Williams is a Small Residential Liberal Arts College. We tend to talk more about the meaning and value of the “Liberal Arts” aspect of Williams than the “Residential” aspect. Yet, while there is no single class or academic program that every Williams student takes, every single student participates in residential life. Day-to-day life in our residence halls significantly shapes the Williams experience. Residential life at Williams demands that students live and eat, play and negotiate, share and create, argue and compromise with people from different backgrounds, experiences, and identities. For first-year students, the Junior Advisor program strives to shepard these new members of the community through this immersion into life at Williams.
In this session, we would like to learn more about students’ experiences in Residential Life. What is/was it like to be a first year student? How have your residential life experiences changed from year to year? If you have served or considered serving as a JA, what are your thoughts on the role and the preparation and College support around it? For all students–Can you imagine different ways to put together a first year residential community and experience? (Residence halls that mix upperclass students with first years? JA’s that only serve one semester? JA’s that are “non residential”? Sophomores or seniors serving as JA’s?) In terms of residential life sophomore through senior year… How do the experiences as a first year student carry forward into the later years.
During this interactive session we will solicit anonymous feedback from participants and then facilitate a discussion on the ways in which we can help each other support the complicated Four year long braid of residential life.
3:30 to 5:00 PM in Baxter Hall. Co-sponsored by the JA Program Working Group (comprised of Students, Faculty, and Staff).