Since Linda Corriveau moved into Massell quad in August, she has grown accustomed to life in a residence hall. She said this first year on campus has been pleasant because of Shapiro dorm's community-oriented atmosphere and the friendliness of students, who often say hello regardless of whether they know her. Corriveau's "room," however, is actually a fully furnished apartment. It includes a living room, a kitchen and a master bedroom, and is one of 13 of its kind scattered throughout the eight quads on campus.

Corriveau, the evening operations coordinator for Student Activities, is one of the 12 staff members currently living on campus. Because her hectic work schedule can extend up to 14 hours a day and often into the wee hours of the morning, she said she appreciates the convenience of not having to commute.

According to Residence Life Administrative Assistant Sarah Hogan, apartments are offered to several members of the Student Activities team and are also a required residence for the eight quad directors.

East Quad Director Jeremy Leiferman explained the reasoning behind this. "We get access to students in a much more direct way than if we lived off campus," he said. "It's very important that we are part of the community we are helping to develop."



Living (almost) as a Brandeis Student

As adults living on campus, these Brandeis employees experience a different lifestyle from most of their peers.

"I have a later night lifestyle than my friends working elsewhere because there's certain energy inside a residence hall," said Rusmir Music, North Quad director. "A lot of my friends go to bed earlier."

Jason McKnight, Charles River Apartments quad director, said that the residence hall lifestyle is different from that of an ordinary apartment.

"I have to adhere to the guidelines of the University just like the students," he said. He also commented that the noise level in the dorms is slightly higher than it would be in most apartment buildings.

However, most of those asked said they have adapted well-or perhaps readapted-to a college environment. "I had a friend stay over after a night in Boston, and in the morning she said she had heard screaming outside of the living room," Corriveau said. "It was funny to me that she thought it was odd, while to me it had become completely normal."

McKnight said that living with the students offers him the most accurate student perspective. "If there's a problem with the heat, for example, it's happening to me too," he said. "[Living in the residence hall] gives me the opportunity to completely empathize with the students."

Corriveau said she encounters feelings similar to those that students report in her frequent sensation of "cabin fever" from spending so much time at Brandeis. Her chaotic work schedule makes leaving campus difficult.

"It's similar to what many students experience," she said. "When I actually do leave, it's a shock to see that there's actually a world outside of Brandeis."



Adults amidst a sea of students

Life as the sole adult in a residence hall presents a unique set of circumstances. Dean of Student Life Alwina Bennett offers an unusual perspective to this situation. She came to Brandeis in 1982 as a part-time quad director, and has lived on campus ever since. Bennett raised her children Josh and Kate-now ages 25 and 27-in an apartment in the Mods.

Bennett said that maintaining a life separate from Brandeis often proved difficult. While the student body at large was very respectful of her family, Bennett said, the nature of her job often interfered with the sphere of home life. For example, students would contact Bennett at odd hours of the day.

"We had to work very hard at having a family life," she said. "My kids had a difficult time sharing me."

Jason McKnight compared his living situation to existence in a "glass bowl".

"People can see a lot of things about your life," he said. "[Living on campus] offers an avenue to watch how you live and see what you do."

Corriveau offered a strikingly similar metaphor. "It's sort of a fishbowl thing," she said. "You always feel like you're being watched, even when you're not." She said that life in the dorm has been a positive experience, but it has also been slightly odd to live with so many younger people. "I sometimes have to remind myself that I'm living amongst students who are 10 years younger than me," she said. "They're in a different place in life."

Leiferman said that these different living circumstances remain slightly strange to friends. "My friends and family understand my situation, but they're not used to things like all of these people being around, people always walking by the window of my apartment," he said.

Quad directors also work to maintain their privacy while living in a very social atmosphere. "We're always trying to find a balance between professional life and the life of the students, so it ends up being somewhere in the middle," Music said.

Leiferman said this task is not terribly difficult. "It's not too hard to keep a separate social life," he said. "The students are very respectful of the fact that there's a 27-year-old living amongst them."



Part of the Brandeis community

Bennett feels that living on campus further integrates her into the Brandeis community. "[Living on campus] is nice for me and nice for students," she said. "It enriches my job to see students living."

She said that this also enhanced her children's lives as they grew up on campus, especially because of the safe living environment available here. Added benefits for her children included the cultural opportunities of Spingold theater productions, birthday parties in the Castle, and a booming Girl Scout cookie season for her daughter.

Bennett said that Brandeis students were supportive of her situation in general. She recalled several incidents when fire alarms went off during the middle of the night, and students came to help her. "The kids would be sound asleep wrapped in a quilt, and students would carry them outside and back in again," she said.

McKnight said that, in many ways, life in a residence hall is not too different from living off campus.

"I think there's a mysticism about [the job of Quad Director] that doesn't exist," he said. "People think we live here so we can catch them more easily, but that's not it at all. We're here to work with students and assist them in their endeavors, not to police the quad."

Leiferman also said that living on campus has strengthened his place in the Brandeis community through increased interactions with students. Along with the rest of those interviewed, Leiferman noted that Brandeis students are very respectful of his individual privacy.

Music said that he loves the experience of on campus living, and wouldn't have it any other way. "I have my privacy in my own apartment, and I get to be a part of the community," he said. "I think it's invaluable.