The Residential Life Office has been busy planning a new housing option for students going into their sophomore, junior, and senior year at Hamilton.
Dubbed Special Interest Communities, small groups of students will group together based upon a common interest and look to bond over that one hobby or topic in a shared living space. Next year, a pilot program aims to create four different communities of eight to 10 people each, with the topics currently undecided.
The idea for the program came after Residential Life staff noticed the popularity of similar programs at other college and university campuses that aim to form tight-knit communities in residential living for upperclassmen.
Director of Residential Life Ashley Place said the program would also help provide opportunities for students who have not yet found their “place” at Hamilton. She also mentions that the idea for the program was, in part, a response to upperclassmen showing interest in the Wilderness Outdoor Leadership Floor, also known as WOLF, in the Dunham basement. The WOLF program is being piloted this year. Place says older students expressed interest to her and Residential Life about similar opportunities.
Now, interested students may submit interest proposals on the Hamilton Residential Life website. There are a few restrictions on what a community topic or interest can be, but all proposals will be evaluated based on impact on the community, impact on Hamilton as a whole, future prospects for the proposal, and inclusivity. When submitting a proposal, students can also include up to four (including themselves) others to participate. Proposals can be submitted until Feb. 17, and students will be notified of topic selection by Feb. 28.
Once the topic selections are announced, there will be a seperate application process spanning from Mar. 8 to Mar. 22. Place said she wanted to schedule the special interest housing option before the normal substance-free and co-op lotteries to give students more possibilities for housing, especially due to the limited number of spaces in the special interest program.
To apply, students will be asked why they want to join their desired community, as well as naming other potential applicants with whom they would like to room. A selection board, including multiple Hamilton students, will then choose who is selected for each group. Those chosen will be notified by April 4.
These programs will be located in the Wallace Johnson and Saunders residence halls. These buildings were selected in part for their small size, with each one having enough room for two groups.
Additionally, Place said the dorms’ relative isolation on campus make them an ideal spot for small group community bonding to occur. Members of these programs live in doubles in both dorms.
Place emphasized that these special interest housing groups will be largely student-run. Each community will have a Program Coordinator, who will be the student who submits the initial topic request. They will work closely with Residential Life, as well as plan events and the house’s budget.
Other features include bi-weekly group meetings and weekly group activities for the communities. The entire group is still responsible for planning activities, and each dorm will also likely have a Resident Advisor living in the building. Additionally, considering that the special interest communities are currently a pilot program, participants are expected to engage with feedback processes throughout the year.
While the Special Interest pilot program may seem limited to small number of students at first, if it proves popular, Place says that Residential Life is willing to consider expanding the program to more dormitories and more interests in future years. Place and Residential Life say they are excited to see what this new program becomes.
