Often, visiting faculty try to win a resident scholar's position in one of the undergraduate Houses.

Resident scholars can usually rent a suite within a House for less than they would pay to live off campus. They can also eat for free in the House dining hall.

In return, resident scholars contribute to the House community by giving lectures, performing in recitals or otherwise interacting with students.

According to Bernbaum Professor of Literature Leo Damrosch, the chair of the English department, visiting faculty consider House suites desirable.

"We help them find housing," he says. "Usually they do want and get apartments in one of the Houses."

Finney, who spent five years as a resident tutor in Eliot House during her prior professorship at Harvard, chose to live in Quincy House this semester.

"This time I wanted to be centrally located again, and since I knew the Master of Quincy House, [Dean of Continuing Education and University Extension and Senior Lecturer on English] Michael Shinagel, from before, I contacted him about renting a suite here for this term," she says.

Resident scholar spots are competitive, however, and visiting faculty often end up renting living space off campus.

Cornelius says he wanted to live in a House apartment, but was unable to secure a position.

"I tried, but I couldn't find any accomodations on campus," he says. "The in-House accomodations were all full or promised to other people, so I was not able to get one of those."

Cornelius quips that Boston's legendary drivers contributed to his desire to live in the Houses.

"Do you think I'd want to come back and drive in Boston?" he laughs.

Some visiting faculty members end up improvising their housing arrangements.

Visiting philosophy professor Tim Maudlin, on leave from Rutgers University, says he spent the first semester of this year living in an apartment which belonged to the philosophy department's administrative assistant, for lack of anywhere else to stay.

For some visiting professors, however, the living question is hardly a factor at all.