By TYLER ELLYSON
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – You’ll never hear Alex Goracke complaining about his commute.
The 24-year-old lives in Antelope Hall on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus, where he also works as a senior residence hall coordinator. His suite and office are about 50 feet apart.
“It’s definitely a unique and interesting setup, but I think it’s pretty nice,” he said. “The commute to work is awesome. My office is here in Antelope and I live right around the corner.”
Plus, he has a great roommate.
Goracke got married this summer and his wife Lydia (Behnk) joined him on campus. They met in Men’s Hall as freshmen in the UNK Honors Program and graduated together in May 2022. Now a business teacher at Horizon Middle School in Kearney, Lydia moved off campus for a few years, but her future husband never left.
He’s in Year 7 of Loper life.
“Seven years in the dorms is quite a long time,” Goracke admits. “Is it a record? I don’t know. But it’s probably getting up there.”
“So far, Residence Life has been really, really good to me and it’s something that I enjoy doing, so we might be pushing eight or nine years or something like that,” he added with a smile.
CENTER OF EVERYTHING
As a senior residence hall coordinator, Goracke oversees Antelope, Nester, Martin and Armstrong Halls. He works with assistant hall directors, resident assistants and other staff to provide the best possible experience for the nearly 500 students living in these buildings.
“My goal is to make sure everybody feels safe and comfortable,” he said. “We want the residence halls here on campus to be the No. 1 housing option for UNK students. And we do everything we can from a safety, comfort and service perspective to make that happen.”
Because he lives on campus, Goracke is almost always available if somebody needs assistance. He also has a strong connection with students, allowing him to see things from their perspective.
“That really helps me be better as a professional,” he said. “Our student body changes every year, so we always have to be looking for ways we can adapt and improve.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is UNK’s emphasis on community.
Goracke believes that’s the biggest benefit of on-campus living. It puts students “at the center of everything,” giving them easy access to resources, events and each other.
“I don’t think there are too many other times in your life when you can be so connected to everyone else around you,” he said. “The students who really, really enjoy their experience here are the ones who get out of their rooms, talk to the people around them and come to university-sponsored events.
“I just think we have a really cool opportunity to get people to meet each other, build lifelong connections and then ultimately look back at their time on campus and say, ‘Man, that was a really fun time.’”
In short, Goracke wants other students to have the same experience he had.
THE STARS ALIGNED
A Giltner native, Goracke came to UNK for a variety of reasons – academics, athletics, affordability and proximity to home among them.
“UNK stood out in so many different facets that it made the decision really easy,” he said. “There was really no other place to go.”
For someone who was “super active” in high school, one of the biggest selling points was the opportunity to be involved in numerous aspects of campus life.
“When I came to college, that was really important to me,” Goracke said. “If there was something the university offered, I wanted to at least have the opportunity to do that. I like to do a lot of different things and wear a lot of different hats, and UNK was the perfect place for me to do that.”
As a member of the Loper track and field team, Goracke qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships three times, earning All-American status in the indoor weight throw last spring. He holds the school records in the indoor weight throw (66-8.5) and outdoor hammer (198-1).
Goracke also served as a campus tour guide and New Student Enrollment leader, and he’s held numerous positions with UNK Residence Life. He was a resident assistant as a sophomore and junior before advancing to assistant hall director.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, Goracke remained at UNK to finish his track and field career as a graduate student. He worked as a graduate hall director for a couple months, then was hired for a full-time residence hall director position.
That involvement with Residence Life inspired his decision to pursue a master’s degree in higher education student affairs, which he received this summer.
“Residence Life got my foot in the door, and it’s something I’ve really enjoyed doing,” Goracke said. “It just felt like all the stars aligned. This is where I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to do.”
Although Goracke has no immediate plans to leave UNK Residence Life, he knows a master’s degree opens even more doors in the professional world.
“Ultimately, I’m still trying to figure out what the end goal looks like,” he said. “There are a lot of opportunities and so many things that I could do, whether that’s in athletics or student affairs. I’m trying to keep as many options open as I can, because you never know where they might lead.”
Until then, he’s perfectly content continuing to support students from his home/office in Antelope Hall.
“I’ve done so much with the university and the university has done so much for me,” Goracke said. “The people here allowed me to do things that I don’t think I would have been able to do at a different school. That makes me want to stay at UNK and give back to future students.”
