Due to a lack of interest and participation, the Department of Housing and Residential Education plans to downsize some of UNC’s living-learning communities.
The Religion as Explorative Learning Integrated in our Community (RELIC), Substance-Free and Men@Carolina living-learning communities will be affected due to declining participation during the past three years.
Students with similar interests such as foreign language, public service or religion can opt for living-learning community student housing. These students collaborate with peers and plan events within residence halls.
Other living-learning communities’ participation numbers have grown or at least been maintained over the past three years, Rick Bradley, assistant director of Housing and Residential Education said.
This fall, the Substance-Free community will be reduced from two buildings to one, and RELIC and Men@Carolina will no longer exist as living-learning communities, instead becoming “student interest housing.”
Bradley said the goal of student interest housing is to serve as an incubator for programs that could achieve or return to living-learning community status.
Housing director Larry Hicks said groups of students can petition the housing department to create student interest groups, which can request funding from the University, and could eventually apply to become fully funded living-learning communities.
Next year, the Men@Carolina interest group will request housing at Odum Village Apartments, and the RELIC interest group will again be given space in Grimes Residence Hall, Bradley said.
“I have mixed feelings about it,” said Kaitlyn Vogt, a Substance-Free student coordinator.
