First-Year Communities

First-Year Housing

Through their first-year experience students learn to cope with the transition to college & grow into an independent adult.

Through the First-Year Experience, students will be provided an array of opportunities to develop personally and academically within their residential community. Students' first year at DePauw is a pivotal time for their development, therefore all first-year students are placed in one of the five residence halls that aim to develop a common, inclusive and supportive experience. Our program's purpose is intentional, focusing on their transitions and providing the best resources and support for students as they acclimate to DePauw. Each residence community provides programmatic and community development opportunities in addition to peer support and mentoring.

Housing Options for First-Year Students

DePauw offers multiple housing environments for first-year students, and each community has unique advantages. Each residence hall community provides programmatic and community development opportunities in addition to peer support and mentoring. The common spaces and building environments have gathering spaces that allow for community to form among our first-year students. Here is some brief information about our first-year residence halls:

Bishop Roberts, Humbert, Jordan and Longden Halls are located in the South Quad. These residence halls are home to between 110-145 students each. Most rooms in these residence halls are double occupancy rooms, but room size can range from single occupancy to four-person occupancy rooms. Lucy Rowland Hall is a residence hall located in Ubben Quad. The third and fourth floors of Lucy Rowland Hall are used for first-year students depending on the size of the incoming class.

First-Year Resident Assistants

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

All residence halls have a team of First-Year Resident Assistants that work to support the student experience and transition. The staff works along with the Housing and Residence Life Coordinators to implement a co-curriculum that outlines a series of programs that provide important resources, involvement and community development opportunities throughout the academic year. Housing and Residence Life staff work to manage the residential spaces and maintain residential and university policies.

Intentional Communities

Healthy Living Communities

Healthy Living Communities intentionally support healthy life choices, and the students who choose to live in these environments commit to a lifestyle that refrains from the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs within their residential environment. As a result of living in these communities, students live in an environment that is free from the secondary effects of these substances and feel supported in their individual choice to refrain for using. Additionally, these communities offer specific resources, programs and events that support healthy life choices, provide for quiet environments conducive to studying, create intentional opportunities for social and interpersonal connections, and give students the responsibility to help set the standards of the community and empower them to uphold those standards.

Rainbow Community

This intentional community serves as a space to enable lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students and their advocates to connect and live in a respectful space. All students are welcome to live in the Rainbow Community with an understanding that the space serves as an affirming home for all expressions of gender and sexuality. Additionally, restrooms within these communities are gender inclusive. All residents and their guests will be expected to be respectful and sensitive to all identities within the LGBTQIA+ community. In collaboration with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Rainbow Community will offer specific resources, events, and create intentional opportunities for social and interpersonal connections.

In the event a student has indicated interest in the Rainbow Community but has not created a roommate group, Housing and Residence Life will reach out to students regarding what gender identities they would be comfortable residing with and then utilizing roommate matching profiles. The information will not be shared with anyone outside of Housing and Residence Life, and it will only be used for housing assignment purposes.

Artists’ Salon Living Learning Community

The Artists’ Salon Living Learning Community is a new pilot program for the incoming first-year class! Borrowing from the Parisian Salons of the 1830s, the close artistic community formed during the Harlem Renaissance, and the post-modern arts collectives of the 1960s, this community offers a unique experience to those interested in the fine arts such as art, dance, design, film, music, theater, and writing and is open to all students who describe themselves as a creative. Innovative works of Art and new approaches to Art making are born when creatives are in close proximity. Built for majors and non-majors alike, the Artists' Salon LLC offers an environment of support and exploration for students’ pursuits within DePauw’s vibrant creative community.

Residents in this community will be encouraged to explore student and professional organizations, interact with faculty members and upper-level students, and seek out professionals and alumni in their fields. Students in the Artists' Salon LLC can participate in discussions, educational programs, and attend field trips to expand their creativity.