Students who plan on living in a special-interest house next year in the residence halls now have another option.

The Lincoln Hall C-wing will become a teach house starting next fall.

The teach house is an expansion of the current teach floors that currently reside in the honors house located in Douglas Hall’s C-wing.

“Over the last couple of years, the university has tried to develop living-learning communities,” said Michael Coakley, executive director of Student Housing and Dining Services. “Partnership with the College of Education just made sense.”

The teach house is an addition to many other special-interest houses like the SET (Science, Engineering and Technology), the International and the Health, Family and Service houses.

Sophomore undecided major Micky Mastrangelo was responsive to the idea of another special-interest house.

“I think it’s an unbelievable idea,” Mastrangelo said. “I’m all for special-interest houses.”

Coakley has found that students who choose a special-interest house have a positive academic experience.

“Students tend to feel more connected to faculty and have an overall satisfaction of their residential life,” he said.

Margaret Myles, director of advising services for the College of Education, thinks there are many benefits as well.

“The university has adopted the concept of lifelong learning … a community of learners,” she said. “[The teach house] really transcends all of that into a learning environment.”

A potential concern of special-interest halls is their segregation from the rest of the general student life. Both Coakley and Myles dismissed those concerns.

“The best part about having [the house] in Lincoln is that there are three other wings,” Coakley said, “It’s sort of the best of both worlds. This way we can provide an academic environment to live in, but there is still interaction with the general students.”

Aside from the interaction with the other wings, there is diverse interaction in the house.

“Within the house are students from four different colleges,” Myles said. “This isn’t just for education majors, it’s for anyone who is pursuing a teaching certificate and that’s spread across different curriculums.”

There is a $50 fee each semester to live on a special-interest floor, but the fees are used for a variety of special reasons.

The teach house fees are used to bring in superintendents, teachers and student teachers who can share experiences.

“We are also planning to create various resources in the lounge areas.” Myles said.

The house will be entirely made up of double rooms. Restrictions are pending.

“This is an exciting opportunity for students interested,” Myles said. “[The teach house] is a great way to combine living and learning.”

For more information about the teach house, call Student Housing and Dining Services at 753-1525.