Children of faculty members get a head start on campus life

and Tammy Polonsky Like most freshmen, Marianna Allen finally became familiar with campus life after spending her first month here. But Allen, a College freshman, felt comfortable at the University long before she ever enrolled. That's because her father, Roger Allen, is a professor of Arabic and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University. He used to bring his daughter to campus in order to visit and even occasionally sit in on his classes. Marianna also got a taste of the personal aspects of the University. Allen's students sometimes babysat Marianna and her brother, Tim -- who is now a senior at the University -- and Allen's colleagues often came over for dinner. So, for Marianna -- one of nearly 200 other children of faculty and staff at the University -- leaving for college did not signify a big change. About 100 children of faculty and staff apply to the University every year. According to Admissions Dean Lee Stetson, the students are held to the same standards as any other applicant, but are given a "special look." The extra attention -- which Stetson said is University policy -- is most helpful to students at large, competitive high schools, from which the University can only admit a certain number. "Children of faculty and staff don't compete quite as much against the other pool of students from the same school," Stetson said. "They are pulled away from the tense competition." But, Stetson added, the applicants are often strong enough that they do not need the preferential treatment. The University also offers advice about the admissions process for these students, regardless of where the students apply. Twice last month, the admissions office held information meetings for faculty, staff and their children. Stetson, along with other admissions officers, discussed several aspects of the admissions process including which classes students should take in high school, when they should take standardized exams and how to plan college visits. The officers also offered to meet individually with the students. Stetson explained that if the University accepts a faculty or staff member's child, it offers to pay 75 percent of the child's tuition as long as the parent has worked at the University for at least three years. While the benefits help attract students, many say they chose the University even though they had the option of attending a different institution. "I would go to a college adviser first if I had any questions," Marianna Allen said. "I don't want to rely too heavily on my dad. "I need that away-from-home experience for my independence," she added, noting her father agreed not to affect any of her decisions. While many students said they created lives at the University separate from their parents, Roger Allen said his children have found a way to profit from the situation. "The secretaries in the office tease me every once in a while and tell me that my kids came by and they want money," Allen said, laughing. "And my printer that's available late at night, when the computer lab is crowded, tends to be a perk they avail themselves of." While time spent with their children on campus makes the separation easier, many faculty members try to give their children as much freedom as the kids want. And students have found that the University is large enough that they do not feel pressure to see their parents frequently. "It's not like I would run away from my dad if I saw him on the Walk," said College freshman Timothy Guild, son of Associate Biology Professor Greg Guild. "We say hello and that's fine."