All About Housing

With deposits starting to flow in, we thought it would be a good idea to update our master post with all the information you need about housing. Passing it on to our guest blogger Owen Knight (who I admitted 7 years ago!).

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One of the best things about going to Tulane is the strong sense of community you feel on campus. All of our freshmen and sophomores live on campus, so it ends up being a very bustling and social place. Unsurprisingly, we get tons of questions from incoming students about housing between December and August. There are a lot of changes this year! Read on for descriptions of each building and community, and insight into the timeline of the coming months for enrolling seniors.

There are eight housing options for freshmen. All of them are in the middle section of our campus with short walks to the LBC, Bruff and each other. The building names are Butler, Greenbaum, Josephine Louise (JL), Monroe, Paterson, Sharp, Wall and Warren.

You probably know a friend, classmate, neighbor or sibling that lived in one of these buildings who has told you all about it and you've formed opinions on some of the buildings. I'm going to stop you there, because the changes on campus have changed the housing landscape. Gone are the days of Paterson being the “wellness dorm” and other things you may have heard. A big catalyst of these changes is the introduction of the even more Residential Learning Communities (RLCs). 

Residential Learning Communities

RLC's were first introduced for the 2016-2017 academic year. RLCs are designed to promote a group dynamic in a shared living environment among students that share interests. These interests can be academic, social, or even lifestyle oriented. They combine an enriching academic environment with a strong social network. These communities are attached to a TIDES course that supplements the program, and a faculty member will live in the residence hall to help lead programming. Plenty more info here. 

This past year, we had just 4 RLCs-  Changemaker, Get Engaged, Health Wave and Honors. This year, there will be a total of 8 RLCs with the addition of Kaleidoscope, Shapers and Creators, Spark, and Third Coast. Some RLCs will only house first year students, while others will have a combination of first years and upperclassmen. Approximately 400-450 students will live in a RLC.

Now, for a little bit about each one.

First year students only:

Health Wave, housed in Butler, is focused on self-care, wellness, and public health. Students will have access to initiatives including workshops, dinners with guest faculty speakers, access to exclusive fitness and wellness programs, mindfulness instruction, and nutritional support. Health Wave will be partnered with Campus Health and will be geared toward mindful choices. There will be 3 TIDES courses associated with Health Wave, which you can see on the RLC website.

Honors, housed in Wall, is an option for the students invited to the Honors Program when they were admitted. Only Honors students will be able to list Wall as a preferred building on their housing application. This RLC will provide opportunities for leadership, research, and faculty engagement. Faculty members will advise residents about scholarships, career preparation, and other post-grad opportunities. Dr. Carrie Wyland, a Psychology professor, lives in the building with her family and will host brunches and other events for the students in this community. There will be TIDES courses associated with Honors, which you can see on the RLC website.



Spark, housed in Josephine Louise (JL), is focused on women's leadership. Residents will work with the Newcomb College Institute to explore women's leadership through community service and social justice projects. There will be montlhy dinners with faculty, and options for alternative spring and winter break trips. More info, including the Spark-specific TIDES course, can be found on the RLC website.

Third Coast, housed in Butler, aims to bring students off campus and into the cultural landscape of New Orleans and the Gulf South. Students will engage in a variety of cultural and intellectual experiences, such as urban and coastal field trips. Third Coast will explore house academic and professional goals can connect with the needs and interests of the surrounding community and the university. More info, including Third Coast-specific TIDES courses, can be found on the RLC website.

First year and upperclassmen students:

Changemaker, housed in Paterson, is perfect for those passionate about creating positive social change. Changemaker partners with staff from the Taylor Center (who run our Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship minor). Students will work to align their academic interests, personal passions, and career aspirations to find their path to make a difference in New Orleans and the world. Changemakers will volunteer in the city, attend community events such as PitchNOLA presentations, and create an open atmosphere in the hall. More info, including Changemaker-specific TIDES coures, can be found here.

Get Engaged, housed in Greenbaum, is focused on civic engagement and giving back to the community through volunteerism, organizational involvement, and workshops. Programming will include lectures, community planning forums, and service projects. Residents will plan and execute an engagement project over the course of the year. If you plan on taking full advantage of New Orleans in all facets from festivals to service, this could be the RLC for you. More info, including the Get Engaged TIDES course, can be found online here.

Kaleidoscope, housed in Warren, will provide a safe space for people of color and/or LGBTQIA. Residents will attend events and programs geared toward helping them navigate Tulane and become catalysts for change across Tulane's campus. Kaleidoscope aims to foster a sense of well-being and respect for each other across many different identities. More info, including the Kaleidoscope-specific TIDES, can be found on the RLC website.

Shapers and Creators, housed in Warren, will provide a community for creative thinkers at Tulane. Residents will be united as visual thinkers and problem solvers who are engaged with creative learning. Programming will include sessions with artists, architects, engineers, and the Newcomb Art Museum. More info, including the TIDES options, can be found on the RLC website.

More details about each RLC can be found here: http://tulaneresidentiallearning.com.

Now that we’re caught up on RLCs, here is the breakdown of the buildings:

Butler: a traditional building with double rooms in a square layout. There is a communal bathroom and common room in the center of each floor. The building is coed, but each floor will be single sex. Butler houses about 250 students. This used to be the Honors option, but now it is just another traditional option like Monroe and Sharp. Butler will house Health Wave and Third Coast.

Greenbaum is our newest residence hall. Greenbaum offers suite-style living, with two double rooms attached to one bathroom. Freshmen and upperclassmen will live here. Greenbaum also has a test kitchen, where students can participate in cooking demos, watch chefs compete, and learn how to cook healthy meals. Greenbaum will house Get Engaged.

Josephine Louise: Tulane’s only single-sex building. "JL"offers double rooms with communal bathrooms. About 200 women live in JL. Since it is an older building, JL does not have uniformly sized rooms, which adds to the character of the building. Students often note the large closets and high ceilings as great perks of the building. Students also have a sink in their room. There is also a very large ballroom on the first floor. JL will house Spark.

Monroe: a traditional building like Butler and Sharp with double rooms and large communal bathrooms. It is 12 stories tall and is sometimes known as the "most popular" dorm on campus. This is because it houses the most students of any residence hall. Monroe is coed by wing and houses about 600 students.

 

Paterson: formerly the “Wellness Community," Paterson now houses the Changemaker RLC. Paterson houses both freshmen and sophomores, with the freshmen in a traditional layout with communal bathrooms and the sophomores in suites. Paterson houses about 120 students. As a smaller residence hall, Paterson typically has a very tight-knit community.

Sharp: another traditional building like Butler and Monroe. Sharp is coed by wing and houses about 450 students. Sharp is L shaped with about 90 students each on floors 1-4 and about 45 students on floors 5-7. Along with Monroe, Sharp is known as one of the more popular dorms, but that is mostly because it houses so many students. Between the two of them, Monroe and Sharp house over half of the freshmen class.

Wall: Houses the Honors RLC. Wall is the second newest residence hall and offers suite-style living. Honors students will have the opportunity to list Wall on their housing application. Wall has a cool mix of interior and exterior space, and houses about 250 students.

Warren has a mix of sophomores and freshmen and will house Kaleidoscope and Shapers and Creators. Warren is located right off of the LBC quad and is known for its extremely large rooms. Warren is also known for its very high ceilings.

Finally, here is the timeline for submitting housing preferences:

3/1: Housing Application and RLC Application launch

This online system will allow students to apply for an RLC, select their top 5 housing choices, and create their roommate profile. Students who fill it out on March 2nd will be just as likely to get their top choice as students who fill it out on April 30th. There is no need to rush your decision to enroll! The Housing office will not begin reviewing applications until after May 1st.

Roommate profiles will include info about cleanliness, sleep times, and if you smoke or not. You can also include a written bio and links to your social media accounts. Students can then search for each other by keyword, name, or other criteria and request a specific roommate if they want to. We definitely recommend waiting on searching for a roommate until a little later in the process. The matching system will also use this data when “randomly” making roommate matches. Students will also be able to edit their choices or roommate preferences through June, to allow students to meet in person at Orientation!

May 8th- RLC Applications and Housing Contract due

You will be able to list your Residence Hall preferences starting 5/15

May 18- RLC Placement

You will hear back about your RLC applications in late May! You cannot room with someone who is not in your RLC, so if you are applying for one, it is smart to wait to find a roommate.

5/15-6/30- Roommate Selection and Residence Hall Preferences

This will give you ample time to meet people online, arrange meetups, meet at orientation, grab lunch, and do some research before you decide to live with someone. You may edit your roommate/building preferences until 6/30.

7/15 Housing Assignments Posted

8/25 Move In Day!

Our current students will be ready to help move you into your room in August!

My final tip about your roommate search: don't rush! Waiting until Orientation to select a roommate is beneficial for two large reasons. First, it will allow you to actually meet someone in person before deciding to live together. Just because you both like Game of Thrones and Stranger Things does not necessarily mean you will be great roommates. Second, RLC assignments won't come out until May and it'd be a shame to have to split up because you got into different RLCs.

I know that was a ton of information, but I hope you found it beneficial as you begin to make your plans for next year. Move in day will be here before you know it!