Incoming freshmen will have to become familiar with a very different housing department at GW.
While this fall marks the debut of the Potomac House, a new 379-bed freshman residence hall, it is just one of many changes to campus housing this summer.
The GW Housing Programs, formerly called the Community Living and Learning Center, is in the process of restructuring the entire department just in time for freshman to choose housing.
In January, CLLC announced that community facilitators, positions that were similar to resident advisers, would be replaced with house proctors in freshman dorms, house scholars in sophomore dorms and house mentors in junior and senior dorms.
In the past, CFs focused on reporting students for disciplinary action, such as liquor, drug and noise violations. Under the new class-specific system, house proctors will try to help freshmen solve conflicts, assess their own skills and learn how to better represent themselves in different aspects of life, from roommate conflicts to political discussions. House scholars will help sophomores identify and secure internships and take advantage of study abroad. House mentors, a position that can be filled only by a full-time graduate student, will help upperclassmen prepare for personal and professional success after graduation.
"(The CLLC staff) responded to my challenge to begin thinking creatively about how we could make our residential system more accommodating to addressing the personal, academic, social, self development and career planning needs of our students," Robert Chernak, vice president of Student and Academic Support Services, wrote in an e-mail.
Rebecca Sawyer, GW Housing Programs' assistant dean of students, said that due to the success of the Living and Learning Communities - groups of students who share common interests and live together - GW Housing Programs is expanding on the idea by assigning themes to freshman dorms. Certain interests characterize each freshman residence hall and themed Living and Learning Cohorts - the new name for what were formerly Living and Learning Communities - will be created by the students of each floor, she said.
While this fall marks the debut of the Potomac House, a new 379-bed freshman residence hall, it is just one of many changes to campus housing this summer.
The GW Housing Programs, formerly called the Community Living and Learning Center, is in the process of restructuring the entire department just in time for freshman to choose housing.
In January, CLLC announced that community facilitators, positions that were similar to resident advisers, would be replaced with house proctors in freshman dorms, house scholars in sophomore dorms and house mentors in junior and senior dorms.
In the past, CFs focused on reporting students for disciplinary action, such as liquor, drug and noise violations. Under the new class-specific system, house proctors will try to help freshmen solve conflicts, assess their own skills and learn how to better represent themselves in different aspects of life, from roommate conflicts to political discussions. House scholars will help sophomores identify and secure internships and take advantage of study abroad. House mentors, a position that can be filled only by a full-time graduate student, will help upperclassmen prepare for personal and professional success after graduation.
"(The CLLC staff) responded to my challenge to begin thinking creatively about how we could make our residential system more accommodating to addressing the personal, academic, social, self development and career planning needs of our students," Robert Chernak, vice president of Student and Academic Support Services, wrote in an e-mail.
Rebecca Sawyer, GW Housing Programs' assistant dean of students, said that due to the success of the Living and Learning Communities - groups of students who share common interests and live together - GW Housing Programs is expanding on the idea by assigning themes to freshman dorms. Certain interests characterize each freshman residence hall and themed Living and Learning Cohorts - the new name for what were formerly Living and Learning Communities - will be created by the students of each floor, she said.
