New college houses will replace every dorm

Released yesterday, the residential paln eliminates freshman housing and groups every residence into the house system. In the first major overhaul of campus residences since dormitories went coed in the 1970s, the University will transform all of its existing residences into 12 college houses by next fall. Released yesterday, the new residential plan could eventually change every aspect of dorm life at Penn. Eliminating first-year housing, it groups students of every year into each house. Officials hope the plan will give those students who want it the opportunity to continue their academic life into their dorms, and to build their own communities over time. Each house will have its own designated area within campus dining halls and offer a variety of academic support programs, including various forms of advising and tutoring. At least two faculty members will live in each house. Students will be able to continue using the resources of their house throughout their time at the University, even if they move off campus. But while every campus residence will be incorporated into the house system, student use of house resources -- including participation in dining contracts -- will be completely voluntary. The mandatory meal plans at the existing college houses will be eliminated. A new dining facility in the basement of one of the high rises and the construction of several new faculty apartments to accommodate the plan, will be completed over the summer. More extensive renovations to the physical structures of the residences are planned over the next 10 years, in line with the needs of the system as it develops, administrators said. The capital costs of the college house program -- mainly the cost of the new dining hall to be located in one of the high rises -- are expected to be small enough to be absorbed by the current residential budget, Provost Stanley Chodorow said. Operating the program is expected to raise the residential living budget by $680,000 annually, Chodorow said. All students living on campus will be asked to pay a $70 activities fees, which, with a matching grant from the 21st Century Project, will knock the cost down to $520,000. For at least three years, the University will be able to absorb those costs without raising rents to pay for the new programs, Chodorow said. A deal with the Trammel Crow Co. to outsource facilities management will help pay for the new programs, Executive Vice President John Fry said. Money from that deal will also help pay for the expected $100 million in renovations over the next decade. The plan, which incorporates separate reports by Art History Professor David Brownlee and the consulting firm Biddison Hier, creates one house in each of the high rises and divides the Quadrangle into four houses. The current college houses will continue to serve as individual houses, with the exception of the Modern Language College House, which will become part of Van Pelt College House. Brownlee explained that this will give the Modern Language program the chance to grow or shrink without hurting rent, which will mean more stability overall. The plan will not affect current Living-Learning programs and community living options in the high rises. Each house will have a faculty master, at least one faculty member in residence and a residential dean, and twice the number of graduate associates in current houses. Academic programs -- such as math tutoring, writing advising, computer help and other programs -- will be extended to all 12 houses. The Residential Faculty Council's Wheel project has already begun implementing these. Beyond those basic services, faculty and students will work to create unique programs to match the character of each house and the degree of student interest. Students involved in the college house project praised the University administration for allowing significant student input in both the report and future stages of development. "One of the great things about the plan is that it's a framework --Eeverything in the future will be student-initiated," Residential Advisory Board President Roshini Thayaparan said. But since participation in all aspects of the program is voluntary, it is difficult to predict its impact on campus life. Administrators said they expect that certain residential patterns -- such as freshman living in the Quad and upperclassmen in the high rises -- will prevail for the first few years. Associate Vice President for Campus Services Larry Moneta said the success of the program will be measured based on whether it improves the lives of students, rather than on how many residents show up for math tutoring or any single component of the plan. "The measure of success is going to be on the individual basis," Moneta said. "Ultimately, can every student express that Penn provided what they wanted? Did they find a path, did they find a niche, did they find a community that satisfied them?"

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