Known for outlandish traditions like Tunnel of Love and its own Olympic games, Trustees Residence Hall is one of the many places on campus that fosters community in unorthodox ways. The 150 men that live in the dorm are not solely responsible for carrying traditions; they are led by a resident director who encourages all of these activities.
Eric Harbin is the resident director (RD) of the Trustees dorm and has been in that position for the past two years.
“Obviously I am biased, but yes, I think Trustees is the best dorm,” he said. Alongside the 150 men in the dorm, Harbin lives in Trustees with his wife Rebecca and their daughter Moriah.
Harbin is not an Asbury graduate but studied finance at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. During his time there, he was a resident assistant for two years, which sparked his interest in becoming an RD. At the time, he did not consider being an RD a possibility, so shortly after graduating he started training to be a manager.
“When I finally answered God’s call on my life to pursue full-time ministry, it came back in the picture, but not fully until my wife and I were in [Asbury] seminary talking about what jobs we would like to pursue after we graduated,” he said.
It was then that the opportunity arose to be the RD of Trustees.
Harbin stated that the best part of the job are the day-to-day interactions he gets to have with students.
“The RD job is very relational,” he said, “and I love that I get to have meaningful conversations with guys about their relationship with God, school, future plans, relationships and just life.”
Harbin shared that he is very close to the RAs who work under him and that they motivate him to do his job well. As a means of furthering his relationships with the students, Harbin and his wife host a small gathering of students in his apartment each week.
“The people that come to that are very special to us in many ways,” he said. “It has been incredible pursuing Jesus with each of these students.”
The relationships he has built goes beyond just the students; it extends to other Asbury RDs and the Student Development department.
“We have some incredible people on staff at Asbury who truly care about the lives of the students here,” he said.
Harbin stated that he loves being an RD, especially of Trustees. For now, he plans on remaining in his position for at least another year.
“Rebecca and I have always said that we would say ‘yes’ to God wherever and whenever he may call,” he said. “Right now, he has called us to serve the students of Asbury University and that is what we plan to do.”
