Following in the success of the freshman learning communities at Southern Arkansas University, a new $5.2 million residence hall at SAU will offer upperclassmen three learning community options.
The three-story University Hall will be opening its doors August 25. Each floor of the residence hall will house a unique learning community: Think Green, Pay it Forward, and Live Fit. Each group has a resident assistant, and the Dean of Students and Housing Director, Sandra Hughes, is going to be the hall’s resident director.
“In SAU Housing, we place a big emphasis on increasing interaction of faculty and staff with students outside the classroom,” said Hughes. “My family and I felt that if we believe in that philosophy, then we need to just do it and live in University Hall. So my family and I will be working closely with the learning communities and the students.”
Hughes said her doctoral work has involved researching the success and importance of residential learning communities on college campuses. As for SAU, she has documented the success of the University’s communities for freshmen – Residential College and Leadership College. She said that SAU wanted to expand the program to include sophomores and above.
Less than a week before University Hall is to be debuted to the SAU students, all but a few of the 60 spots had been taken. Hughes said that the SAU Housing staff had spent a lot of time this summer reviewing the students’ applications and their essays explaining why they want to be involved.
Hughes explained that the Think Green community will participate in recycling and energy conservation efforts on campus and in the community. Pay it Forward will be committed to serving others throughout the community. Live Fit participants will help each one another embrace healthy lifestyles, as well as sharing their ideas about living healthy with other individuals.
University Hall offers two-bedroom, suite-style units. Each unit is complete with wall-to-wall furnishings with living room, bathroom and kitchen accommodations. Additional lifestyle accommodations as a part of the University Village complex include a clubhouse, pool, convenience store, laundry facility, student lounge, computer lab and meeting areas. All basic utilities are provided.
