The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1 - 79

Residential Learning Communities

democratically, or should they be clustered by
interest or class. On our campus, traditional
assignment practices that gave priority to returning students had evolved into self-segregated areas of upper-level students, first-year
students, and clustered international student
populations.
As natural clusterings were already in existence, decisions were made to begin providing specialized programs, services, and
staffing patterns that could complement the
stated educational objectives of the institution.
Each of these programs provides a direct connection between in-class instruction and the
out-of-class experience. Following is a brief
description of each of these initiatives and the
specialized programs provided through them.
Also listed are the Academic and Student
Affairs departments that are collaborating with
the Department of Residence Life.

RESIDENTIAL LEARNING
COMMUNITIES AT WSU
The Freshman Year Experience Program
Connections have been developed between Residence Life, the Student Advising and Learning
Center, the General Education Department, Information Technology, and the University Freshman
Year Task Force.
In fall 199O, PAWS (Pride in Achieving WAZZU Success) was initiated as a pilot
program for a predominantly (80%) freshman
residence hall. Through a partnership with
the Student Advising and Learning Center,
a "frontloaded" staff pattern was introduced
which paired Peer Academic Advisors with
the traditional Resident Advisor staff. This essentially doubled the paraprofessional staff in
the building and provided a unique academic

support component to this freshman area.
The Peer Advisors were part of a longstanding program, operating at WSU since
1979. Their introduction into the residential
setting provided a means for assigning their
20 advisees into their living group. Thus, out
of a floor of 50 students, 20 new freshmen had
their academic advisor living on the same floor
with them. For the remaining 30 students, the
Peer Advisor served as an academic resource
and mentor. In addition, floor programs on a
variety of academic-related areas were presented through the Peer Advisors.
Since this first pilot project, the program
has expanded into four high-rise residence
halls and is offered each year to nearly half of
the freshman class entering WSU. The components of the program also have been expanded
to include:
1. Instructional Learning Communities
where clusters of students from a living
group are assigned into one or more common
General Education courses. The students are
guided and encouraged to work together collaboratively on class projects and assignments
with their living group members by developing study groups and work groups. In addition,
the General Education faculty members from
each class meet regularly with their group
in the residence hall. Interactions consist of
leading study sessions and group discussions,
as well as more informal contact. These informal interactions are highly varied with faculty
attending living group dinners, attending
campus cultural events with students, participating in an off-campus field trip, or hosting
a get-together at the faculty member's house.
Twenty-seven faculty members from a variety
of disciplines and over 500 students particiV o l u m e 4 4 , No. 1 * 2 0 1 7

79
The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1
