Any Tips on How to Make This a Comfortable Experience?
Inviting an instructor to your hall is pretty much like inviting any other special guest to your home. There are some things you can do that will make everything smoother.

1. Allow sufficient advance notice in your invitation.
2. Be specific about time and place where you will meet. Remember, your instructor may not be as familiar with your residence hall as you are and may need some directions. If your own residence hall is inconvenient for your instructor, you can use your meal ticket and the faculty meal ticket at any residence hall.
3. It sometimes helps if you set a time limit in advance, so that you both know that you have to finish your meal and conversation by a certain time.
4. Often having another student with you will make the initial conversation more comfortable, so consider having another student from the class, one of your hallmates, or your RA join you. But don't overdo a good thing. Too many people in the group actually makes it more difficult to talk.
5. You should be aware that your instructors, like yourself, have busy schedules so some days and some meal times might be more convenient than others. Be ready with some options.
6. Don't be discouraged if your instructor has to refuse your initial invitation. It may have come at a particularly busy time for that person.

But What Can We Talk About?
Once you get started, you will probably find that conversation and exchange of ideas will come easily. Keep in mind that your instructor welcomed the idea of getting to know some of his/her students better or the invitation would not have been accepted. Your guest may be a little nervous too since she/he will be one of the few non-students in the dining room. The easiest place to start is with things you have in common - how did each of you get interested in the academic subject of your class? How do your experiences as undergraduates compare? You can move on to - why did your instructor decide to go into teaching? What is graduate school like? You can always discuss aspects of the class - issues that interest you that you would like to know more about; find out what your instructor's favorite areas in the topic are and how do they compare with your own, etc.

How Should I Wrap Things Up?
It is okay for you to draw the meal to a close when you begin to run out of time. Simply explain that you need to move on to your next commitment. Be sure to tell your instructor that you enjoyed the chance to chat. Show your guest where to deposit the meal tray and walk him/her out, and say good-bye and a final word of thanks. If your instructor has never been in your hall, you might want to give a quick guided tour before the visit is over. The computer room, the community learning center, the academic advisor's office, the music practice room, as well as your own room and corridor, make your hall a special place; knowing more about what your "home" looks like will give your instructor additional insight into the life of an undergraduate here.