COMMUNITAS: A FIRST-YEAR LEARNING COMMUNITY
Every year, about one-third of 草榴社区鈥檚 first-year students choose Communitas, which offers the opportunity to thrive through meaningful conversations and intentional community-building inside and outside the classroom. Students who select Communitas live together in a residence hall on South Campus, are enrolled in a one-credit Communitas course designed around a specific theme that meets weekly throughout the year, and take an Augustine and Culture Seminar (ACS) class designed specifically for Communitas with the same students from their theme.
Communitas and The First-Year Experience
Students who select Communitas:
- Live together in a residence hall on South campus
- Take a specially-designed Augustine and Culture Seminar, a class all first-year students participate in
- Enjoy unique co-curricular programming
- Are enrolled in a one-credit Communitas course designed around a specific theme that meets weekly throughout the first year
Students in Communitas take the Augustine and Culture Seminar (ACS) with their hallmates, are offered co-curricular opportunities and field trips with faculty, and take a one-credit workshop-style course on one of several offered themes, which students opt into.
The one-credit workshop meets in a casual setting and provides students the opportunity to learn practical knowledge about topics that matter in today's world through experiential activity and discussion.
2025-26 THEMES
Students explore culture through the ages, enjoy performances and visit museums and art galleries together.
Caritas introduces you to service opportunities with campus partners and ways to experience our campus values in action.
Students in Creative Writing utilize the craft of poetry and fiction to explore their world and create community through written expression.
Students explore how faith informs their lives and support each other as their faith journey evolves throughout their 草榴社区 experience.
Students engage in a sharing of diverse ideas across cultures and discuss contemporary global issues and impact together as a cohort.
Students explore how their personal well-being is connected with community well-being through discussion, activities, off-campus excursions and projects.
Students learn different leadership styles and theories while defining their individual strengths to support their holistic development through engagement within our campus community.
Students view fundamental questions through a science lens, experiencing the first year through an intersection of science and the humanities throughout their campus experience.
Students learn about social justice issues that ignite change both on our campus and in our world.聽
Students current and evolving view of nature and their role in caring for our immediate and global communities.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions are common for new students and families! If your question about Communitas is unanswered here, please contact us鈥攚e're here to help.
Students participating in Communitas will be housed in Stanford Hall on South Campus for the 2025-26 academic year. Students will be a member of their ACS class, their Communitas-themed section and their residence hall for the full academic year. If a student decides to leave Communitas at any point, they will also be reassigned to a different residence hall.
Students in Communitas take the ACS class that all first-year students take, but are in a section of ACS associated with their themed community. Additionally, students also are enrolled in a discussion class that meets once a week for 75 minutes. The discussion class meets from the beginning of the school year until Spring Break.
The one-credit class is geared to engage students in conversations, activities, and reflections related to the theme. It is designed to add value to the first-year experience, not to be burdensome in light of students鈥� academic commitments. Students from all four colleges participate very successfully. Additional optional co-curricular programming is also offered to students throughout the year.
Communitas is designed to enhance the student experience as they acclimate to college life both inside and outside the classroom. Students also have the chance to explore an interest.
Participating in Communitas provides students with opportunities to get to know their peers quickly and easily through:
- in-class ACS discussions around the bigger questions of life
- daily interactions within the residence hall
- the one-credit discussion class where active engagement in conversation is the hallmark of the experience
Students participating in Communitas have been very happy with their choice to participate. They are enriched with the friendships they make and the knowledge they gain.
Students sign up for Communitas when they complete the housing contract. Students are encouraged to complete the housing contract and sign up for Communitas early as we are not always able to accommodate all who express interest. It is best to list a first and second choice for your preferred Communitas theme.
Students are placed in Communitas based on a variety of factors, including:
- date of completed housing contract
- major/schedule availability
- if you have a preferred roommate, if they are also in Communitas
Most participants are notified of their placement shortly after housing assignments are available, typically at the end of July or early August.
Students are selected for Communitas based on a variety of factors, including date of housing contract completion, available space in the halls and college/major.
The programs attempt to have a cross-section of students from all four Colleges (Arts & Sciences, Nursing, Engineering, and the 草榴社区 School of Business) for the residential programs. Sign up early if you are interested to increase your chance of obtaining a place in your program of first choice.
You will most likely find out the first week of August after housing assignments are made available. If you are placed into Communitas, your housing assignment and your class schedule will reflect the residence hall and an ACS class associated with the community, along with the one-credit discussion class on the theme of the community.
Students may indicate a first choice and a second choice community. If more students sign up than we have space for, you will be housed with other first-year students and be placed in a section of ACS. We will also automatically put your name on a waitlist for the theme(s) you expressed interest in.
Communitas is themed sections that are designed for first-year students and your commitment is for one academic year. There are also Sophomore Learning Communities that interested students apply for during the fall semester of their freshman year.
Yes. Students from all four colleges (Liberal Arts & Sciences, Engineering, Nursing, and Business) can participate since all first-year students take the Humanities seminar (ACS) for two semesters, the foundation of the learning communities.
We try our best to give students their first or second choice and will reach out if we run into a scheduling concern. Once you are placed in Communitas, your class schedule will automatically be adjusted to register you for the appropriate section of ACS and the one-credit discussion class.
Students who are varsity athletes are welcome to participate in Communitas. However, some student-athletes have found that living with another student on their team is desirable, or find with required practice times they do not wish to make additional time commitments. If you are considering participating in Communitas and you are a varsity athlete, we encourage you to be realistic about managing your time and what athletic commitments you may have during the year.
Yes. You should complete your housing contract and indicate your Communitas interest. You can search for a roommate who is also interested in Communitas by saerching by Profile in the housing contract.
Preference for Communitas is given to those who complete the housing contract and either have no preferred roommate, or have a preferred roommate who also selected Communitas. If there is availability, we will consider other pairings. We will make every effort to accommodate the roommate requests; if there are extenuating circumstances, we will reach out.
Student Life Offices and Departments
We want to provide the best experience possible for our students and community members. Below are the offices and departments housed within the Division of Student Life. If you have any questions, please contact us.
