Students walking along the terrace level of Nebraska Hall might see someone unexpected: Wendell Cochran, an associate professor and the director of the journalism program in the School of Communication.
Cochran and his wife, Faye, moved into Nebraska Hall earlier this month under the Resident Faculty Program, which is sponsored by the Office of Campus Life. Prior to moving on campus, Cochran and his wife lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment in Arlington, Va., for 19 years.
Cochran wanted to participate in the program two years ago, but his wife did not agree with the move.
"We have been married for 41 years," Cochran said. "I wouldn't have done this without her agreeing."
Cochran said back then, they weren't certain the move would suit their needs, but now Cochran and his wife have moved to campus to have "a different experience."
"I want to be closer to campus and to be more involved in student activities," he said. "As a commuter, it's hard to do that. Events are often announced close-to-date."
Cochran also noted he has never attended a show at the Katzen Arts Center since the building opened.
In addition to being closer to campus, Cochran hopes the move will deepen his relationship with students.
"I'm a bit of a romantic," he said. "I like the idea of faculty and students sharing things together."
As a father and grandfather, Cochran believes in being involved in the lives of young people. He recalled he and his wife as being very involved parents.
"When my son was older, we were involved in his activities, like basketball and his church activities," Cochran said.
Now, Cochran is similarly involved in the lives of his grandchildren, who are also closer in age to his students. But Cochran is not trying to do any parenting at Nebraska Hall.
"I do think it's important to have a line," he said. "I'm not there to be their parent, and they don't want me to be. They know I'm not there to deal with day-to-day issues with dorm life."
Students can relate with him instead. A few days after the Cochrans moved in, students knocked on his door to ask if he was experiencing some of the same technical issues that come along with living in a new building like Nebraska Hall.
Matt Valdivia, a sophomore in the School of International Service, lives next door to Cochran and his wife. Before the Cochrans moved in, Valdivia and his roommate had the terrace floor to themselves.
"There was never a reason to tiptoe around because we were the only ones on the floor," he said.
Now that his new neighbor is a professor, he is mindful not to make too much noise, and so far it has not been an issue.
"Honestly, it's really not any different [from] before they came," Valdivia said. "I asked him if he heard us and he said no."
Although Cochran is not interested in playing "Big Brother" to student residents, he wants to host programs with the resident assistants of the dorm.
"I'm in the process of getting to know the RAs and the students," he said. "I want to give students the chance to suggest things they want to do."
Cochran is interested in hosting events like debates, parties and informal meals in Nebraska Hall.
"I think it would be cool," Valdivia said. "He did mention that he will be planning someprograms. I think people would like it. Because it's apartment-style, we don't get to interact a lot, so programs would give us the opportunity to interact with him." Cochran also plans to interact with the residents of Nebraska Hall the way he feels they are most likely to communicate: by using the Internet.
Instead of using sites like Facebook and MySpace to set up a blog or group, Cochran hopes to create a network of residents through Blackboard.
"I want to set up a Blackboard site so [residents of Nebraska Hall] can communicate in a secure, controlled environment," he said. "I don't want the students to feel like the world is watching them."
Cochran has never lived in D.C. and said he will miss easy access to different shopping opportunities in Virginia. He is also concerned about not having a good grocery store in the area.
Still, Cochran is excited to experience campus life, despite normal dorm procedures, like fire drills. "Two a.m. fire alarms wouldn't turn me on," he said.
However, there is at least one perk to being on campus - he looks forward to having brunch at TDR.
