Theme housing opportunities expanding

BY BARBARA FITZGERALD

When Steve Horvath arrived in August 2004 as a freshman from Doylestown, Pa., he did not know anyone on campus. Within hours, however, he had 15 potential good friends on his hall in Gray Court.

Horvath, ’08, arrived a week early to participate in one of the University’s eight programs that introduce students to others with similar interests, lodging them together in an on-campus house or a section of a residence hall. Horvath chose the RC Xtreme experience. He and 15 other freshmen spent that first week and most of the next six weekends rafting, climbing, hiking and camping. Each week the “Xtremers” learned a different set of outdoor skills from local experts and guides.

RC Xtreme focuses on physical and psychological development, but it also features an educational component, says Patrick Benner, who oversees Richmond College theme housing as assistant dean for residence life.  “We always want to complement a student’s academics.” 

For instance, Horvath and other Xtremers read Jon Krakauer’s book Into the Wild and discussed it during their first week on campus.

“RC Xtreme was an awesome experience,” Horvath recalls. “I formed so many solid connections with those guys right off the bat, and I still count many of them among my best friends here.”

Horvath’s choice of RC Xtreme reflected his appreciation for the outdoors and his eagerness to try new and challenging adventures, but other opportunities for interest-centered housing also are available.

The original theme housing program, Spinning UR Web, is still going strong in its 2lst year. Benner says Spinning UR Web has been revamped in recent years but has never lacked applicants. 

“It was our only such program for years,” he recalls, “but initially it was more like an extended orientation. We have a variety of orientation programs and experiences here, but today’s theme housing is far more. While the interaction and bonding is intense during the first six to eight weeks of school, the students in these programs form a community that lasts all year.” Benner adds that it was the advent four years ago of residence halls designated “freshmen only” that made it possible to add new theme housing and reinvent the original one.

The major attraction of Spinning UR Web has not changed. It appeals to students who have been high school leaders and expect to be heavily involved in campus organizations and activities. “Webbers” take a weekend to get to know one another through a series of planned activities, such as an opening dinner and an off-campus trip. Socializing is a big part of the program, which includes intramural sports, bowling, laser tag and game nights. New this year, Webbers will be able to pull the academic and extracurricular experiences together by enrolling in Foundations for Leadership, a stepping-stone course into the Jepson School of Leadership Studies.

A third program, Explore UR World, invites domestic and international students to share housing space in Dennis Hall, where they participate in global-themed programs and enjoy an international environment. Programs include speakers from around the world, special dinners, movies and outings, such as a trip to Washington, D.C.

“The program,” says Benner, “helps domestic students get acquainted with other people and other cultures, and it helps  international students acclimate to American culture.”

Although those three programs are limited to Richmond College freshmen, Westhampton College first-years are not left out.

Ready for Moore targets first-year women interested in connecting their academic experience to residence hall life. Students who join take a Foundations of Leadership Studies class, participate in activities and programs related to the course, and develop a strong connection to their college fellow, Crystal Hoyt, assistant professor of leadership studies. The women also participate in a service learning project in the community and a workshop about gender-based roles in modern society. Ready for Moore is designed to empower and prepare Westhampton freshmen for leadership roles in the University and after graduation.

First-year students aren’t the only ones who can participate in theme housing. There are four programs for men and women in the upper classes.

“While we have some juniors and seniors in them,” Benner says, “we’re really focused on bringing in sophomores, because the University works hard to retain second-year students. We want to do all we can to make sure students come back at the end of that freshman year.”

One incentive is Outdoor House, which brings together sophomores and upper-class men and women to participate in outdoor activities and a program-related literature class. It attracts students with a common interest in the outdoors, offering excursions to Virginia mountains and Richmond-area sites. Students also take a four-credit class that fulfills the general education literary studies curriculum requirement. The class focuses on personal and intellectual interaction with nature, using fiction and non-fiction works, films and trips.

A new program for women and men in the upper classes is Civic Engagement House, which promotes interaction with the metropolitan Richmond community. Students choose from activities that include service projects, tours of the city, panel discussions by local leaders addressing area social problems, and documentary film-making about urban issues. Field trips to other urban areas are planned, and residents of Civic Engagement House can take a four-credit history course, Urban Crisis in Modern America.

Global House is similar to Explore UR World, except the program is co-ed and residential for upper-class students interested in global issues and cultural diversity. Residents take an active role in facilitating cross-cultural understanding and respect while integrating their academic interest in cultural and international issues with their residential experience. Global House prepares its residents for life after graduation through continuous exposure to diverse people, concepts and ideas.

The final program is the upper-class, co-ed Arts Community, which allows students to live together with other visual and performing arts students.

“It is exciting to see and hear about the energy around the arts community,” said Angie Harris, assistant dean of Westhampton College. “As a brand new program, the residents are really making the community what they want it to be by planning diverse events to honor their various disciplines and interests.”

The men and women in the arts community understand that practice, rehearsal and studio time are necessary for success. Participants in this program are encouraged to support performances and showings of other students in the community. They also take part in special activities, such as attending a Modlin Center event together or creating a mural.

Benner refers to theme housing as “living-and-learning experiences.” He notes that all programs have been formed from student initiatives. “A student comes along and says, ‘I have this interest, and it’s a great thing to do. How can I find others who might enjoy it, too?’”

Benner says the new programs “have just taken off” with more applicants than can be accepted. No new programs are in the works, but that could change quickly, says Benner. “Thanks to the students, we’re always getting lots of new ideas.”