As housing costs in downtown Washington, D.C., rise, professors at George Washington University are being offered free housing. The catch: They must live in residence halls next door to students.

The program, Faculty in Residence, was developed to help students get to know their professors beyond the classroom, said Rebecca Sawyer, the senior assistant dean of students.

The program began at GW in 1998, with two adjunct professors living in a freshman residence hall, Sawyer said. In 2004, the program was revamped and professors were moved to sophomore residence halls, so as not to overwhelm freshmen with the transition from high school to college, Sawyer said. This year is the first year GW has a family living with students in residence halls.

‘We were reluctant about having children living in the residence halls with students in the past, but so far it’s been a positive experience,’ Sawyer said.

Faculty housing at GW isn’t only for young professors with families. Jeffrey Sich, a 55-year-old associate professor and director of educational programs at GW, is currently living in an apartment-style sophomore residence hall at GW. This is Sich’s first year at GW, and he thought being a part of the Faculty in Residence program would be an easy way to transition.

‘I knew I’d be in a type of transitional state since I was coming to a new university from St. Louis, and this was a great way to immerse myself into the institution,’ Sich said. ‘For me, it’s a six-minute walk to work, and it’s just really great being back on a campus again.’

The building Sich lives in, The Dakota Hall, is a sophomore residence hall of apartments with a bathroom, kitchen, and a washer and dryer for students.

Sich lives in a building in which all the units are alike. Sich lives on the first floor in a small two-bedroom apartment.

‘For one person, it’s certainly large enough,’ he said.

Living with 200 sophomores in college has brought some enlightenment to Sich on what college is like for students today.

‘I’ve learned you need earplugs Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights,’ Sich said. ‘We had a minor fire in one of the elevators, and the building was evacuated on a Saturday night. We all got to know each other a lot better on the sidewalk.’

But this is not enough to scare Sich away. He plans on returning to the dorms next year to continue his work of breaking down some of the barriers between students and faculty.

Every other Thursday, Sich opens his apartment doors on the first floor of his building for students to drop in and talk about issues in line with the goals of the Faculty in Residence program. Topics range from choosing a major, strategies for success and ways to connect with faculty, Sich said.

Although not all students see the benefits of the program, Sich said, every Thursday he sees about seven students who come by his apartment to talk about their future, rather than bar hop.

Some students in the program feel it is unique and are appreciative of the opportunity, said Maggie Malloy, a freshman international relations major who does not have a professor living in her dorm this year, but would not be opposed to it next year.

‘I have heard all the professors are really cool with helping on homework, discussing books and even cooking Sunday brunches,’ Malloy said. ‘Personally, I think it’s a great way to make connections in the university.’

GW is also looking to expand this program in future years by reconfiguring rooms in existing dorms, said Sawyer, the senior assistant dean of students. As dorms are updated, the university would ensure some rooms are made to be appealing for professors, she said. Residence halls for sophomores, juniors and seniors are all apartment-style housing and would not require much reconfiguration to accommodate faculty members.

‘Most of the faculty apartments right now are one bedroom, maybe two bedrooms,’ Sawyer said. ‘If we are looking to attract more established faculty who have family members, we do need to do different things in designing and renovating rooms.’

GW decided not to place faculty in residences with freshmen, Sawyer said. But the freshmen are not ignored. Each floor of the freshman residence halls has an assigned faculty member to help the students with anything they need; the faculty members just don’t live there, Sich said.

‘The program is doing what we wanted it to do by fostering a different kind of relationship between students and faculty. Students see faculty doing their laundry, eating in the dining halls,’ Sawyer said. ‘Students see them as real people and will be more open to approaching them and asking advice, whether it’s academics-related or career-related.’

medelane@syr.edu

Published on October 12, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meghin: medelane@syr.edu | @meghinwithani