Living Learning Communities

1. Introduction

• a. This Regulation outlines the University’s policies and procedures related to the development, approval, oversight, and management of Living Learning Communities (“LLC”). The University recognizes that the maintenance of LLCs are a nationally accepted High-Impact Practice in higher education, which is defined by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) as an active learning practice that promotes deep learning by promoting student engagement as measured by the National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE). LLCs are designed to support the student transition to the student’s academic college and the larger University setting by facilitating student-faculty interaction beyond the classroom and encouraging positive, meaningful student connections within the University community.
• b. ECU acknowledges that national research on LLCs have shown a mutual benefit between students and the institution. Compared to students in other living environments, students in an LLC generally:
  • i. Demonstrate increased retention rates from first to second year;
  • ii. Earn higher grade point averages;
  • iii. Report having stronger connections to faculty and feeling more confident in the classroom; and
  • iv. Describe feeling a stronger sense of community and belonging in the residence halls.
• c. For the purposes of this Regulation, an LLC is defined as an academic program where students who share an academic interest live together in ECU’s residence halls, take classes together related to the area of interest, and participate in other programmatic experiences that relate to the focus of the LLC.
  • i. To meet this standard, the LLC must be defined by a unifying academic interest or focus area that is connected to an undergraduate program at the University.
  • ii. The LLC must also be based on a curriculum that requires students in the program to complete at least one common/shared credit-bearing course during the academic year, and that provides students in the LLC with regular programming and student success initiatives that relate to the focus of the LLC.
  • iii. Finally, the LLC must require all students in the program to reside in one University-owned residence hall.
• d. Each LLC is unique in its focus and/or its curriculum/requirements, but every LLC will strive to meet the following shared LLC outcomes:
  • i. Create interactions with faculty and other students in the academic area of interest.
  • ii. Provide information about resources regarding student success in the academic area of interest.
  • iii. Connect students to future opportunities associated with the academic area of interest.
• e. Pursuant to this Regulation, LLCs will exist as academic programs, managed by their assigned faculty, with the oversight and approval of the relevant College Dean via the University’s Living Learning Community Proposal Form. While these programs will receive administrative support from Campus Living, they are ultimately overseen by the relevant College.
• f. This regulation does not prevent Campus Living from recommending to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs the creation of other interest-based residential communities that support University recruitment and retention efforts, or that focus on other student success initiatives. For any non-academic LLC proposals, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs will have final approval authority and that authority cannot be delegated.

2. Living Learning Community Development

• a. Any full-time faculty or staff member in a College can propose the development of a new LLC with the support and approval of the relevant College’s Dean via the University’s Living Learning Community Proposal Form.
• b. Colleges that propose the development of a new LLC must be willing to commit staffing and resources, including any appropriate budgetary requirements, to the successful management and operation of the LLC.
• c. Proposals for new LLCs must be created in consultation with the Campus Living Assistant Director for Living Learning Communities & Student Success, before being submitted to the relevant College Dean for their initial review.
  • i. These proposals can then be submitted using the University’s Living Learning Community Proposal form, outlining the:
  • 1. Purpose and goals/objectives of the new LLC
  • 2. Programmatic curriculum and/or requirements for the LLC
  • 3. Staff support/oversight that the College will provide for the LLC
  • 4. Anticipated needs for residence hall rooms/bed spaces for the new LLC
• d. A recommendation regarding the approval or non-approval of the proposed LLC will be developed by a three-person ad hoc committee, that includes the following:
  • i. A Dean or Associate Provost, as appointed by the Provost;
  • ii. A Campus Living employee, as appointed by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs; and
  • iii. A faculty member currently working with an active LLC, as appointed by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Living. The faculty member cannot be directly affiliated with the LLC proposal under review.
• e. The final approval regarding the proposed LLC will be determined by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.
• f. The determination regarding exact residence hall space allocation for new LLCs will be made by Campus Living.

3. Living Learning Community Management

• a. LLCs are programs that require students to live on-campus and are programmatically managed by a College, with additional support provided by Campus Living.
  • i. The College will be responsible for:
    • 1. Serving as the primary point-of-contact for all students in the community regarding programmatic questions or concerns;
    • 2. Setting the recruitment, application, and selection process for the community;
    • 3. Coordinating with Campus Living to create room/building assignments for the community;
    • 4. Setting the curriculum and/or other requirements for students to participate in the community, including determining if/when students are removed from the program for failing to meet the established programmatic requirements;
    • 5. Developing a student participation agreement in partnership with Campus Living that outlines the requirements to participate in the LLC, which all students in the LLC must sign on at least an annual basis;
    • 6. Organizing and coordinating the required academic courses for the LLC;
    • 7. Providing regular programming and initiatives for the LLC that fulfill the University’s shared LLC outcomes identified in 1.d., and/or are designed to promote deep learning in the focus area of the LLC;
    • 8. Maintaining communication and attending meetings as necessary with Campus Living staff regarding the operation of the LLC, to include addressing student concerns and the LLC’s programs and initiatives; and
    • 9. Submitting requested information and data regarding programming and other initiatives to Campus Living staff on an annual basis to support University-wide assessment efforts pertaining to LLCs.
• b. Campus Living will provide administrative support to the College in the management and operation of the LLC.
  • i. In providing administrative support to the academic College, Campus Living will:
    • 1. Allocate a set number of residence hall rooms/bed spaces to be used for students in the LLC each academic year, commensurate with the demand for active LLCs and Campus Living’s overall fill strategy;
    • 2. Coordinate housing and room assignments for the students in the LLC, in conjunction with the College;
    • 3. With its discretion, provide limited financial support on an annual basis that the College can use for LLC programs or initiatives that meet the University’s shared LLC outcomes identified in 1.d., after receiving approval from the Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Living and/or their designee;
    • 4. Maintain communication with the College pertaining to the student’s overall well-being and success at the University, as needed in the judgement of Campus Living and consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act;
    • 5. Promote the LLC on a Campus Living-managed webpage that features the application process, programmatic requirements, and the staff member(s) from the College who are responsible for overseeing the LLC; and
    • 6. Compile and report data and other information regarding LLC students, programs, and initiatives on an annual basis to support University-wide assessment efforts pertaining to LLCs.
• c. Nothing in this Regulation limits the ability of Campus Living to manage a student’s housing consistent with the Campus Living License Contract and Resident Handbook.

4. Living Learning Community Renewal or Closure

• a. To ensure the continued effectiveness and relevance of the LLCs, and to ensure that the University’s shared LLC outcomes identified in 1.d. are being met, each LLC will be reviewed by the academic College with approval of the relevant Dean, and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Living, every 4 years. A recommendation to renew or close an LLC will be developed between the relevant College Dean, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Living, and the faculty/staff overseeing the LLC.
• b. The Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs will review the recommendation and make the final decision on the matter.
• c. If a College wishes to end an LLC before the scheduled renewal review, the Dean of the respective College, in consultation with the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, must notify the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Living or their designee in writing and at least 6 months before the desired closure of the LLC.
• d. If, in the discretion of Campus Living, in consultation with the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, an LLC is not meeting the programmatic requirements as outlined in this Regulation, or is not meeting occupancy goals, Campus Living will call a meeting with the relevant Dean and the faculty who oversee the LLC to evaluate the program’s continuation. A recommendation to renew or close an LLC will be developed between the relevant College Dean, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Living, and the faculty/staff overseeing the LLC.
• e. The Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs will review the recommendation and make the final decision on the matter.
• f. On an annual basis, Campus Living will notify faculty who oversee an LLC of dates and information related to the next academic year’s housing allocation and fill strategies as it pertains to their respective LLC.
• g. If the LLC is not renewed, the College will work with the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Living or their designee to close the LLC and end the program. Students who are participating in an LLC at the time of the renewal decision will be allowed to complete their participation for the current academic year in which the renewal decision is made.