The Liberal Arts Residence Living Learning Community in Myer Residential Hall has begun their programing for the fall semester, including Hump Day Café, Alpha Achievers and Fantabulous Fridays and Myer office hours.
Hump Day Café is a biweekly program run by resident assistants in the lounge of Myer. There are snacks and refreshments provided, but the focus of the café is on liberal arts. The RAs set up the space and allow the residents to “do what they do,” Area Coordinator Cody Miller said, adding that the residents are welcome to step up to the microphone to perform music, read poetry or discuss important issues.
“Everything connected to liberal arts is intended to provide a platform for students, faculty and staff to share their knowledge base,” Miller said. In addition to allowing students to express thoughts and talents at the café, the LAR provides Alpha Achievers and Fantabulous Fridays programs which are open to all.
The Alpha Achievers series is “rooted in resources the College has to offer,” Miller said. “It orients students to resources on campus and connects living and learning.” Topics which will be covered this year include the best questions to ask at advising meetings, exploring multiculturalism and teamwork and everything you need to know about housing selection.
Fantabulous Fridays provide a platform through which faculty and staff members are able to present on something they know and for which they have a passion. Miller calls it a “really cool opportunity to talk about learning with faculty outside of a classroom.”
Professor Tyler Grimm, adjunct professor of English and one of the presenters, enjoys the “informal” and “relaxed” feel of Fantabulous Fridays. “They give us the chance to talk about whatever interests us,” Grimm said. Grimm will present “Creative Writing as Therapy” and “True Life: The Working Novelist.”
Grimm also takes part in the Myer office hours program. “They’re like normal office hours,” he said, adding that students stop in to go over homework assignments or talk about what they missed in class. Occasionally, a former student will stick their head in to say hello. “It’s a great time to get to know professors,” Grimm said.
Mark Clapper, director of Alumni Relations, and Peacemaker-in-Residence Jonathan Rudy also hold office hours.
The LAR operates as a “college house,” which Miller explained is lingo for a residence hall which has a faculty advisor, in this case, Dr. Jean Paul Benowitz, and a coordination council. Myer has the Liberal Arts Residence Coordination Council, or LARCC. The council meets biweekly to discuss ongoing initiatives and to advocate for LAR residents, including advocating for updates to facilities. RAs offer additional support for residents.
Miller described the main goals of the Liberal Arts Residence as “to build community, to build a community in which faculty, staff and students can share ideas and to build a community that serves as a bridge between the classroom and cocurriculars.” He added that the third goal of bridging the gap between the classroom and the outside world is the goal of Living Learning Communities in general. Grimm believes the LAR to be “crucially important” because it can “expose students to their passion,” and encourages students to “explore everything we have to offer.”
