That’s What It’s All About
by Mike Collins, Dean of Students

While there are many integral parts to life at Woodberry Forest, perhaps no aspect of the overall experience is as important as dormitory life. Some folks have said a Woodberry education is one-third academics and two-thirds outside-classroom activity. Memories formed during dorm life are tangible, etched deep in the minds of alumni. In discussions about dormitory renovations, I’ve heard that even dorm smells should be protected.

My primary responsibility as dean of students is the residential life of the school. I try to tour the dorms at least five days per week, most of these visits associated with my daily inspections. Usually, these inspections are uneventful, but one day early in the school year, while checking out C Dorm, I entered a new boy’s room and immediately saw the eyes of a young fourth former almost pop out. Simultaneously, I was struck in the back of the head by a well placed shoe tied in such a way as to inflict pain on an unsuspecting peer. This small incident, which occurred ten years ago, stands out in my mind and I’m sure in many minds of that year’s C Dorm residents. Such everyday occurrences create the individual memories of the Woodberry experience for each boy.

Every once in a while a philosophical discussion arises concerning dorm supervision. There are proponents of creating faculty homes within the dorms that will attract senior members of the faculty, placing those with the most experience closest to the boys. Others feel the energy of the younger faculty makes them better suited for life on dorm. Woodberry Forest is unique among boarding schools for many reasons, but as far as dormitory life is concerned, we have traditionally depended on the sixth form, and particularly the Prefect Board, to provide the student body with this supervision and leadership by example on the dorm. Eighteen Prefects are selected and placed on the eighteen dorm wings that make up our residential program. This opportunity for the younger students to model the behaviors of the older boys is one of the things that make us strong and our students loyal to the school. Additionally, the Prefects and their charges talk regularly about the Honor System.

Dormitories fall in and out of favor with the students because of location, size, air-conditioning. Each year there is a bit of a shift in which dorms are the most desirable. Our basic scheme is to place the third formers on Turner and Griffin. All fourth formers are placed on Walker, which in addition to other programs helps create a unique identity in the form. When placing the remaining students, I try to match those desiring a large dorm experience with Dowd-Finch or Taylor and those looking for a smaller dorm with one of the Houses, A or D.

During my ten years at Woodberry, many quality-of-life improvements have been implemented in the dormitories, albeit not as quickly as some students may desire. I have heard stories of Cuthbert Lamb tracking down violators of the rule banning AM/FM radios on the dorm. While we now allow stereos in the dorms, technological advances have kept us on our toes. Recent changes have included the installation of cable TV in the common rooms, Internet access in dorm rooms for the fifth and sixth forms, and email access for all forms. With these changes have come all the issues that affect the rest of society. A soon-to-be-implemented upgrade by one of the commercial Internet providers will allow video conferencing between computers at a minimal cost. Using a little imagination, one can see the position Woodberry has been thrust into, coming from no phones in a dorm room—a policy which we still abide by—to live video conferencing between our boys in their rooms and (insert the name of any girls’ school here)!

An effective resident dorm master must maintain good communication with the Prefect. The Prefect needs to be able to make mistakes and grow in the job, and he needs to know that he is not in it alone and that the resident master is available anytime. Dorm masters need to be seen on dorm and to visit the rooms often. The age of the students in the dorm determines some of the needs. New students require quite a bit of help adjusting to life in a setting with sixty other students. They need to learn how to respect other students’ space while learning how to fight for their own. I encourage new students to use their Prefect to adjudicate the inevitable conflicts if they are unable to come to a resolution by themselves. I also encourage the older students to “mentor” the new boys about effectively using free time, preparing for classes, and reaching a balance between all the demands—academic, athletic, and social—Woodberry places on them. Living in a community setting also calls for a different level of cleanliness and respect for the next person—I expect students to wipe off the sinks after using them, for example.

Getting to know the students in the dormitory setting is a very rewarding part of being a master at Woodberry. When I talk with alumni of the school, the events that occurred on dorm are those that come to their minds first. These are the memories that cement their relationship and loyalty with Woodberry Forest. After all, that’s what boarding school is all about.