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First-Year Communities

Through their first-year experience students learn to cope with the transition to college & grow into an independent adult.

Through the First-Year Experience, students will be provided an array of opportunities to develop personally and academically within their residential community. Students' first-year at DePauw is a pivotal time for their development, therefore all first-year students are placed in one of the four residence halls that aim to develop a common, inclusive and supportive experience. Our program's purpose is intentional, focusing on their transitions and providing the best resources and support for students as they acclimate to DePauw. Each residence community provides programmatic and community development opportunities in addition to peer support and mentoring.

Housing Options for First-Year Students

DePauw offers multiple housing environments for first-year students, and each community has unique advantages. Each residence hall community provides programmatic and community development opportunities in addition to peer support and mentoring. The common spaces and building environments have gathering spaces that allow for community to form among our first-year students. Here is some brief information about our first-year residence halls:

  • Bishop Roberts, Humbert, and Longden Halls as well as Jordan Hall are located in the South Quad. These are larger residence halls, home to between 110-145 students each. Most rooms in these residence halls are double occupancy rooms, but room size can range from single occupancy to four-person rooms. Lucy Rowland Hall is located in Ubben Quad.

First-Year Resident Assistants

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

All residence hall have a team of First-Year Resident Assistants (FYRAs) that work to support the student experience and transition. The staff works along with the Housing and Residence Life Coordinators to implement a Co-Curriculum that outlines a series of programs that provide important resources, involvement and community development opportunities throughout the academic year. The FYRAs work to manage the residential spaces and maintain Housing and Residence Life as well as University policies. 

Intentional Communities

Healthy Living Communities

Many students are interested in living in a Healthy Living Community within our residence halls. These communities intentionally support healthy life choices, and the students who choose to live in these environments commit to a lifestyle that refrains from the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs within their residential environment. As a result of living in these communities, students live in an environment that is free from the secondary effects of these substances and feel supported in their individual choice to refrain for using.

Additionally, these communities offer specific resources, programs and events that support healthy life choices, provide for quiet environments conducive to studying, create intentional opportunities for social and interpersonal connections, and give students the responsibility to help set the standards of the community and empower them to uphold those standards. Some outcomes of being part of a Healthy Living Community are as follows:

  • An environment that is free of substances that impact academic experiences and is conducive for intellectual engagement.

  • An environment that specific resources, programs and events support healthy life choices.

  • An environment that is free from the impact and secondary effects of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco.

  • An environment that is quiet, yet provides intentional opportunities for social and interpersonal connections.

  • An environment that is self-governed and where students are empowered to address behaviors of peers.

Rainbow Community

An intentional community to allow lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students and their advocates to find connections and live in a respectful space. Restrooms will be gender inclusive. All residents and their guests will be expected to be respectful and sensitive to all identities within the LGBTQA community.

To learn more about the first-year residence hall options for incoming and current students, please refer to the links at the left.

Additional Links & Resources

To learn more about the First-Year Experience program, please visit the First-Year Experience webpage.

For information on what to bring to campus when you move into our residence halls, take a look at these Frequently Asked Questions

First-Year Communities at DePauw University