Residential Living Experience Philosophy of Community

The residential living experience is designed to foster student growth in interpersonal interaction and communication. To that end, the experience develops students' interpersonal, leadership, and problem-solving skills via community engagement.

Community Engagement is understood as the ability to recognize the impact of personal behaviors on both oneself and others, relate to individuals with different identities than oneself, and choose methods of conflict resolution that respect the dignity of oneself and others.

To foster community engagement, the residential living experience focuses on the cultivation of interdependent relationships, continuing to develop in students the interpersonal, emotional, and confrontation skills associated with generating respectful interactions that are required of actively engaged community members.

In an effort to cultivate this growth, the residential living experience provides the following resources and opportunities: professional, full-time live-in staff; Hall Ministers; live-in, student paraprofessional staff; community councils; living-learning communities; educational, social, spiritual, and service programs; and, educational conduct hearings.