Next fall, Sandra Carletti, professor of Italian at the College, will assume the position of Head of Atwater Commons. The previous Co-Heads, Peter and Michelle Nelson, are resigning after a long and successful run.
Although terms for Commons Heads generally last five years, the Nelsons were given a one year extension for familial reasons. This extension, combined with Mr. Nelson’s one year sabbatical in 2009, lead to their term lasting for a total of seven years.
When asked what addition to the Commons he was most proud of, Mr. Nelson, a professor of Geography at the College, responded that watching the monthly family-style dinners that he and Mrs. Nelson introduced grow and evolve has been a particularly validating experience. The dinners’ ability to gather students and faculty together in open discussion he believes are, “emblematic of the goals of the Commons system”.
The Nelsons are not leaving their position as Co-Heads eagerly. They both felt that it was time to hand over the position to someone who could dedicate more time to the Commons; Mr. Nelson is beginning his sabbatical in July and their children are both transitioning into high school and middle school.
Sandra Carletti, an Italian native and graduate of the University of Bologna and Johns Hopkins, has been a professor of Italian at the college for over 20 years, an experience that she says has influenced her decision to become the Head of Atwater Commons.
“As a member of the Italian department, I was already involved in the culture, the philosophy of the Commons, of bridging the gap between the classroom and the extracurricular activities,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed that part of our job, the relationship that you form with the students that goes beyond the classroom. There’s something of value there and something that I’d like to continue, and I think that the Commons gives you the opportunity to go a little bit deeper into these relationships that you form with the students.”
Carletti is not the only Commons Head who is also a member of the Italian department. Her colleagues Patricia Zupan and Stefano Mula have also served as Commons Heads. Thus, she said, “it has been kind of natural for all of us in the Italian department to participate in the activities, to organize events, and to connect with students.”
Among the traits that she finds important for the role of Commons Head, she sees the ability to listen to students and be genuinely curious about students’ lives to be a particularly important trait.
“All of the work that is included in the Commons is for the benefit of the students. We all benefit from it by establishing relationships that go beyond the classroom… but ultimately it is for the students,” she said.
The first thing she intends to do as Head of Atwater Commons is to ask the students what they would actually look forward to doing, not just what they feel obligated to do. She would like to “involve the students as much as possible as generators of Commons activities, not just users.”
As someone who is deeply involved in the creation of a Food Studies program on campus, one goal of Carletti’s is to combine her interest and research in the subject with her position as Head of the Commons to make Atwater “a hub for everything that is Food Studies” on campus.
“And I’m not just thinking of cooking together,” she clarifies. “I’m really thinking about exploring issues that are related to food. We all have to eat. Food is a very important part of our lives, and right now food is also a growing discipline within colleges and universities. It is something that people really pause and think about and study.”
Another goal of hers is to involve not only the College community in the Commons, but also people from the surrounding area.
“There is also community outside of the college, our neighbors, that are very much, whether they like it or not, a part of our community,” she said.
In order to involve these people, she is considering organizing service events as well as community dinners in which neighbors outside of the college community are invited to join.
When asked what her ultimate goals for the Commons are, she said that her “hopes for the Commons will be to become more and more a place where students feel very comfortable going and hanging out and being involved.”
“You are far away from home. What is it you miss the most? What is it that you do not have, for example, in your everyday life that the Commons, in a way, could supply?,” she asked.
Finally, she would like to get rid of the apathy towards the Commons system that has become prevalent among some upperclassmen on campus.
“Sometimes I hear students kind of bragging about not even knowing what the Commons are, not being involved,” she said. “That is a loss, I think, of resources. It’s your loss if you don’t know what they are and are not participating. I would like to change that.”
