Returning to dorm life

By Cindy Landrum  

AUGUST 25, 2011 9:48 a.m. (0)

He’s also an associate professor of philosophy.

He’s one of three Clemson professors who will live in a residence hall for the next two years as a part of the school’s new Faculty in Residence program.

The program is designed to increase interaction between faculty members and students outside the classroom, said Suzanne Price, Clemson’s associate director of residential life.

It’s an idea borrowed from Ivy League schools, which have long had programs where learning is not confined to classrooms and residence halls host speaker series, social events and academic conversations.

Price said the professors are not expected to double as resident advisers or serve as a sort of chaperone. They won’t be monitoring for underage drinking or patrolling the halls to tell students to turn down their stereos, although if they see things they can alert people trained to deal with problems, Price said.

“Our goal is to promote student learning outside of class,” she said. “It’s not a new idea but it is the first year we’ve tried it.”

Some students, who learned of the program when they arrived on campus last weekend, probably won’t like the idea, said incoming freshman Megan Broadwater of Chapin. Broadwater attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville so she is used to older adults living in residence halls.

“I think it’s cool,” she said. “But I know some students won’t be jumping at the idea. Over time, I think it will be accepted, though.”

The professors won’t be living in a regular room in the residence halls or share a community bathroom with students, Price said.

Two of the faculty members will live in two-bedroom apartments in the basement of the residence hall they are assigned to while the other will live on one of the floors but in an apartment separated from the student rooms.

The faculty members receive free room and board, Price said, but the rest of their compensation varies. The professors have expressed interest in having students in for dinners and snack breaks and informal discussions. They will also have offices in the residence halls where they can do one-on-one advising and mentoring.

The University of South Carolina has had a “residential college” program since the mid-1990s, said Kirsten Kennedy, executive director of university housing.

Students in residential colleges tend to get higher grades and have higher retention rates because they feel like they’re part of the community, Kennedy said. Professors can also push students’ critical thinking skills as long as “they’re not just talking about the weather,” she said.

At Converse College, three full-time members of the student life professional staff live in the residence halls. They are in charge of programmatic aspects of residential life that incorporate learning into the community, said Beth Lancaster, spokeswoman.

As the school renovates residential space and build new halls, it hopes to have more formalized living/learning communities, she said.

Furman is also considering such a program, said spokesman Vince Moore.

Grau, who experienced a residential college program as an undergraduate student at New York University, is excited about the program.

“To me, it really humanized professors,” he said. “When I first went to college, professors were almost unreal. A program like this allows students to see professors not just lecturing in class, but playing ping pong in the rec center.”

Vernon Burton, director of the Clemson University Cyberinstitute and professor of history and computer science, is a father of five and a grandfather of eight. He and his wife, Georganne, will live in an apartment in Norris Hall and will interact with fraternity and sorority residents in the Quad residence halls.

Burton said he worries some about the noise, but is looking forward to the program because it will allow him to understand where students are coming from; something he said would help his teaching. He said he’d like have students over for catfish stew and start a discussion series on race relations, a part of history in which he specializes.

Tamara Mitchell, a Spanish lecturer in the department of modern languages, will live in the Stadium Suites residence hall, which is occupied primarily by sophomores.

Grau said he and his wife were thinking about moving closer to campus when he heard about the program. They’ll live in the basement of Holmes Hall with their Jack Russell terrier, Emma.

Ten professors applied for the program, Price said.

“Some of my friends think it’s great,” Grau said. “Others are questioning my mental health.”

Comments

Add New

Leave a Comment
Comments are moderated and may not be posted immediately.
Name:
Email:	do not notifynotify
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."