Academics

Historic faculty cottages serve new (and surprising) learning purpose

Built before 1900 on Penn State’s University Park campus, Pine Cottage and Spruce Cottage originally served as on-campus residences for faculty; a third building, Maple Cottage, was demolished in 1953 after also serving as a sorority house and other student housing. Over the years, Pine Cottage and Spruce Cottage also each housed a sorority, and also academic and administrative offices. Credit: Penn State University Archives / Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Built before 1900 on Penn State’s University Park campus, Pine Cottage and Spruce Cottage originally served as on-campus residences for faculty; a third building, Maple Cottage, was demolished in 1953 after also serving as a sorority house and other student housing. Over the years, Pine Cottage and Spruce Cottage also each housed a sorority, and also academic and administrative offices.

Pine Cottage was built in 1888 and housed Penn State’s commandant of cadets, later serving as the on-campus home for the Office of Telecommunications and the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing.

Spruce Cottage, meanwhile, was constructed in 1890 as home to George Gilbert “Swampy” Pond and his family; Pond was dean of the eventual College of Chemistry and Physics, he and his family were very sociable, hosting many gatherings. Hence, Spruce Cottage was fondly nicknamed “Swampscote.”

The building also has served as a guesthouse for distinguished visitors; as a space for women’s conferences and home economics research; and various departments, including the campus police, the Offices of Mail and Telephone Services, the Department of Publications and the Office of Summer Sessions.

Now, the cottages are used for an entirely different (and perhaps surprising) purpose: simulated crime scenes. Penn State’s Forensic Science program oversees the two cottages, using the facilities to stage crime scene investigations for student instruction.

The houses are valuable assets for the forensic science program and club, said Cheri McConnell, Class of 2005, who oversees the groups — especially considering that the cottages were almost razed about a decade ago.

Bob Shaler acted as the program’s original director, arriving at Penn State in 2005; McConnell began in the department a few months later. A third cottage, Burch, was torn down for the new chemistry building that year, and after Shaler championed to keep Pine Cottage and Spruce Cottage for the forensic science program, the two facilities began serving in their current capacity in spring 2006.

McConnell said the forensic science program is two-thirds hands-on experience, one-third lectures, and this is where the cottages really make a difference. Other universities, she said, have one large warehouse, wherein movable walls are placed to simulate several rooms. But Penn State can replicate a more realistic crime scene, including staging an outside scene on the cottage lawn.

Each fall and spring semester, two classes meet for six hours (12 hours total) each week, allowing approximately 45 to 60 students to undergo investigative training.

“It’s huge, because our program is really hands-on,” McConnell said. “If we didn’t have these houses, the kids would never receive this training.”

Students experience different training during two semesters. First, the students are lectured on crime scene investigation, learning everything they need to know, such as the responsibilities of the first officer on scene and sketching. The next semester, the classes go into the cottages, and within teams, are given crime scene boxes and taught different skills, McConnell said.

One day, the students will process a crime scene; e.g., the first officer collects trace evidence and gets fingerprints, she said. The entire drill can last three or four class periods, and this is where the versatility of the cottages and their surrounding area make an impact.

A crime scene can start outside — with students examining a vehicle with evidence — before moving into one of the cottages to conclude the investigation. Since there are two scenes to process, the area encompasses everything that the students have learned, McConnell said.

“This is a huge asset to our students,” she said. “These kids are actually processing a house. We have windows that we’ll replace for scenes, and we can use bullet trajectory shots and get direction of bullets. We also have mannequins set up for scenes; it’s very beneficial for them for this class.”

In addition to the forensic science summer camp that students in the program oversee, there’s also a two-day symposium for high school students that features guest speakers and a mock crime scene; and the Forensic Science Club (separate from the program) hosts haunted houses at the cottages during Halloween.

The local community also uses the facilities, McConnell said. Centre County’s tactical response team, and the local sheriff’s department and district attorney’s office, hold summer training sessions.

Last Updated July 20, 2015

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