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Collegiate Structure

• Residential Communities

  Our residential communities are more than a place to eat and sleep – they are central to the student experience. At ������Ƶ, our communities provide support for both living and learning in innovative and unique ways.

  You will notice that our residential communities are referred to as “colleges.” The collegiate model was adopted in the 1960's when ������Ƶ was Harpur College. This model combines academic opportunities for learning together, both formally and informally while being a part of the community atmosphere. The purpose of our collegiate structure model is to combine living and learning in a way that further develops the identity of each residential college.

• Smaller Communities

  The collegiate model fosters interaction and learning within a smaller setting. Each collegiate community has its own personality and its own traditions, its own amenity spaces: athletics fields and courts, dining facilities, and various other unique offerings. Students have the opportunity to gain leadership experience within their residential college as each also has its own student government.

  Frequently, the collegiate communities are home to one or more formal learning communities that contribute to the unique personality of the communities. And each collegiate community also has its own dedicated Residential Life professional and student staff to support and provide opportunities to engage within the collegiate community; including an area office where students can find support from room changes to physical space work order needs to meeting with faculty.

  The collegiate structure also allows for various specialty opportunities. For instance, in Hinman College there is a performing arts group that puts on theatre performances and in Dickinson Community there is a student initiative that focuses on research.

• Engage with Faculty

  Each collegiate community has a “Collegiate Professor.” These Collegiate Professors are committed faculty on campus who also are actively engaged with their residential collegiate community. They have an office in their collegiate community and help students navigate their academics through involvement in new student orientation, academic advising and development of programs around the specific themes of their communities.

  The Collegiate Professors give students a unique way to interact with a faculty member outside the classroom, which contributes to student success both in and outside of the classroom. Further the Collegiate Professors engage with other faculty members from across campus through various roles: Faculty Fellows and Faculty in Residence to further bring programmatic learning to the residential colleges.

  The Collegiate Professors are important contributors to the unique personality of their respective collegiate communities.

What is Bearcat Living?

The Bearcat Living model intentionally embraces the educational potential of residential living. ������Ƶ residents will be able to connect with others, become active members of the community, discover and appreciate differences and act with a sense of personal responsibility. 

The goals of Bearcat Living are to:

• Create an intentional approach to residential living/learning, building upon the skills students are learning. 
• Capitalize on the skills and talents of Residential Life staff and campus partners.
• Focus on the primary responsibilities of the area staff to encompass three broad themes.

Themes

The three themes of B-Connected are Community, Growth, and Independence. Each theme has its own set of objectives and outcomes achieved by completing the activities outlined in our facilitation guides.

• Community

  It is Residential Life’s goal to engage with residents to build strong communities within which  students can experience a sense of belonging. Belonging is the feeling that members of a group or  community matter to one another and the group/community (Strayhorn, 2019). This theme  focuses on what we do to support students’ finding their community/ies on campus and what we  want students to learn about being a part of a community and from being part of a community. 

  Outcomes

  Residents will be able to: 

  • Residents will be able to build relationships within and beyond their residential  community. 

    ● Residents will be able to participate in their community by engaging in activities that  demonstrate their commitment to community members.  

    ● Residents will be able to recognize their rights and responsibilities as members of a  community. 

• Growth

  Personal growth is a process of ongoing development to improve oneself and to achieve one’s  goals. Personal growth encompasses physical well-being, mental well-being, emotional well being, and academic success. Physical well-being serves as a foundation for all aspects of  personal growth; it includes such things as healthy eating, healthy activity, and healthy sleep  habits. Mental well-being contributes to overall personal growth due to its relationship to one’s  ability to learn and to thrive. Mental well-being encompasses things such as stress management,  coping strategies, and resilience. Emotional well-being is closely related to mental well-being and  encompasses aspects such as self-awareness, healthy relationships, and sense of purpose.  Academic success is the identification, clarification, and achievement of one’s educational goals  and preparation for one’s post-college goals. It includes skill development, content mastery,  motivation, and the ability to apply one’s learning to real-world situations. 

  Outcomes

  Residents will be able to:  

  • Residents will be able to access campus resources related to their personal growth  (physical, mental, emotional, and academic success) needs 

    ● Residents will be able to participate in and demonstrate stress management techniques 

    ● Residents will be able to create a plan for participating in healthy behaviors and activities

• Independence 

  The independence theme is what is commonly called “adulting”. It refers to the transition from  adolescence to adulthood to take on responsibility for oneself. This theme deals with the skills  and responsibilities that are necessary to navigate adult life. Independence is behaving in a  mature and responsible manner in handling tasks and responsibilities. It includes independent  problem-solving and the use of available resources to support and aid in solving problems.  

  Outcomes

  Residents will be able to:

  ● Residents will be able to solve some problems independently 

  ● Residents will be able to match campus resources to their needs 

  ● Residents will be able to perform basic life skills safely 

Bearcat Living Vocabulary

• Educational Priority
  The department’s overarching objectives for student learning and skill development within the residence halls.
• Learning Goal
  A more specific statement that articulates what students will learn. Guided by our educational priority and university mission.
• Outcome
  Assessment term describing what a resident should take away from each objective.
• Strategy
  A method that Residential Life staff use to engage residents and achieve learning goals.
• Traditions
  Community-specific activities that area governments or Residential Life professional staff manage.
• Assessment
  Gathering data to determine whether Bearcat Living is meeting its goals, and using that data to improve Bearcat Living and the residential experience.

Bearcat Living Strategies

• Floor Meeting
  A gathering of the floor/building or community.
• Bearcat Gatherings
  Small informal social activities to connect residents with one another in the community.
• Social Media
  Used for departmental posts.
• Passive Resources
  Educational bulletin boards, bathroom reader, door hangers, resources/programming attendance at other departments, process advertisement, lobby TV, tabling, giveaways, newsletters.
• Community Builders
  Structured social activities planned for a floor of a residence hall, a building or the larger community. 

Staff Roles

• Community Assistants (CAs)
  CAs follow facilitation guides to implement strategies, which meet the outcomes of each learning goal. Strategies that CAs implement primarily support B-Connected’s learning goal of Belonging, and may provide supplementary support to the other three learning goals of Well-being, Life Skills and Academic Success. CAs work closely with live-in professional staff, who provide support in their implementation of strategies such as: BChats, Community Builders, and Community Gatherings.
• Student Support Assistants (SSAs)
  SSAs follow facilitation guides to implement strategies, which meet the outcomes of learning goals. Strategies that CAs implement primarily support B-Connected’s learning goal of Well-being, and provide supplementary support to the other three learning goals of Belonging, Life Skills and Academic Success. SSAs work closely with live-in professional staff, who provide support in their implementation of strategies such as Community Gatherings and Roommate Agreements to execute the B-Connected model successfully. Such tools also enhance communication between CAs and professional staff to maximize resident experience.
• SSA Oversight Resident Director
  There is one Resident Director in each residential community, who provides oversight to SSA shift scheduling and follows up regarding duty log and procedure.
• Resident Directors / Residential Education Graduate Assistants
  Live-in professional staff primarily support the implementation of B-Connected by guiding and supporting student staff. Professional staff regularly meet with CAs to provide coaching on facilitation guide execution. Additionally, professional staff have their own, distinct facilitation guides for B-Connected implementation.
• Assistant Directors (ADs)

  ADs ensure that CAs and live-in professional staff understand the strategies and facilitation guides so that they can implement all parts of B-Connected with fidelity. ADs and CDs also coach professional staff and, when needed, student staff.

• Collegiate Professors (CPs) and Faculty in Residence
  CPs offer a bridge between the academic and residential experiences for students. CPs actively engage with staff to execute departmental learning goals. CPs assist residents to develop and achieve goals around academic success.