Fitness-themed living to open

Students study on Sunday in the New Residence Hall West cluster 207 . Currently, only incoming freshman can choose to live in the new community for the fall 2017 semester. 

By Clarissa Hinshaw

A living-learning community is opening up in the fall 2017 semester for students who enjoy fitness and crave adventure.

The Sport, Recreation and Wellness Community will be located on the ninth floor of the Stevenson Residence Hall A Tower. There are 15 bed spaces available, according to the Housing and Dining website. The community, which is available during fall and spring semesters, will have a program fee of $50 per semester.

“This community is perfect for any student who loves sport, recreation and personal wellness,” according to the website. “Students on this floor participate in intramural leagues, weekend trips, monthly workshops and a special section of UNIV 101.”

Residents will also receive year-round direct contact with staff, faculty and resources in Campus Recreation and the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, according to the website.

The floor is currently accepting incoming freshman only, but residence hall officials will open the community to others if remaining spaces are available.

The new living-learning community is intended to be an opportunity for students to enhance their personal wellness and live with other students who share their interest in sport and recreation, according to the website.

Leanne Kulchawik, Campus Recreation intramural and recreation coordinator, said the floor will help active students find a community and get involved. Fitness activities and nutrition workshops specific to the floor will be held.

“The focus is to get [students] more involved, teach them about fitness and wellness and then provide them some activities within that residence hall,” Kulchawik said. “[These students] will be able to participate in some specific activities for the living-learning community.

Kulchawik said living on the floor will be an opportunity for students to learn about fitness and wellness while making connections with students in the health and fitness field if it’s something they are interested in going into.

All students in the community will be required to enroll in a special UNIV 101 class that will be taught by Peter Chomentowski, assistant professor of kinesiology and physical education. He said having these students take a course together gives them a chance to connect with other students who have similar interests and majors.

“If students are living in this wellness living-learning community, then they can all take that course together,” Chomentowski said. “Then, I would have the course [for] students with similar academic background that they want to pursue.”

Sophomore biochemistry major Zohra Sattar lives in the honors house. She said she likes living in a living-learning community because she can relate to the students she lives with. Sattar said she thinks adding new living-learning communities is a good idea so students can connect to others with similar interests.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Sattar said. “I know a lot of people [like to] have workout buddies, so that’s probably a great idea for them to move into that living-learning community, so their roommate could be their workout buddy or they could do group workout. I’m sure they would beat everyone at intramural sports.”