Vice Provost for Student Affairs (VPSA) Greg Boardman said hiring more staff to create broader neighborhood identity in dorms could be coming, if the the findings of the Stanford Task force Evaluating Education in Residences (STEER) are implemented. Only a handful of people attended the presentation to residential education student staff at Toyon Lounge last night, the culmination of an almost 18-month process set in place by Provost John Etchemendy.

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Joel Lewenstein

Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Boardman presents STEER's findings on undergraduate housing.

The faculty, staff and student members of STEER studied reports and current program structure, collected feedback from 14 student focus groups and interviews with faculty and staff.

“The STEER effort confirmed many of the excellences we find [in residential education at Stanford], but also revealed many areas for concern,” Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE) John Bravman said in an email to The Daily. “The STEER process recognized that residences are the nexus for most students’ lives most of each day, and that a more thorough effort to build upon our legacy of education in the residences was the best way to celebrate what we have already accomplished.”

The task force found that student interest and engagement in residential experiences is generally positive, but that the quality of that experience varies dramatically. It also noted that student issues are becoming increasingly complex and time-consuming.

The group also decided that residences are autonomous units with little accountability and that limited resources and lack of space due to overcrowded dorms detract from creating dynamic living and learning environments.

Boardman also noted that the residential education staff is increasingly occupied with student conduct issues and that the program is no longer attracting tenured faculty to resident fellow positions.

The task force proposes an enhanced partnership between the offices of the VPSA, VPUE and Residential and Dining Enterprises, all of which had a representative acting as a co-Chair of STEER.

Members of STEER also envision a residential education system in which every undergraduate residence hall will be part of one of approximately 10-12 ‘neighborhoods’ with a minimum of one faculty fellow — a tenured professor who is responsible for academic programming — and one residence dean, who will act as a student affairs professional responsible for student well-being and behavior. Both the faculty fellow and the residence dean would live on-site. Additional part-time and full-time staff would also be hired to create effective residential and academic support teams.

“Each residence hall will have different needs depending on size and composition,” Boardman said, “so we will be flexible when filling neighborhood staffing.”

The University also hopes to hire a director to lead the residential education program and implement the recommendations of the task force. In addition, working groups will complete a thorough review of policies, programs and practices to look at other issues, such as those related to student residential staff positions and the Draw. Implementation will take an estimated two to three years.

Another session announcing the STEER findings will be held next Wednesday at Roble Theater from 7-8 p.m.