June 2007
Dear New Student:
Living on campus offers one of the greatest
opportunities to extend the learning that takes
place in the classroom. Whether sitting around the
t.v. playing video games, working collaboratively on
a class project, or just hanging out, what you are
learning in class is bound to come up in you
conversations with fellow residents. That’s why
Whittier College has developed living-learning
communities for each new student, both resident and
commuter students. A significant amount of what
students learn during college comes from their
experiences of living in residence halls, so
residence halls provide a natural overlap between
students’ academic and social experiences.
Based on the linked section you are assigned to, you
will be living in close proximity to others assigned
to the same section so that informal conversations
and organized programs enhance the integration of
learning from the two linked courses. Perhaps your
linked section will host discussions on issues
raised in class or develop a year-long community
service project. Whatever your living-learning
community chooses to do, the experiences will forge
friendships that will last beyond the four years of
college.
Commuter students will have access to the residence
hall that corresponds to their linked section so
that they can be part of the action.
Please mark on your calendar that the official
move-in date for new students is Sunday, September
3, 2006
If you have any questions regarding living-learning
communities, please feel free to contact me at
dhudson@whittier.edu.
Sincerely,
Delaphine Hudson
Assistant Dean of Students and
Director of Residential Life
-
Living/Learning Community Course Descriptions
-
Living/Learning Community Course
Descriptions/Provisionally Admitted Students
-
Living/Learning Community Selection Form
Dear First Year
Students,
I
would like to welcome you to Whittier College and
tell you about our first year programs designed
specifically to help make your transition to college
successful. The centerpiece of our first year
program is the Living Learning Community, also known
as the LLC. An LLC consists of 15 students who as a
group live together in one of the three first year
residence halls, Stauffer, Johnson or Ball Hall.
Students are housed together as roommates and/or in
rooms in close proximity.
Students in the LLC will also be co-enrolled in two
classes together: a Freshman Writing Seminar (FWS)
and another “linked” course. The FWS is a three
credit writing course. In most cases the FWS
instructor will also be the academic advisor for the
students in the LLC.
First year students will be asked to participate as
a community with the other 14 students in their LLC
in Whittier College events. Students are encouraged
to participate in groups or individually in all
College programs, events and activities throughout
the year.
There will also be two upper-class students
assisting the instructor in each FWS; one is a Peer
Tutor who will provide students with writing
assistance, and the other is the Peer Mentor who
will help students with a number of general
transition issues, provide an introduction to the
College community, and answer general questions
about college. The Peer Mentors and Peer Tutors
will also be leading a seminar entitled Poet to
Poet Seminar. The Poet to Poet Seminar
meets every other week and is a required component
of the FWS. The Poet to Poet Seminar
provides an opportunity for students to discuss with
their fellow students topics that are important to
them.
As your Associate Dean for First Year Programs at
Whittier College I can offer you counsel, advice,
and advocate on behalf. My office is located in the
lobby of Johnson Hall. I look forward to meeting
each one of you and hope you will take a few minutes
to stop by and visit me. College is a time of
personal growth, independence and exploration. This
requires a supportive community so that students can
grow, learn and become engaged in their academic
endeavors. We welcome you and want to provide you
with every opportunity for success.
Sincerely,
Lisa H. Bortman, Ed.D.
Associate Dean,
Director, First Year Programs, Advising and
Assessment |
