Rodin hosts freshmen at Eisenlohr

Enjoying cookies and punch as they discussed everything from the formation of the Ivy League to interior decorating, freshmen met with University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow at Rodin's home yesterday. "[Former University President Sheldon Hackney] renovated the house but I chose the furniture," Rodin told a group of freshmen about the inside of her residence, Eisenlohr Hall. Rodin invited the entire freshman class to an informal reception on Eisenlohr's backyard garden. But only approximately 100 of the 2,350 freshmen showed up. "I was expecting to see a line down the corner, past Walnut," College freshman Jonathan Looney said. Wharton freshman Stephanie Romeika suggested that a larger number of her classmates might have attended if the event had been more widely publicized. In previous years, Rodin has met with freshmen and their parents at Eisenlohr on the day after move-in. This year, she held that meeting in the Annenberg Center lobby last Sunday. Rodin said although she had hoped to see more students at the reception, she did enjoy being able to interact with the small group. "She's very easy to talk to," College freshman Patricia Lin said. During the reception, Rodin greeted the freshmen as they arrived, asking their names and hometowns. Refreshment tables were set up in the yard, offering chocolate chip cookies and soft drinks. Several freshmen asked Rodin about her life before becoming the University's president and wondered if she would be allowed to live in Eisenlohr after her term was over. Although students were not allowed inside Eisenlohr itself, the house impressed many freshmen. "I like this house a lot," College freshman Heba Abdulla said. "I think I just might change my career plans." Chodorow regaled the freshmen with stories about the amount of snow Philadelphia will likely receive this winter. He also told stories of stealing trays from local restaurants to slide down hills of snow when he was an undergraduate at Cornell University. Several freshmen said they were impressed the administration seemed to be making an effort to meet them. "I feel closer with the school," Abdulla said. College freshman Sami Weisberg said informal meetings like the Eisenlohr gathering made her feel welcomed at the University. "Since convocation, there's an unspoken bond between [Rodin] and the freshman class," Weisberg said. Rodin added this is the first of many informal events she will have with undergraduates.