What's it like for a professor living on campus: Paul Shields shares his personal experience

If you happen to pass by one of the study lounges in the Living and Learning Center (LLC) on any given night, you would probably see Professor Paul Shields of the English Department grading papers. Your first reaction might be to glance at your watch or cell phone with confusion as you wonder why a professor would be in a dormitory grading papers in the evening. The answer is simple: Shields is a permanent resident of the Living and Learning Center; Shields is one of a few professors who have chosen to live on campus among the students."I love it," said Shields enthusiastically, when asked if he enjoyed living on campus. The convenience that Shields experiences as a result of his on-campus residence has allowed him to live comfortably, stay on top of his academic work and take full advantage of all the campus resources.

One might be guilty of assuming that a professor who lives among the students would have to accommodate a certain lifestyle that makes him or her more compatible to the unpredictable - and sometimes difficult - ways of campus life. However, Shields hasn't adjusted or changed his lifestyle at all. "I live the same way I would anywhere else. I spend a lot of time doing what I would do if I lived in a regular apartment," said Shields.

Reading and researching at the library, constructing lesson plans and grading are just a few of the tasks that Shields routinely accomplishes without any dilemmas. Shields also doesn't experience any dilemmas when he becomes hungry because he can choose to go Taylor Dining Hall, dine at Charlie's, or cook a meal in his apartment. Other conveniences that Shields experiences are further demonstrated by the free cable he receives and his ability to walk down the hill and access his office virtually whenever necessary. As Shields' eyes lit up with delight, he stated, "In a sense, the whole Assumption campus is my front yard."

Another neat perk that Shields told me he experiences is not driving in snowstorms, or shoveling large amounts of snow when Nor'easters and other severe weather impacts the campus. With all these beneficial conveniences, you can only scratch your head and wonder why a greater number of professors don't permanently reside on campus.

With all these conveniences in his grasp, you might assume Shields based his decision to stay on campus on these factors alone. However, Shields' decision to stay on campus was not just based on these easily accessible conveniences. Shields chose to live on campus because it "allows him to get to know students outside the classroom, and it allows students to see that professors have hobbies and that professors talk more than just about Shakespeare." By living in the LLC, Shields claims that he has helped students come to realize that professors aren't boring people who don't have much of a life outside of the classroom.

Shields has single-handedly broken this stereotype; there have been instances when he went out to a Friday night movie and came back and discussed his night with students at the sign-in table. These Friday night conversations seldom address school-related topics.

Shields makes an effort to get to know students by showing movies in one of the study lounges in the LLC. The first movie that Shields showed was "Fight Club." The turnout was not as high as he expected, but it worked out well because the smaller crowd had an engaging discussion at the end of the movie.

Along with showing movies, Shields attempts to make himself seen and known by students by grading in the study lounge. When Shields grades his papers in the study lounge, many students tend to stop in and say hello. His admiration for students on campus is demonstrated by his comment that there are "really talented and creative students, and it's incredible to get to know them and be around them."

The benefits that Shields experiences as a result of his on campus residence are endless. One benefit is attending academic lectures and directing more work with his theater group, "Merely Players." The theater group will be performing two plays in May by Samuel Beckett: "Come and Go" and "Catastrophe." Shields has done some of his directing work for these two plays in the study lounge of the LLC. This is just another one of the many conveniences that Shields has taken full advantage of as he claims "his willingness to direct has been enhanced by living on campus."

By now you're probably thinking that this all sounds too good to be true, and that there has to be at least one complaint or one aspect of living among the students that irritates Shields. Surprisingly, this has not been the case because Shields has adequate privacy; and he has never once been disrespected by any students in the LLC.

He has never been disturbed by the loud bass of a student's music pounding on his wall nor has he never had to knock on a student's door and complain about the volume of student's voices. "Living in the LLC. I haven't had any problems in regards to noise. In some ways I'm louder than the students," Shields stated, with a laugh. He then went on to say that he was "surprised that no one has knocked on his door and told him to turn down his T.V."

Living in the LLC's kind and courteous environment is something that Professor Shields enjoys very much. He claims that everyone is "respectful and friendly" to him. Whenever he passes students who do not know him, they still greet him with a friendly hello. "Overall, it's a great experience, I really can't say how much I enjoy it," said Shield, summing up his on-campus living experience.