Imagine waking up on a typical Sunday morning: Most likely, it’s around 2:30 p.m. and not technically morning anymore. Odds are, you’re feeling completely repulsive, disoriented and otherwise generally unpleasant.
Your head and stomach are reminding you that staying up until 4 a.m. at those outrageous Saturday night study parties can really catch up with you. As the average college student, you’re much too slothful to put in the effort to make yourself appear mildly presentable at this hour, so you decide to meander over to the dining hall in your pajamas in search of some scrumptious waffles to help you recover from all of the cramming you did the night before.
As you amble down the hallway of your dormitory, you encounter a dreadful surprise: Your 19th-century philosophy professor is headed straight toward you! To make matters worse, a wave of nausea overtakes you and before you know it, your residential adviser is calling in cleaning services. It must have been all of the Fritos and energy drinks you downed last night. Meanwhile, Professor Anderson looks on with dismay in his eyes as you come to terms with the fact that you can probably kiss that letter of recommendation you were hoping for goodbye.
The preceding situation might seem like quite the nightmare for most of us, but, unfortunately, running into professors at dining halls or on the way to the shower in the morning is more than just a lurid dream for many college students – it’s a reality.
According to educators, a growing number of faculty members and their families are currently taking up residence in college dormitories at several universities, including the University of Southern California and American University in Washington, D.C., in an effort to revitalize campus life.
Higher education consultants report that such faculty live-in arrangements are partly a response to the party culture and rampant alcohol abuse on many campuses, but are more importantly a means of fostering stronger relationships between students and their professors.
Aside from the potentially embarrassing encounters that doubtlessly occur when having a professor as a dorm buddy, live-in faculty appear to have some very positive effects on students with whom they live. There are already about two dozen schools nationwide that have implemented such living arrangements and many students and professors alike feel they have benefited from these unique living situations.
One professor from American University prepares culinary masterpieces a few nights each month for the students living with him in his dormitory.
Another professor at the University of Southern California lives in a suite on campus with his wife and children and holds his Introduction to Occupational Therapy lectures in his own living room a few times a week. In addition to the tasty meals and the comfortable leather sofas in place of cramped desks, research also demonstrates that the increased attention from faculty members living in dorms leads to higher academic achievement among students and a greater sense of belonging through integration of “”in-classroom”” and “”out-of-classroom”” experiences. In return, faculty members feel energized by living among lively young college students.
Even though such an idea may seem unappealing to many college students, live-in faculty might not be the worst idea for universities that are comprised of apathetic students who are unenthusiastic about making the effort to interact with their professors outside of class.
Professors who are willing to live among freshmen and sophomores are truly making an admirable attempt to bridge the gap between students and faculty and should be commended for their undoubted bravery; however, there’s no denying that there are probably more conventional alternatives to achieve the same goal at colleges that lack professors with such courageous souls.
At UCSD, many professors strive to make a strong connection with their students by setting up review sessions, extra office hours and meetings with students outside of the classroom. For instance, UCSD chemistry professor Michael Hale has arranged times for groups of students in his lower division chemistry courses to meet at the Grove Caffe to discuss difficult concepts in class – or just for a quick chat over some coffee.
Biology professor Hopi Hoekstra also attempts to connect with her students by setting up extra review sessions for her BILD 3 course to help answer individual questions from students before major exams.
Unfortunately, many professors at UCSD and other colleges are very devoted to obtaining tenure, doing research, attending to family needs and managing various other career and social obligations, meaning that finding professors who make a significant effort to get to know their students outside the classroom is an uncommon occurrence. As a result, students cannot simply expect their professors to move in next door or call them up to see if they can get coffee and review for midterms together – students must also make an effort if they hope to build professional relationships with their professors.
So before students are faced with the horror of waking up to professors sharing the bathroom at the end of the hall, they might just want to step into a review session, ask a couple of questions after class or attend a professor’s office hours when struggling with a tricky calculus concept.
Although the integration of students and faculty in college dorms may work for some schools, more students should first attempt to take advantage of current opportunities to connect with their professors who might otherwise spend office hours playing Snood, alone.
