Eric Hall has the shortest commute of any faculty member on campus. That's because Hall, an assistant professor of sports medicine, lives in a Jordan Center apartment as a pioneer of sorts in Elon's faculty-in-residence program.

Hall first heard about the program from Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life David Blackman in the fall of 2000. "Campuses with faculty members living among students report very good outcomes for student learning," Blackman says. "Eric was a natural person to approach, as he was eager to interact with students from his first day at Elon."

Blackman received approval for the program in 2001, and Hall moved into an older Jordan Center apartment last July. When campus security expanded last November, he moved into a new one-bedroom apartment on the other side of the building.

Hall says this apartment is larger and offers more privacy because his front door faces the parking lot instead of a residence hall. "It's nice for me because it's quieter there," he says, adding that noise has not been much of a problem overall.

Not a Hall monitor
In exchange for living on campus, Hall gets "free rent" for the full year, which includes utilities, cable, water and local phone service. Although the apartment shares a wall with campus security, Hall says he's not there to patrol the complex.

"I'm not a disciplinarian over there -- it's more of a mentoring role," he says. "I didn't want to make (students) feel like I was the watchdog."

Hall says that Jordan Center residents are still learning about his role. "It's funny. A lot of them would see me over there, but they weren't sure why I was there." Now he tells students where he lives on the first day of classes.



Hall's co-workers had mixed reactions when he told them he was moving on campus. Many asked if he was sure he really wanted to take the position. Others wondered if he'd be getting in over his head. Hall says his department head, Janie Brown, has been very supportive, and now his co-workers often ask how things are going.

Hall says his girlfriend, Susan, has also been very supportive. "She understands why I do it," he says, adding that she enjoys helping out with activities such as carving Halloween pumpkins with students.

Students on his mind
Hall had his Elon 101 class over for dinner last fall, and he has also dined with Jordan Center's head residents. "I like the idea of student-faculty interaction," he says. Some of the head residents stop by his apartment for advice. "Even when I'm home, I still have students on my mind because they're right outside my door," he says.

Despite the fact that he's often on campus 24 hours a day, Hall says his daily life hasn't changed a whole lot. He says that living on campus is fulfilling, and he's already planning for next fall, when he will teach a thematic Elon 101 course about civic engagement in the Elon community. All students in that class will live in Jordan Center, and the idea is to get students involved in activities there.

In his "spare" time, Hall likes to get involved with intramurals on campus, such as flag football, volleyball and basketball. He is also advisor to the women's soccer club. He says being physically active on campus is a behavior he wants to model for his sports medicine students. "I feel like I should show those behaviors," he says.

Blackman says there are plans to expand the faculty-in-residence program in conjunction with the opening of the Academic Village next fall. He says that Hall's great rapport with students has helped make the program a success so far. "I believe students would say it's pretty exciting to have a 'cool' faculty member living on campus!"

Sophomore Chassity Angeny, a head resident in Jordan Center, agrees. "If we need him, he's here," she says. "He's kind of a support system."

For More Information If you want to learn more about Elon's faculty-in-residence program, please contact David Blackman.