In 2001, School of International Service professor John Richardson moved into Anderson Hall. Since then, Richardson has hosted biweekly homemade dinners for students and, most recently, started a blog at dormgrandpop.blogspot.com.
"The concept of the blog is a completely new 18-to-20-year-old subculture that has escaped me," Richardson, 66, said. "With the onset of new technology such as IM and the away message, I feel that a daily blog is a good way of communicating with students."
Richardson said he hopes to update his blog daily and that he's posted his blog address on every floor in Anderson.
Andrea Bottorff, sophomore, attended one of Richardson's dinners earlier this semester. "Professor Richardson made spaghetti with homemade sauce. ...It was tasty," said Bottorff, who attended the dinner along with nine other AU students.
Richardson is a part of AU's Faculty Residence Experiment, which was created in 2001 in order to improve faculty-student relationships. School of Communication professor Joseph Campbell is also participating in the program this year by having his office in McDowell Hall and holding events there for students.
A small number of universities have begun to promote an environment of student living and learning with faculty residency programs similar to AU's, Richardson said.
"By living on campus and becoming more deeply involved in student life, my hope is to seek ways of building bridges between classrooms and residence halls," Richardson said. "Because my own contact with the residence halls was very limited, I had few preconceptions."
Since moving into the first floor of Anderson, Richardson has made a name himself among students, some of who call him by his first name and attend the twice-monthly dinners that he hosts from his apartment in Anderson.
"The students who attend my dinners often have nicknamed themselves 'Richardson's Regulars,'" he said.
Richardson has also provided food during fire alarms. Richardson has brought out a large blinking bowl of candy and tied a glowing purple necklace around his neck during the recent string of fire alarms on South Side.
"Handing out chocolate makes evacuations a little more bearable," Richardson said. "Although, this year hasn't been too bad with fire alarms. ... In 2001, we had around 40 during the fall semester and about 15 in the spring."
Luis Sandoval, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business, said he appreciated Richardson's gesture.
"A couple weeks ago, I was up late writing an essay and the fire alarm went off. ... Then I saw Professor Richardson passing out candy and it made me happy, despite the 4 a.m. alarm."
Richardson said he sees himself as a grandfatherly figure for students, while resident directors are like parents and resident assistants are like big brothers or sisters.
"Even though I still feel pretty young, I do many things that grandfathers do for their grandchildren," Richardson said. "I give students unconditional love, wisdom, and I spoil them just like a grandfather would do."
Richardson does not, however, involve himself in the duties of an RA, such as going on rounds.
"It's really cool that he's staying in the dorms," said Peris Flagg, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business. "Although I've never been to any of his dinners, he seems like a really nice, hospitable guy."
If Flagg or other students do go to Richardson's dinner, they would notice d?cor different from those of his neighbors.
Visitors notice an oversized couch and walls covered with pieces of art, including an Asian-inspired tapestry and a golden structure decorated with holiday lights.
"This is my Sri Lankan oil lamp that is normally used for ceremonial events. ... Since I didn't have time to get a Christmas tree last year, it kind of takes the place of a tree," said Richardson, who once taught at a university in Sri Lanka.
However, while Richardson may miss some domestic things like Christmas trees, he does still see his family. He commutes home to see his wife in Virginia on weekends and plans to spend Halloween at his home in Faulkner County, Va.
"[My wife] loves the country and her horses, so we ended up working out a nice relationship where I can commute home to Virginia on weekends," he said.
Younger members of Richardson's family have varied views on his living arrangements.
"My son and daughter, who are 40 and 42, feel that what I am doing is a good idea. ... They have voiced no concerns," Richardson said. "My nieces, however, are both college students and had doubts - they are very aware of the realities of college life, such as the high level of noise and drinking."
Things certainly have changed from when he was a college student in the late 1950s, Richardson said, mentioning that faculty and students smoked in both classrooms and residence halls, and coed floors were unheard of.
"Having men and women live on the same floor was unimaginable at Dartmouth," Richardson said. "Also, there was no campus life infrastructure that most colleges and universities have today. There were no resident associations, resident directors or Office of Campus Life."
When Richardson first chose to move from the Berkshire Apartments to campus, he thought he would have preferred to live on the North Side of campus, but after living on South Side, he found the residents to be more socially active.
"Now, I joke at orientations that South Side is where students have fun," Richardson said.
Richardson's experience through living in the residence halls has enabled him to gain student consultants, and in turn, he can voice their concerns to the faculty about issues such as the lack of lighting in some campus parking lots and also problems at the Student Health Center.
