A One Stop Shop—friends, fun, academics = Residential Colleges
Is a “normal classroom setting” now downstairs in your residence hall? Will eating spaghetti with your professors become routine dinner plans? For some 600 LSU students it is.
In the fall of 2000, LSU decided to develop a portion of its housing into residential colleges. By Fall 2006, four of LSU’s residential facilities will house nearly 750 students in residential colleges.
Students in residential colleges live among their peers who share similar class schedules. The dorm experience transforms into a “dynamic community that fosters academic excellence where students can participate fully in an academic environment while simultaneously becoming a part of the university spirit and traditions,” said Doris Collins, associate vice chancellor of Student Life and Academic Services.
Currently, both the Herget Residential College and Broussard Information Technology, or I.T., Residential College cater exclusively to LSU freshmen.
Herget residents are able to make an easy transition to college life by experiencing their core classes in the residential college program. I.T. Residential College students take advantage of the technological aspects of their curriculum such as multimedia SMART classrooms with interactive SmartBoards, digital cameras, scanners, printers, and cable television.
“The whole college experience is thrilling, but living in a residential college makes it even better because you are surrounded by people with the same interests as yourself, there is always something to do, and you get to take classes with your neighbors,” said Herget resident Jordan Jackson. “In most dorms, you would be lucky if you have a neighbor in your class, but with residential colleges, there are classes put aside for just your dorm.”
Vision Louisiana, located in Acadian Hall, integrates classroom learning with real-world experiences to help solve some of Louisiana’s most critical issues.
In addition to the benefit of being in class with familiar faces, the residential colleges’ professors become more familiar to the student.
“We had 16 Herget English classes in the Fall 2005 semester with eight of those classes being taught in Herget,” said Dorothy McCaughey, rector of the Herget Residential College.
She explained that faculty involved with residential colleges work to be active in “hall life” by attending or putting on evening programs, holding office hours, and/or review sessions in the hall. Faculty members are even seen eating occasionally with students in a campus dining room.
“Their job interaction with students doesn’t end when class is over, it’s a relationship,” said Abby Gravois, a Herget Residential College alumna.
In each residential college students’ learning extends outside the classroom through various programs.
In the 2004-2005 academic year, 74 co-curricular programs were held in residential colleges. During the Fall 2005 semester, Vision Louisiana students were given a guided tour of Orleans parish, where students saw Hurricane Katrina’s damage and the ongoing recovery efforts.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Herget students’ eyes and ears were delighted during the Residential College’s Theatre Nights. Swine Palace’s production of Arms and the Man packed up and gave students a preview in the lobby of Herget. Dinner was provided, and Director Jane Brody dined with those attending and discussed the play.
Other events available to residential college students include talks by prominent speakers such as LSU Football Coach Les Miles and baseball historian and Honors College Professor of History James D. Hardy Jr.; the Haunted Herget Halloween party; open discussions with local leaders; LAN parties; pool tournaments; discussions on the science of video games, and much more.
“It’s learning with a twist,” said Gravois.
New to LSU in Fall 2006 will be the Global Studies Residential College. Students interested in global issues, no matter what major they have declared, will be taken through a four-year program to prepare for a career that spans the globe. LSU’s Residential Life Department plans to implement many more Residential Colleges in the next decade. Residential Life welcomes students to the next phase of collegiate life.
LSU’s Residential Colleges have been a huge success according to both faculty and students. “The opportunity and the resources are present to be great; all you have to do is take advantage of everything offered to you to be successful,” said Jeremy Chenier, president of the Herget Hall Community Council.
“I am sold on Herget Residential College – it’s an excellent way for first-year students to navigate successfully,” said McCaughey.
Brandon Kirk, an ITRC alum, added “I think the best part about the ITRC is the community, but not just with my peers. It’s wonderful to be able to have a closer relationship with your instructors than otherwise possible in a normal classroom setting.”
How to apply:
Incoming students must apply for admission to LSU and have a PAWS account
before applying for campus housing. To apply visit www.lsu.edu/housing and
click on the application form’s link.
In their own words:
A residential college takes a group of similar people and places them under
the same roof. From all freshmen dorms, to all honors dorms, to whatever
else; it takes people with the same interest and puts them in one place
to learn, live, and succeed as a group of people and as individuals. It
allows people to meet others that are just like them.
Residential colleges make the transition from high school to college easier because you are surrounded by people similar to yourself, making it easier to meet new friends. Your friends from your residential college will be your friends for years to come.
Another awesome thing about living in a residential college is there is always something going on. There is always something to do and the fun never stops.
So far this year in Herget, we have had a Halloween dance where people came and spent time together in their creative costumes. We’ve also had a twister tournament, which resulted in many funny and interesting pictures that we can look back on in the future and laugh for hours about. Another event was movie nights during Hurricane Katrina, which made the difficult situation just a little easier and took your mind off the devastating circumstances. There are multiple other events that have passed and many more to come, which makes living in a residential college the way to go.
By far, the best part of living in a residential college is having classes with your neighbors. In most dorms, you would be lucky if you have a neighbor in your class. But with residential colleges, there are classes put aside for just your dorm. It makes the class easier because if you have a question then your neighbor down the hall will be able to help you. Another thing is that the teachers come to your dorm for study hours and one-on-one help. It makes class a lot easier when you are able to interact with your teach one-on-one instead of in front of a class where there might be hundreds of students. The teachers are very willing to help you when they come to your dorm.
Living in a residential college makes your journey into college a lot easier. It makes leaving home and coming to a new place more enjoyable. You get to meet people like you, become involved in all the fun events in your dorm, and take classes with your neighbors. What else could you want?
Contact Meagan Blanchard | LSU
Office of Public Affairs
Spring 2006
