The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1 - 89

LLPs Historical Review

tial campus) were already in progress, which
made the implementation of RLCs an easier
transition.
Zeller (1994) detailed six RLCs that embodied consistent and significant collaboration
between academic affairs and student affairs:
"Connections have been developed between
Residence Life, Mathematics, Science, and
Engineering Departments; Student Advising
and Learning Center; Information Technology; and the Campus Committee on Women

Each partner contributed what
would best support the initiative,
from human capital to specialized
technology, resulting in a successful
living-learning experience for
students .

in Math, Science and Engineering" (p. 40).
This program had been proposed by faculty
as an effort to address the marginalization
and isolation women can experience in these
fields. Met with tremendous excitement, the
program grew rapidly and filled an entire residence hall. Key features of this RLC included
specialized academic support (e.g., tutoring,
study groups, and supplemental instruction),
leadership opportunities, a computer lab that
provided equipment and software specific to
the field, and high-quality faculty interactions.

Each partner contributed what would best
support the initiative, from human capital to
specialized technology, resulting in a successful living-learning experience for students.
The other five programs followed a similar
structure, which included collaborative programming between faculty members, academic affairs staff, and residence life personnel.
Finally, Zeller (1994) addressed the
funding of RLCs, which can often be a barrier
to implementation. Costs were low for many
of the collaborative features of the RLC initiatives because WSU creatively repurposed
or redirected already existing efforts, such as
relocating tutoring services in the residence
halls. The largest expense was remuneration
for the RLCs' peer advisors who were compensated with housing in exchange for their work.
The RLCs also benefited from external funding
sources as a result of campus partnerships.
Academic departments, corporations, and
alumni donations contributed to the resources
and opportunities provided through RLCs.
The RLCs at Washington State pulled together multiple parties in support of student
learning and established formal and intentional points of contact and cooperation between
student affairs staff and faculty members. The
RLCs included many of the current hallmarks
of LLPs, such as clustered living, common
courses, and concentrated faculty involvement. Zeller (1994) cited positive feedback
from student and faculty and the "coherent
institutional educational opportunities" (p. 42)
provided to students as evidence of the RLC
initiative's success. In addition, Zeller (1994)
found that faculty were able to recognize the
value of RLCs, which increased administrative
commitment and support for those programs.

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

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