Profs cope with 1,500 neighbors

When Graduate School of Education professor John Fantuzzo and his wife moved to their new home six years ago, they had to adjust a bit to their new neighbors: the more than 1,500 students living in the Quadrangle.

"At first we felt we were on a different planet," he said.

As one of the Quad's professors-in-residence, Fantuzzo helps a largely freshman community build connections and navigate the University.

That charge immerses faculty and their families in unique and sometimes chaotic traditions, like this weekend's Spring Fling.

But Fantuzzo - who stays for the weekend to help keep students safe - considers it all part of an experience that is overwhelmingly positive, albeit hard to explain.

"People think you've got to be crazy to live in the dorms," he said. "Peers ask how we deal with loud music, parties and drinking, but that really hasn't been our experience."

"[Students are] great neighbors, with so much energy and enthusiasm," he added.

Like Fantuzzo and his wife, Wharton and School of Medicine professor Sandy Schwartz and School of Dental Medicine Assistant Dean Susan Schwartz wanted to provide students support away from home. They took posts as Fisher Hassenfeld Faculty Master and Assistant Master, respectively, in spring 2006 when a colleague went on sabbatical

Sandy Schwartz said they embrace their role of guiding and supporting residents rather than policing them.

They've coincidentally been out of town for two of the three Flings that occurred while in residence, he said. They are entertained by "students' creativity about getting things into the Quad" but less bothered by resident noise than city traffic in their quiet corner.

Though they sometimes miss the perks of the suburbs - neighborhood friends and conveniences like guaranteed parking - the students make it worthwhile. The couple offers insight gained from 30 years at Penn, connections with professors and popular study breaks to let residents relax.

"It's a way of breaking down this large university by having smaller communities," Susan Schwartz said. "It's important to have a base point students can fall back on."

And benefits go both ways.

In addition to nearby campus events and unbeatable commutes, living on campus helps professors understand and connect with students.

History professor and Riepe Faculty Master Ann Farnsworth-Alvear, who has held her role since 2003, said living so close to students helps improve her teaching.

Although she usually takes her family - three children under age eight - to visit relatives over Spring Fling, she appreciates the Quad's fun and diverse environment.

The kids sometimes wish for more playmates their age, but they love meeting students and playing in the "castle" - their nickname for the Quad.

The other professors agree that, despite a little noise and inconvenience, the Quad is a great place to call home.

"Friends say they can't believe we're living here, but the students have been great," Sandy Schwartz said. "They've been like our kids, except a little nicer."

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