Every Thursday at 5 p.m., students in East Laville gather with University faculty for weekly “tea,” where they meet and talk informally around plates of chips and cookies and foam cups filled with hot tea.
For more than eight years, the Department of Residential Life has offered programs encouraging faculty to take part in the residence halls’ programming and get out from behind the lectern.
“The primary motivation was to get faculty out of the classroom and into the residence halls to interact with students,” said Scott Latiolais, coordinator for student and staff development in Residential Life.
The Residential Colleges housed in Herget, Graham and Laville have a more pronounced faculty presence, but every hall has at least one faculty “friend.”
Faculty in the Residential Colleges are more involved because they have academic ties with the students, Latiolais said.
He said the University’s program is more informal than at other universities.
“We don’t expect faculty to present programming in the halls but to attend programs when they can,” Latiolais said.
Mark Slovak, professor of physics and astronomy and a faculty friend at Herget Hall, said he likes the informal aspect of the program.
Most programs involve a professor giving a talk about his or her research or having lunch with a group of students, Slovak said.
“They won’t be tested or quizzed, so they may be more willing to ask a question that they normally wouldn’t ask in a classroom setting,” he said.
John Baker, professor of philosophy and religious studies and faculty friend for Evangeline Hall, said his contacts with students outside the classroom are sporadic, but he has served as a judge for a talent contest and attended movie screenings in the hall.
Perry Prestholdt, faculty coordinator for the Honors Residential College in Laville, said the weekly teas are “very informed, very social activities.”
Students at the other residence halls usually host monthly programs and invite the faculty contact to attend.
School should be more than just “reading, writing and arithmetic,” Slovak said.
“A great deal of learning occurs outside the classroom,” Prestholdt said. “The big universities have moved away from what has been called ‘collegiate life.'”
Prestholdt, who has a suite in Laville, said the faculty and students discuss current events, such as terrorism, global politics and the potential war with Iraq.
Slovak said he uses the program as a chance to recruit students to study and help with his research.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy needs student workers, and work with a professor helps students develop skills that will make them more employable, he said.
Students who participate in activities with faculty gave overwhelmingly positive comments.
Anita Byrne, a history and political science senior, said she enjoys being able to talk to professors outside of class because it is a fun way to learn.
Nathan Henderson, a chemistry sophomore, agreed.
“It’s nice to see that your professor has a life outside of class,” he said.