Editor's note: This is the sixth in a multi-part series focusing on the future of residential life at Dartmouth.
As the College restructures residential life on campus, some of its older residence halls will become the new homes of advising and affinity programs.
This fall, the Fayerweather cluster will begin housing the Office of Residential Life's new sophomore advising program.
On Tuesday night, Associate Dean of Residential Life Deborah Golder held a preliminary committee meeting to discuss the creation of the sophomore advising program.
"What I am looking for is feedback from students about what they need at this stage," said Cecilia Gaposchkin, assistant dean for pre-major advising.
Few details, like the program's number of faculty advisers, are available because the committee members themselves are still deciding what the program needs, Gaposchkin said.
The Fayerweathers, which have traditionally been sophomore-dominated, will be reserved entirely for second-year students once the advising program is implemented.
"Sophomores right now aren't assigned an adviser [as] they are as first-year students and those ready to graduate. They are making many important decisions at this point and need assistance," Gaposchkin said.
The committee will spend time during spring term talking to first- and second-year students about their advising needs. Panels and other events will be held in order to learn what students want.
"It is a great opportunity to provide advising for sophomores in their place of residency," said Chris Bertrand '07, who is a member of the committee and an undergraduate advisor in Mid Fayerweather Hall. "The goal is to more closely intersect the residential experience with an academic one."
Fayerweathers Community Director Meg Hancock said the program would revolve around academic components.
"We are hoping that it will give the sophomores who live there a chance to connect with faculty," Hancock said.
Another change being considered for the residential system is the possible relocation of the international affinity program to Richardson Hall. The change could be necessary because future expansions of the Hopkins Center and the Hood Museum of Art would force the College to demolish Brewster House, the current home of the program.
"The earliest the issue will arise is three years from now because we have projects happening before that need our more immediate attention," Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman said.
"Normally, we would not seriously begin a planning effort until about one-and-a-half years before we would make the transition." Redman said.
With a living capacity of 56 beds, Richardson is the smallest dorm on campus, which makes it an ideal place for the international program. Depending on the size of the international program at the time of the move, it may fill half of the building or all of it, Redman said.
