On living, learning, and communities

Brandon Sweet

“It’s been a busy and rewarding year for Housing,” said University Housing Officer Chris Read during his presentation to senate on May 21st about the state of Living-Learning Communities on campus.

These communities take the form of students living in “pods” or groups based on common academic programs. “Being in a Living-Learning Community means that many of your neighbours are also your classmates,” reads a statement on the Housing and Residences website.

Living-Learning entered the university’s everyday vocabulary in 2005, when a project committee produced a report on living-learning strategies and delivered it to senate for discussion. The report, authored by Bud Walker, interim Associate Provost, Student Services, Lois Claxton, Secretary of the University, and two members of the housing department, encouraged this university to commit to a number of “key competencies” that all students should possess by the time they graduate, including:

• a thorough and comprehensive understanding of their chosen discipline;
• an appreciation of the interdisciplinary context of their studies;
• an appreciation for intellectual, social, cultural and political diversity;
• critical thinking skills;
• effectiveness in using information and communications technology;
• strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• well-honed problem-solving skills; and
• an understanding of the importance of and commitment to civic stewardship, civility in discourse, and ethical conduct.

“These competencies," the report stated, “can be the product of an enabling and supportive educational experience, honed not only in the classroom and the lab, but also in work, living and social environments.” Most of the report’s recommendations dealt with programs that could be carried on in student residences to leverage “social, cultural, and civic” learning.

Read summarized what has happened since that report was first brought to senate in October 2005. “The program over the last four years includes over 12 different Living-Learning communities from different programs with over 500 students participating.”

Currently there are Living-Learning communities in Accounting and Finance, Arts and Business (the largest such community on campus), Health Studies, Recreation and Leisure Studies, Biology, Physical Sciences, Social Development Studies (at Renison), the Faculty of Environment (at St. Paul’s), Music and Peace and Conflict Studies (both offered at Conrad Grebel), and one for those students in the “2+2” program with Nanjing University in China.

One of the unique elements of the living-learning program at the University of Waterloo is that the activities developed in these communities are open to all students in that academic program, whether they are in residence or not. “In all of our living-learning communities, there are faculty members and graduate students taking time to engage undergraduates in our residences,” continued Read.

A second element of achieving those key competencies is the university’s tutoring program, offered in residences by Housing and Residences and at faculty and departmental levels across campus.

Read introduced Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences PhD candidate Michael Makahnouk, who gave an overview of the Chemistry department’s contribution to tutoring programs. In 2006, 125 students took advantage of the Chemistry mid-term prep sessions offered by the tutoring centre. By 2009 that number had climbed to 260. Final exam prep session participation reached a high of 282 students in winter term 2008. “We are clustering students together where otherwise they would be doing it at home,” he said.

According to Makahnouk, who has helped to develop a Tutoring In Residence program for first-year chemistry students since 2003, the tutoring programs help to foster student engagement.

Encouraging students to take advantage of the tutoring programs is essential, but so is ensuring that resources are available. “There are only so many tutors out there,” Makahnouk explained. It is also important to note that Housing and Residences is not out to compete with the departmental tutoring options. “We partner with the faculties and departments,” Read said. “We facilitate the space and organize it, but resources come from the faculties…we don’t want to be redundant so we rely on our faculty partners to know about what programs are already in place.”

As for the future of living-learning initiatives on campus, Read and Makahnouk agreed that increasing interdisciplinarity is the key to long-term success. “We’re very proud of VeloCity,” Read said. “That’s a great example to follow in a residence-based program with faculty support.” This interdisciplinary focus will require committed individuals working to effect student retention.

“We truly believe the residence living experience is a unique opportunity to engage students and we’re looking for partners to leverage and take our experience further,” concluded Read.

The discussion about student accommodation strategies then turned to the ongoing Northdale issue. “Of course we’re very interested in that because a lot of our students live in Northdale,” said Read. He said that representatives from the university were working with the mayor, city council, and city staff to find good long-term solutions.

As for the two proposals put forward at city council’s request, “we’re not thrilled with either of them,” says Read. The preferable model is where the university partners with the private sector to construct higher-density housing designed for student tenants, with Housing and Residences providing ongoing infrastructure support and other services to students. “We’re much more in favour of housing that has community space and green space.” Read told the senators.

On June 7, Waterloo City Council passed a resolution calling for a comprehensive land use study for the Northdale area.

Back to top

Notes on 8/9/10

The Button Factory is aiming to attract more students. Uptown Waterloo's iconic button manufactory-turned-arts centre is launching its fall program schedule with a student-friendly twist. Starting this year, the Waterloo Community Arts Centre is making its art classes and workshops more accessible to university and college students by waiving the registration fees for two students in each course and workshop. Anyone interested in taking advantage of the offer needs to show a valid student ID at the time of registration. "We can appreciate how over-extended students are financially," says executive director Lauren Judge. The offer is open to students from Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo, and Conestoga College. For program dates and fees, go to www.buttonfactoryarts.ca and click on "New Summer Workshops." Says Judge, "We hope this will open up new opportunities for the student art lovers in our community to build on new skills and interests, and to learn more about the facilities available to them in Waterloo. We want to see more art happening in the Region."

Greek life recognized at Waterloo. At the March Senate meeting, approval was given for a new Waterloo Institute for Hellenistic Studies: “The purpose of the institute is to create an international node of scholarship in the field of Hellenistic studies, and to develop UW into an international leader in this area. The institute will draw upon existing strengths in UW's Department of Classical Studies, other units within UW, and other Hellenistic scholars — regionally, nationally, and internationally — and will transform the local energies into a solid foundation for the institute's appeal.” The institute is the first research centre in North America dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of the Hellenistic age. The term "Hellenistic" refers to the period in history when Greek culture was spread throughout and beyond the Mediterranean. As for certain Greek organizations on campus, they remain unrecognized at Waterloo.

Back to top