As a former resident assistant at Tau House (8/05-11/06) I can say that Tau House management is unorganized, unrepsonsive to parent/student/staff concerns, and often abusive to staff and students. These issues are ongoing since its manager has held her position for some time, and since the, essentially, incompotent and ineffective house director is in no hurry to resign herself. The house director is live-in, but rarely seen - save for occasions when she chooses to pick fights with staff and students whenever she is up to a good power trip. The manager is almost never seen by students, and generally unconcerned with student problems. She listens only to the false claims of the house director. \r
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Management often concoted reasons to remove students or fire staff members - often they were based on blatantly false conceptions of what went on at Tau House, usually they were tanamount to lies (I was not fired.). The reason for this is simple: it makes them feel like they are effective at what they do only when they are repremanding students and staff. The problem being that they are rarely available or seen in the house - putting them at a serious disadvantage with regard to knowing ""just what is going on"" in Tau House.\r
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Feel free to email me, I can probably get you in contact with numerous staff members and students who share this sentiment - nearly ALL in fact, who resided in Tau House during my stay, and many more who stayed before I did.\r
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I highly recommend that anyone considering this place, find an immediate alternative. Again, I was not fired, and these are not simply the complaints of a disgruntled employee - PLEASE, do not be fooled by what Tau House management represents to you, and reconsider this residence.\r
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rcoleman@berkeley.edu
Pros: amazing staff; relatively safe/clean environment; oppurtunity to make great friends.
Cons: management pits itself against staff and students. Management makes staying not worth the pros.
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