In first year of college house plan, U. hosts Ivy housing conference

It seems as if the University could not have picked a better time to show off its product. Perhaps fittingly for a year in which Penn began a new, integrated college house system and unveiled a $300 million dormitory renovation plan, the University hosted this year's Ivy Housing Conference, an annual event at which administrators from the eight Ivy League schools and Stanford University gather to exchange ideas and discuss issues regarding campus living. The location of the conference -- which began Wednesday and concludes today -- rotates each year among the nine schools involved. Penn's outgoing Executive Director of College Houses Chris Dennis is hosting this year's event, which is also being attended by special guests from the University of Wollongong in Australia. For many of the representatives, the visit is a chance to compare Penn's residential living system with that of their their respective universities. "I'm interested in hearing how [the college house system] is received at Penn," said Jean Reese, project leader for the residential initiative at Cornell University. She explained that her school is in the process of changing its dormitory system. "We're probably two to four years behind you," Reese added while eating pasta and salad in the new Harrison House basement dining hall. She said Cornell is moving all freshmen to one part of the campus and is exploring the idea of upperclass residences. Cornell has a less-expansive college house system than Penn; it was Harvard and Yale universities that set the standard for residential colleges. Robert Mortimer, Harvard's associate director for building services, explained that Harvard students typically live in the same house for their last three years at the school, as part of the 70-year-old system. "Penn has a very unique and diverse residential system," Mortimer said. "Harvard's is more traditional." The conference concludes this morning with a continental breakfast at the University Bookstore and a program at Hill College House during which administrators representing the nine schools will discuss issues including alcohol initiatives. Other workshops and discussions included issues such as fundraising strategies, renovation planning, resident advisor training and graduate student housing. The University also gave representatives a sense of the Penn campus through walking tours yesterday. Several administrators said they found Penn's massive construction and renovation plan interesting. "It's astonishing to us," said Emily Allen Farnham, the fiscal officer for Dartmouth College. "Any time you see $300 million worth of anything, it's quite something." Other representatives said they were curious about Penn's outsourcing of facilities management. "I'm interested in seeing how the Trammell Crow management system is going," said Rodger Whitney, associate director of housing and dining services at Stanford. "It sounds like a year of transition," he added, saying that Penn seems to be experiencing the "usual issues you'd have" with such a significant change. The program was not without entertainment, as the agenda included drinks at Shula's Steak 2 and dinner at local restaurants on Wednesday, as well as a cocktail reception, dinner and performance by the a cappella group Counterparts at the University Museum last night.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.