Commons deans report to faculty heads

As part of an administrative restructuring taking place this year, Commons deans will now report to Commons heads, as opposed to directly to the Dean of the College, as was previously the case.

Part of the liberal arts mission has always been to integrate campus life with education in the classroom, and the Commons system was originally formed for this purpose. The administration places special attention on this mission and recently decided to restructure the Commons hierarchy in this way as part of a larger movement to give more authority to the faculty heads.

“From the Strategic Plan [was] a recommendation to elevate the role of the faculty member overseeing the Commons,” said President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz. “This is the value added that we believe students have here at Middlebury ... that faculty members more or less oversee and help mentor [students and] direct them toward academic resources at this institution or even a network of academics outside the institution.”

However, questions have been raised concerning the issue of academics and scholars, individuals who are not residential life professionals, leading student life.

Liebowitz believes that the current faculty heads are able to assume this leadership role without disrupting student life — indeed, according to Liebowitz, their increased leadership will add to student life.

“Many of the heads were uneasy, and this is natural,” he said. “People of our generation, of the 70s and 80s coming into Middlebury, would just run the other way … I think we’ve now come full-circle to the point where now we can feel … more comfortable recognizing what [faculty] add to the educational experience … of students at Middlebury.”

Commons heads agreed that the move to let faculty commons heads supervise commons deans would not interfere with residential life.

“The essence of things is the same … the deans have always been very close to the heads and the CRA and the coordinator ... Now the College is trying to emphasize the connection between the deans and the heads and facilitate the communication,” said Ross Commons co-head and Visiting Lecturer in Religion and Women’s and Gender Studies Maria Hatjigeorgiou. “I think we have a description of something that has already been there … the administration’s articulation of reporting shouldn’t really bother us. It doesn’t create additional hierarchies or dependencies of sorts. It just describes in a clearer and more transparent manner a relationship that was there.”

Brainerd Commons head and Silberman Professor of Jewish Studies Robert Schine agreed.

“The commons staff ‘reporting’ to the faculty is just one way of seeking to ensure that everything that transpires in the commons is aligned with this educational goal,”  he said. “The change is not as profound as it might be … more along the lines of tweaking [the system] a little.”

Schine said he had hosted over 50 dinners and discussions with visiting scholars and artists through Brainerd Commons last academic year alone. He pointed to the educational value of such hybrid academic-residential life events.

“When we have a dinner at the house following a lecture, students whom colleagues have chosen because of a seminar or class [are invited] because they have particular interest in the topic. Then we can dive deep,” he said.

Students also talked about how they found the Commons to be beneficial to academic life as well.

“I use it a lot for academic support,” said Spencer Brown ’14. “If there’s a problem I don’t know and I can’t get to professors’ office hours, I go down a hall or a floor and I’ll find someone who can help me.”

Others praised the social aspects of the Commons as well.

“I think the Commons are worthwhile because I believe that the smaller communities we live in as freshmen are useful for making friends,” said Steven Dunmire ’13. “We’re not just some faceless number living in some gigantic hall with everyone in your class. It’s a little more homey.” Dunmire went on to praise the Ross Assassins event as one he truly enjoyed.

There were those who could not identify benefits in the Commons system, for one reason or another.

“I think the commons system is fairly worthless,” said Adam Dede ’11. “As a freshman, I was one of the people who didn’t fit in Battell so I lived in Gifford and did not live in a freshman hall.  I didn’t really have a Commons experience and I didn’t really have an FYC [First Year Counselor].”

Hatjigeorgiou did acknowledge that a lot of opportunities available through the Commons are not known to students.

“Perhaps we over-communicate because sometimes through all that buzz and tons of information we exchange, a lot of essential content [about the Commons] remains hidden,” she said.

However, she did say that the Commons worked extensively with the orientation team and FYCs to help students learn more about what the Commons do, like holding an event at the Commons house or requesting funding from the budget.

Harjigeorgiou invited students to explore the opportunities offered by the Commons.

“Just inquire and see what resources are open to you – respond with the same energy we are offering you … find us and meet us halfway,” she said. “Perhaps the Commons need to be rediscovered by those who haven’t because they are a fantastic resource to enrich student life.”