The link between living and learning

It's 11 p.m. the night before a large final paper is due, and students are in dire need of someone to edit their three-page introduction down to a single page. The professor is long gone by now, and the teaching assistant is off doing his or her own research, leaving the student with few options.

Under the grand plan created by the founders of the college house system to integrate academics with residential life, a student caught in such an academic bind would now turn to academic resources in the on-campus residences.

From fixing residents' computer problems to screening movies in the Quadrangle, Penn's college house system tries to provide students with a wide range of services, from academic advising to community service opportunities and social gatherings, making residential programming a diverse and reliable resource for the undergraduate community.

In essence, this integration was largely the purpose of the college house system. Administrators hoped to break down the barrier between the classroom and the dormitory room, bringing an element of academics into residential life and creating a more communal atmosphere at the very same time. After all, the college house system was inspired by existing college houses that relied on academic interests to attract students to their halls.

Founders of the current college house system said Penn has been successful in the areas of academic and social programming, especially since the system was restructured in 1998. But despite the success described by supporters of the system, college house events generally attract only a fraction of the house's hundreds of residents, and attendance tends to vary unpredictably.

But David Brownlee, director of College Houses and Academic Services, said that the strength of residential programming and academic assistance is unique to the University and is what sets its college house system apart from that of other universities.

"It is our strong suit. Here are a set of areas where we are just on top," Brownlee said. "We need to wake up and acknowledge how good we are in this area."

Information technology assistance is the true cornerstone of the academic side of the college house system, according to Brownlee. The program, which includes 200 student employees who provide technical assistance to residents day and night, is one of the most notable aspects of residential life.

"Penn's ITA support is nationally recognized. This is a leadership institution with respect to that," Brownlee said.

Each of the college houses provides a number of other academic services, from assistance in writing papers to tutoring programs for introductory classes in departments, such as mathematics and economics. Several programs that were originally designed for a specific college house have also been expanded to accommodate the rest of the student body. Gregory College House adopted a foreign language program, and Spruce College House developed a tutoring program in chemistry, which may be expanded to other departments next year.

Brownlee said the accessibility of academic services within the residences is a crucial feature of the college houses.

"Students can receive services outside of normal class time, outside of the classrooms -- you can receive advice and guidance from your peers who are close in age to you," he added. "It is right at the heart of what has been done in the college houses since the beginning."

But Penn residential life has also tried to integrate community service and social events in residential life, an initiative that, like the academic support in the houses, has met with mixed success. Multiple events are held daily in all of the college houses, from guest speakers to small concerts.

Penn PM, a program sponsored by College Houses and Academic Services, highlights one larger college house program every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. These events, which are publicized by the Office of the Vice Provost of University Life, provide students with an opportunity to explore what the various college houses have to offer.

The college house system is "there to give students a location to do these kind of things and to sponsor a certain number of social events that are more broadly based, that are less ambitious in cultural and educational aspects," Brownlee said. "But I don't think any of us older people think it is up to us to throw parties for adolescents."

One of the problems with social programming in the college houses is the lack of a uniform structure for the different dormitories. The high rises, each of which are composed of numerous floors of apartments, can create isolated communities in comparison to the small close-knit traditional residences, such as Stouffer and Van Pelt college houses. Attendance at social and community events can be scattered and often proportionally low in houses with significantly larger populations.

But for College junior Katherine Sledge, the college houses have provided at least adequate programming for students interested in taking an active role in their residences. She said that although Harnwell College House offers several events on a daily basis, living in Hill College House during her freshman year was a much better experience.

For years, Hill House has sponsored a house-wide competition among the various suites, organizing events, such as a volleyball tournament and team karaoke. The winning team has its suite name engraved on the Hill House plaque. A large number of the social programs sponsored by Hill focus on and are designed around this year-long competition, which promotes a sense of community among the residents, Sledge said.

But nothing similar to Hill's Olympic-like events exists at other college houses, illustrating the spotty nature of such programming.

Former Stouffer College House resident Ella Schwartz said the programming in Stouffer and Mayer was successful because of the frequency and location of events, as well as the small size of those residential communities. It has often proven harder to mobilize students to attend events in the larger college houses like the high rises, where students tend to be upperclassmen and are often involved in numerous other activities.

"It was unbelievable -- there were programs every night and everyone knew each other," Schwartz, a College junior, said. "It is obviously very important for convenience. People will want to attend programs in their own house because you are much more likely to walk downstairs to attend an event."

In addition to the events college houses sponsor both inside and outside of the individual dormitories, fostering a sense of community among the residents relies on strong programs that encourage students to take an active role in residential life.

Community House Dean Rick Cameron said an emphasis should be placed on events within floors and suites so that students get to know their neighbors.

"We have been encouraging RA and GA staff to have programming that will give the hall a sense of community and give them a sense of a larger community within the college house," Cameron said.

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