Campus desk attendant looks out for students
Each weekday, residents of Pennbrook Hall are greeted by a man dressed in a navy blue suit and a striped tie, who never fails to ask with a friendly smile how they are doing.
Rodney Gould, a Philadelphia native who loves jazz, Bobby Chez’s crab cakes and the 1945 film “Leave Her to Heaven,” has been working as a desk attendant for St. Joe’s residence halls for five years. He spent two years in Ashwood Hall, two years in McShain Residence Center, and is now in his first year in Pennbrook Hall.
Before taking on the job as a desk attendant in campus residence halls, Gould had recently retired from his job with Verizon Customer Service.
“I won’t say how long I worked there because it will make me feel old,” said Gould, who swears he is 29 years old.
Gould graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia where his favorite subject was English. After high school, he attended Virginia Union University, a small historically black college in Richmond, Virginia for two years.
At St. Joe’s, Gould works the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift on weekdays, so he gets a lot of interaction with students.
“I am a people person,” Gould said. “So, therefore, I’m interested in what the students have to say. When I ask ‘How’s your day?’, I really mean that.”
Every Thursday, Gould hosts “Candy Thursdays,” providing students in the residence hall with candy that he buys on his own.
“I do Candy Thursdays because everybody needs a little break at the end of the week,” Gould said. “And Candy Thursday lets you know there’s only one day left, so you can make it, and it’s just something sweet to take your mind off of it.”
Emma Wright ’21, a resident of Pennbrook, is an avid fan of Gould and Candy Thursdays.
When Wright first met Gould, she found him extraordinarily friendly.
“Everybody would always talk about how great he was, and when I met him, I realized he is just the way everybody told me he would be,” Wright said.
Earlier this year, a package sent from Wright’s mother went missing. The Overbrook Post Office said it had been delivered to Pennbrook Hall, but she never received it.
Wright said Gould went above and beyond to assist her in finding the package.
“He was really great about telling me every day when I came downstairs that it still wasn’t there, and he helped me get in touch with the Overbrook Post Office,” Wright said. “And he was eventually the one who found the package when someone returned it.”
Kayla Roberts ’20, an RA in Pennbrook, said Gould also seems to know everything, so he is a good source of information for the RAs in Pennbrook Hall.
“When we’re on duty and we walk in the building, sometimes he’ll tell us there’s a formal or date party tonight, so ‘good luck’,” Roberts said.
Outside of work, Gould loves to hang out with his family and friends. He said he likes to keep his weekends open so if anything comes up he is always available.
“We have movie nights at friends’ places, my friends and family,” Gould said. “We have fun. It’s all about the food, you know.”
But at St. Joe’s, it’s all about the smiles.
“Rodney’s just a really welcoming and friendly face to see every day,” Wright said.
