Living
& Learning
Discovery
Learning Communities
On This Page
What
are Discovery Communities
Which One Will You Choose
How to Propose a Discovery Community
Discovery Community Outcomes
How to Create the Proposal
Discover a New Experience
Create your own Living and Learning Community
Want
to live on a floor with people who have similar interests
as you? How about living with people who have a similar
academic background as you?
What
are Discovery Communities?
Discovery
Communities offer you a chance to create your own living
and learning experience for a specific period of time ranging
from one semester to one full academic year. You can create
two different types of Discovery Communities: Involvement
Communities or Academic Linked Communities.
Which
one will you choose?
Involvement
Communities are
based on activities in which you participate within the
campus community. Are you part of a Registered Student
Organization (RSO) or do you know a group of students
who share your personal interests? Create a community
based on the personal/common interests of those groups.
Here are a few possible examples of what an Involvement
Community could look like:
- Students
from the Ballroom Dancing Club living together so they
can learn different dances together.
- Students
who play guitar and want to share advanced strumming
techniques with each other.
- Students
from the Ultimate Frisbee Team living together so they
always have someone to throw around with and can help
each other improve their skills.
Academic
Linked Communities help you to connect what's going on
in the classroom with what's happening outside the classroom.
They also give you an opportunity to live with other students
who are having similar academic experiences. Here are a
few possible examples of what an Academic Linked Community
could look like:
- Students
living together to prepare for their alternative spring
break experience.
- Students
sharing the same academic interests as well as a few
classes while living together.
- Students
team up with their favorite faculty member to create
a community that is linked to a credit-bearing course.
These
are just a few examples to get you thinking! Be creative
and propose a community that fits you.
Now
What?
How to Propose a Discovery Community
Now
that you have a better idea what a Discovery Community
is there are a few steps to follow to begin to create your
own. A Discovery Community must:
- Be
initiated and maintained by you or fellow students who
also want to be involved in the community.
- Promote
a supportive, affirming, and learning environment around
common personal or academic interests.
- Have
a current UMass Amherst faculty or staff member write
a letter of support for your community.
- Fit
the description of either an Academic Linked or Involvement
Community.
What
makes living in a Discovery Community so great? (Discovery
Community Outcomes)
Connections: Students
will actively work towards creating a safe and inclusive
environment by positively contributing, exchanging ideas,
and caring for individuals and the community.
Involvement: Students
will interact with others in that community to purposely
build relationships and achieve a sense of belonging on
their floor, cluster, and university community.
Pride: Students
will develop a strong sense of belonging and ownership
for their community through consistent interaction among
peers and staff.
Conflict: Students
will learn to navigate difference of opinions, life experiences,
and cultures through dialogues and discussions among the
student leaders, student staff, and professional staff.
Coalitions: Students
will actively collaborate with other students, staff, and
faculty to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment.
Safety: Students
will explore and critically examine how their actions,
thoughts, values, and beliefs affect the people with whom
they live and the community in which they are a part.
How
do I create the proposal?
The
following information needs to be included in your proposal
in a typed, single spaced, and 12 point font document:
- Introduction: List name(s),
student identification number(s), email(s), local and cellular
phone numbers, and campus address(es) of all people in
charge of creating the proposal.
- Description: Provide a description
of the Discovery Community you are proposing.
- Logistics:
- Indicate
whether it is an academic linked community or an
involvement community, and propose a name for the
community.
- Provide
suggestions about preferred location of the Discovery
Community. Location suggestions will be taken into
consideration; However, final determination of
location will be made by Housing Assignment Office.
- Provide
a model of how your community will be run. Who
will take the lead to make sure that your community
will run smoothly? A possible example would be
a community board.
- Write
a clear statement of what your groups goals are
and what you plan to learn from living in this
community:
- Identify
the learning objectives/goals of your proposed
community. (Use the Discovery Community Outcomes
provided to help you identify your communities'
objectives)
- Explain
how living together would help to accomplish the
learning objectives and goals of your proposed
community.
- Describe
how the proposed community will fulfill at least
two of the six Discovery Community Outcomes listed
on the previous page.
- Membership:
Is there any specific population of students you are
trying to target to live in your proposed community?
What is the approximate size of your proposed community?
Please provide a list of student names and identification
numbers that have committed to living in your proposed
community.
- UMass
Amherst faculty/full-time staff: What type of support
exists for the proposed community? Please list key names
and contact information of UMASS Amherst faculty or full-time
staff involved in developing and sustaining the community.
Please include a letter of commitment from a minimum
of one of the mentioned faculty or staff advisor.
If
you have any questions about proposing a Discovery Community
please contact:
Community Development Director
Residence Life Resource Center (RLRC)
101 Moore Hall (Southwest)
(413) 545-0472
or e-mail asingh@gw.housing.umass.edu
Proposals
for the following fall are due to the Community Development
Director by November 14th of each academic year.
