and staff.

“I was so amazed at how he could appear to be in three or four places at one time,” Laura Cox said.

Camacho was a principle resource if a student was in trouble, and he provided personal and professional support for the masters, she said.

Director of Student Activities Heather Masden said she appreciated Camacho’s interest in his colleagues’ work and passions. Masden said the Camachos attended the yearly Impact Rice Retreat, a leadership weekend for students her office sponsored.

“They both expressed to me how sorry they were the one year they couldn’t attend,” Masden said. “It was really nice to have that type of support and to see that something that was important to me was important to the vice president for Student Affairs.”

The Office of Student Affairs sent a monthly letter to the parents of each undergraduate class. The letters included a message from Camacho and anecdotes about undergraduate life.

“[The letter] was a nice snapshot into the lives of students,” Mindy Waitsman, mother of Baker sophomore Melissa Waitsman, said. “It gives you facts about what your students are experiencing and quotes from students he’d spoken to.”

As the administrator responsible for overseeing student life in the residential colleges, Camacho met monthly with college masters and met with the SA president and college presidents every Friday for lunch.

A positive attitude

Director of Muliticultural Affairs Cathi Clack said she appreciated Camacho’s positive outlook, and rarely saw him without his signature smile.

“If you said, ‘How are you doing?” he said ‘Excellent!’” Clack said. “He was always, ‘Excellent!’”

Former Student Association President Matt Haynie (Will Rice ‘03) said he only saw Camacho angry when he felt his efforts to work for students were being obstructed.

“I only saw [Camacho] angry once,” Haynie said. “I don’t remember what it was about, but it was over some student issue. He wasn’t smiling like he normally did … he was angry because he cared so much.”

Camacho’s ability to put a positive spin on “just about anything” filled a need in student-administrator relations, Haynie said.

Batchelor, a former Baker president, said she will remember how aggressive Camacho could be in championing both issues he believed in and issues he thought students believed in. In 2003, when the Student Association and the college presidents petitioned for the return of the two-day spring recess to the academic calendar after it had been removed the previous year, Camacho helped students meet with members of Faculty Council to negotiate.

KTRU legacy

However vocal he was in advocating for students, Camacho will also be remembered as the administrator responsible for the 2001 KTRU shutdown, an event many considered symbolic of the clash between students and administrators. Camacho and Hutchinson unexpectedly suspended programming and locked the student-run radio station Nov. 30, 2001, the morning after two KTRU DJs played music over the broadcast of a women’s basketball game. The DJs were protesting guidelines set by the KTRU Oversight Committee requiring the station to broadcast three to four athletic events a week.

At an open meeting with Camacho following the shutdown, some members of the audience booed while he made prepared remarks, the Thresher reported Dec. 1, 2001. Over 350 people attended the meeting, and later that week students submitted a protest petition to Camacho with almost 700 signatures.

Tree house honoree

Last spring, a group of students constructed a tree house in the academic quad and dedicated it to Camacho. The group decided to affix a plaque to the tree house honoring Camacho because they thought he was the administrator most friendly to students, one anonymous builder said.

Another anonymous builder said they hoped Camacho would like the tree house and would urge other administrators not to have it torn down.

“We were not sure how well it would be received,” he said. “But we thought [Camacho] would enjoy it and would stand up for it.”

The tree house remained in the quad for the duration of the semester.

August 20, 2004

The Student Newspaper of Rice University

Students, staff reflect on Camacho’s tenure

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