Campus Council members discussed the merits of extending the faculty-in-residence program to West Campus at the Council's general body meeting Thursday night.
Issues debated ranged from the purpose and success of the program to the potential location of the faculty apartments.
Currently, all East Campus dormitories and two quadrangles on West-Few and Edens-have live-in faculty.
Campus Council President Jay Ganatra, a senior, said many feel the programming is successful on East, but he is unsure how it will translate to West.
Members said the success of the program depends, in large part, on the faculty member.
"It's a special type of interaction with students," said junior Hasnain Zaidi, Council facilities and service chair. "[The faculty selected] must be interested in the program and willing to engage with students."
The underlying goal of the program is to promote an academic atmosphere in residential areas, Ganatra said.
Faculty members could help nurture a more academic environment by being another resource for students, said freshman Divya Yerramilli, an East Campus Council representative.
Council Vice President Chris Hopper, a junior, said advising is more important on West than on East because more students have decided, or soon will decide, on a major.
"There is a higher level of academic interest [for faculty in residence] on West than on East," Hopper said. "Even if it's in a different quad, students will still go to ask for help."
Another issue members discussed is where the faculty should be placed within a quad to maximize their accessibility.
"The only people with significant contact with the faculty member are those that live around them," said sophomore Victor Zhu, an at-large representative of the Council who lives in Few.
Senior Shaunte Henry, a Central Campus representative, said that because of the structure of the quads there is no ideal place that would ensure equal accessibility.
The disciplinary role, if any, faculty in residence would play on West-which is not a dry campus-was also brought to members' attention.
"They should have no disciplinary roles," Henry said.
Members said the best location for the faculty apartments are on Main West, where no selective living groups are located, reducing possible conflicts between the two.
"The faculty chosen have to be tolerant towards student lives," Yerramilli said. "Students won't be willing to bring down the party scene to accommodate something that was brought in to benefit them."
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