Loyola offers several first-year themed communities in addition to Collegium, Alpha, and the FE 100 Leadership Experience which provide a variety of options designed to enhance your experience both in and out of the classroom. In an effort to strengthen community living, the office of student life, in conjunction with campus colleagues, has developed three themed residential experiences. Each community will offer you intentional programming around specific topics of interest, while still allowing you to meet and socialize with first-year students from all over campus. While not required, participation in a living-learning community or residential themed community is strongly encouraged. Some of the benefits include: - Creating relationships with other students who share similar interests
- Monthly activities and events that highlight the specific community theme
- Opportunities to become involved in floor leadership and activity planning
- Interactions with faculty, administrators, and staff from around campus that will help you transition to life at college
- Information that will help you decide how to spend your time at Loyola
EXPERIENCE BALTIMORE
Coming to Loyola also means coming to Baltimore—your new home for the next four years. The Experience Baltimore communities for first-year students help acquaint students with the sights and sounds of Baltimore. Students will have the opportunity to visit a variety of Baltimore’s diverse neighborhoods and will learn about the strengths and challenges facing our city. Through cultural trips, service projects, and meeting the people of the city, students will learn how they can truly experience Baltimore and become good neighbors. Students who sign up for Experience Baltimore will ive in a traditional, double-style residence hall. FIRST-YEAR SUBSTANCE-FREE COMMUNITY
The transition to college can be overwhelming and exciting at the same time. Loyola offers substance-free housing to help students make the transition to Loyola in a friendly and welcoming environment. This double-style substance-free living community is for those students who genuinely desire to live in an environment where all residents and their guests agree to keep the area free of all alcohol, drug, and tobacco products. Residents agree to create an environment in which they are respectful of one another and, as a result, foster a living atmosphere that is respectful of healthy lifestyles. Members of the community also have the opportunity to work with their resident assistant to plan activities and outings that promote a positive community and deep relationships. In addition to offering a substance-free community, Loyola also offers a substance-free room option to students who would prefer to have substance-free roommates in another type of residential setting, themed community, or living-learning program. HONORS THEMED COMMUNITY
The Honors themed community is home to students who seek a supportive residential setting in which debate, intellectual inquiry, and learning through diverse experiences are the order of the day. Both students in the Honors Program and students not in the Honors Program join this community to share and discover the life of the mind. The Honors themed community features common spaces that can be used for social activities and group study, trips to Baltimore's great cultural and historical landmarks, and opportunities to meet with faculty members to discuss common interests, academic passions, and current events. Students in the Honors themed community will live in a traditional, double-style residence hall. Additional information: Each community will have a resident assistant or group of resident assistants dedicated to facilitating your residential experience. Exact locations of our first-year themed communities will be decided after the last Summer Orientation session. Our goal is to match overall student interest with buildings and/or residential floors that will help create a strong community identity for all residents. Students will sign up for these communities during their housing registration session at Summer Orientation. Please note: These communities do not require a course connection, but students enrolled in the Alpha Program, FE 100, or the Honors Program are welcome to participate. Students who are enrolled in Collegium or the FE 100 Leadership Experience or who are residing in Alpha House are not eligible for one of these communities, since they are already housed with students taking common classes. For more general information on first-year housing options beyond these themed communities, please visit www.loyola.edu/studentlife. | 
