Harrison dean adds 'community' to high rises

Art Casciato came to Penn with a wide variety of job experiences. Five months after Art Casciato moved into the 11th floor of Harrison College House as its first house dean, the 49-year-old former bartender is making strides in transforming one of the most notoriously anti-social dormitories on campus into a thriving community. With 24 floors, 840 students and a painstaking reputation for impersonality, making such a change in the building once known as High Rise South might seem like a daunting task. But the native Philadelphian has held many "service-related" jobs that have prepared him for the challenge. In fact, students in the house say the former bartender, teacher, apartment manager and salesperson goes beyond the call of duty as house dean, making it his priority not only to learn the names of as many residents as possible but to ensure that Harrison becomes more than just a dormitory for its students. "As far as I'm concerned, the guy walks on water," said College senior Thomas Boulay, a residential advisor in the building. "[Casciato] always goes the next step. He's actually taken RA duty sometimes when someone's been sick." Casciato, his wife Valerie Ross -- the former house manager -- and their 2-year-old son, Domenic, can be seen just about every day in the Harrison Cafe or at the many house functions that he has helped to organize. One of his biggest successes was the Christmas party that benefited the Philadelphia Association of Foster Children. Harrison residents raised $7,000 to buy presents for 265 children on a Saturday night in December. "Community service will go further in creating [house] community than anything else we could do," Casciato said. "The main thing was that people felt like they belonged to something bigger than themselves." Other events have included a Halloween Swing Night and a play at Belmont Avenue Social Club at Second and South streets. In addition, his daily duties as a house dean range from working out roommate disputes to working on getting an ATM machine for the front lobby. Casciato seems to possess an impeccable memory, greeting many house residents by name. He insists that there's nothing to it. "When I was a bartender, if I could know your face, name and drink, you could probably tip me better," Casciato joked. "One way I can make this environment more friendly is to greet people." And along the road to Penn, Casciato certainly had no shortage of practice adjusting to new people. He taught English at Northeastern University in Boston and then at the University of Miami for 10 years. In 1995, Casciato and Ross left their teaching posts in Florida for Seattle, where he applied for the assistant manager's position of a high-rise condominium. Although the job seemed an unlikely path for a Ph.D. to take, he emphasized its value in preparing him to work with students. "I started applying to hotels and condos. People were suspicious because I had a Ph.D. and they were like, 'What's up with that?'" Casciato explained. "But I think I learned a lot from that experience that's prepared me for this experience." After three years, Casciato moved back to his hometown. While working as a salesperson, his lifelong friend and Penn English Professor Al Filreis told him that Penn was looking for house deans in their new college house system. Casciato interviewed at all three high rises and Kings Court/English College House and in July began his administrative duties in Harrison House. He said that when he assumed the post, he felt his "big personality" could make the high rises a somewhat smaller place.

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