The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Living Learning Communities combine interests with experiences

Students interested in combining academic interests with their on-campus residential experiences should consider applying to live in a Living Learning Community (LLC) next year.

The nine LLCs available on-campus are located in traditional dormitories, but students have the opportunity to live with others who have common interests in a particular subject area.

“The LLCs are built around common academic or personal interests,” said Stacey Parker, assistant director for academic initiatives in the Department of Housing and Residential Education, in an email. “LLCs provide a way for students to bridge classroom learning with the residential living experience.”

Each LLC has a weekly meeting in which residents take part in discussions relevant to their community’s specialization.

All have a service component where students participate in volunteer opportunities on-campus and in the surrounding community, and some have a required class component or guest lectures.

Emily Reckard, a freshman in the Sustainability LLC, which focuses on environmentally sustainable living, said she enjoys the opportunity to gather with others to discuss different ideas rather than take a class in that subject area.

“It’s given me a different perspective on a lot of different things,” she said.

Anne Futterer, a junior who lived in the Women Experiencing Learning and Leadership (WELL) LLC last year, said her community helped her find her passion of working with women and childrens’ issues.

“I don’t think I would have discovered that had I not been in WELL,” she said.

Parker said it is the students who take the lead role in marketing the LLCs.

“The students in the LLCs work with the Department of Housing and Residential Education marketing manager, LLC advisory councils, and the Graduate Assistant for Student Learning and Leadership to create marketing materials,” she said.

These communities, which cost the same as other on-campus residence halls, require an application which can be found on the UNC Housing website.

Parker said many students have had positive experiences with their LLC, and some reapply to live in the same LLC or explore other LLC options.

“Students have shared that they feel supported and motivated by others in the LLC,” she said. “They also talk about making lasting connections with other students and feeling more involved in the campus community.”

Colleen Watson, a freshman living in the Service and Leadership LLC, said she has enjoyed living with others who find service as important as she does.

“On the surface you get to connect to all these service organizations,” she said. “It’s something that you do, and it’s meaningful to you.”

Reckard said her LLC was a good way to meet people her first year.

“I kind of wanted to come in and have a group of people who were also interested and excited about what I was excited about,” she said.

“It’s basically just like automatically getting a group of 30 new friends,” said Futterer. “You live together, you do things together every week. You get to learn a lot about yourself, a lot about others.”

Watson said all of her best friends she has made at UNC have been through her LLC.

“You meet so many people you won’t forget about, and they won’t forget about you,” she said. “It really is a living learning community. It’s exactly what it says it is.”

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

university@dailytarheel.com

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition