Written by Michael Brooker
Felecia Patten loves being a mom. She and her husband, Todd, enjoy their family time —they go camping and even fishing sometimes. Patten enjoys being a stay-at-home mom for Asher, 8, Sienna, 6, Sydney, 3, and her 210 other children.
Wait a minute … something is not right here.
Patten, on top of being a mom for her three kids, is the caretaker for 210 boys who come from 210 different homes with 210 different rules and 210 different moms. While at Harding, they live in her home, follow her rules and call her “mom.” It’s what being the Allen dorm mom is all about.
Four years ago when the Patten family moved to Searcy, Patten set her sights on becoming a dorm mom. She said it was a service she thought God was calling her to do.
“I knew we would be dorm parents,” Patten said. “I just didn’t know when and where.”
Patten is not a stranger to serving. After a semester at Sam Houston State University in Texas, Patten opted to join a mission training program in Lubbock rather than continuing with school. From there she traveled to Kosice, Slovakia, where she lived for 18 months.
Once back in the U.S., she earned a Bible certificate from Lubbock Christian University and began to work in a children’s home in Lubbock. While there, she met her husband, who was an administrator at the institute.
The family moved to Searcy when Todd Patten began graduate studies in Memphis. Felecia Patten had never been around Harding before, though her older sister had attended. Todd Patten had also graduated from Harding. She said though she was new to Searcy, she knew she wanted to be a dorm mom when openings started appearing.
“No one knew who I was,” Felicia Patten said, “and they had people in mind,”
Felicia Patten said as her husband’s studies took off, she soon realized she should put her plans to be a dorm mom on hold. His graduate studies were consuming more time than either of them had expected. However, she didn’t forget her goal.
“I just began to pray about it,” Felicia Patten said. “I let it go and asked the Lord to make the timing right.”
Finally, with Todd Patten’s studies over and his position with Harding’s College of Education, the two began to look into becoming dorm parents. After a series of interviews with Assistant Dean of Students Zach Neal, they were offered the job.
“I think they were surprised I was interested in Allen,” Felicia Patten said. “It has a reputation.”
In the middle of July, the entire family moved into Allen. Felecia Patten then began training with deans and fellow dorm managers. She had to get a handle on her responsibilities as well as how to deal with a variety of situations.
“I learned a lot from the other dorm managers,” Felicia Patten said. “It’s not just a ‘stay-with-your-kids’ job; it’s a full-time job.”
Felicia Patten was involved with training the resident assistants who would be working for her. The RAs arrived in August before classes began. She said she enjoyed getting to know how they each operated.
“It’s neat, because when I was in school I wanted to be a basketball coach,” Felecia Patten said. “Well, that didn’t happen. I feel blessed because I feel like I’m doing a little bit of that now. I enjoy getting a group of eight diverse guys to work together.”
She said the first few weeks have been a challenge to her. There are a few things training just can’t prepare one for.
“It’s definitely been an adjustment for [my family] because I have to be up each night at curfew,” Felicia Patten said. “It’s different living with 200 boys; I’ve never done that before.”
Felicia Patten oversees the maintenance of the facility with the help of Physical Resources and Aramark, which cleans the dorm’s public areas. Utilizing her team of eight RAs, she coordinates communication between Harding and students. However, her main responsibilities include making sure each resident is where he says he will be.
“I don’t deal with a lot of discipline, but I do a lot of investigation,” Felicia Patten said.
She said that, overall, she feels she is in the right place. She said she appreciates being able to be with her kids while on the job, as well as being on campus.
“I knew it would be fun, but I didn’t think it would be this great,” she said. “There are a lot of cool guys here.”
Felicia Patten said she still has a lot to learn as the year goes on, but she has guidance from fellow dorm managers who are friends. For her time here, she said she hopes she is able to make a difference in the lives of those that live in Allen — she hopes her guys end up on the winning team.
“I’d like to see these guys mature in the Lord,” Felicia Patten said. “My husband and I are committed to that. I realize we won’t impact every one of them, but we want to be there for them.”
