Learning Communities (LCs)
Learning Communities are for all PLU students. At PLU, every residential student (including first-year, new transfer, returning, and upper division) is part of an LC, by year at PLU and/or by theme. Additionally, commuting students participate in LCs via the CAVE Learning Community.
LCs provide opportunities for students to connect with community through co-curricular events and programs. New first-year students take a course called “PLUS 100: Transitions to PLU” that is connected either with their LC or another in-tact or affinity group (learn more about PLUS 100). Students who participate in LCs have increased community and academic support to promote student success. Learning Communities are a valuable part of the PLU experience, adding to the learning that happens in the classroom and beyond!
Learning Communities (LCs) Themed by Identity/Interest
The Lutes Commute is a Learning Community specifically designed to support all commuting and off-campus students.
Connected space: Located on the lower level Anderson University Center, the CAVE is a great place to hang out, meet other students, catch up with friends, study, enjoy lunch, or rest between classes.
- The CAVE has many amenities to support commuting students, including a kitchen, lockers, comfy seats and tables, and Community Advocate student staff who serve as campus resources.
- Though it is called “The CAVE” the physical space is vibrant and the diverse community members create a warm and welcoming space for all.
- After 5pm and on the weekends, The CAVE hosts concerts, performances, and club meetings.
The Community for Creative Expression is for students interested in a co-curricular focus on creativity and innovation across all disciplines.
Connected Residence Hall: Hinderlie Hall. This hall has mixed-gendered wings with gendered bathrooms and one Gender Inclusive Housing wing.
The Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability Community is for students interested in gaining an increased understanding of their cultural identities through reflection on values while learning how to create positive change in their communities. This community focuses on intersectionality across the following three sub-communities:
- First in the Family For students who are first in their families to attend college (first-generation students whose parents did not graduate from a four-year, degree granting institution in the U.S.) with support to connect them to resources for success in and out of the classroom.
- Students of Color For students who identify as People of Color (or not White) who are interested in exploring their racial and ethnic social identities and cultures.
- Environmental & Social Justice For students who are interested in exploring the intersection of social justice and environmental justice and translating this knowledge into positive social change through leadership and action.
- Lavender Community is for students who are interested in exploration of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, +) social identities through conversations, activities, and reflection.
Connected Residence Hall: Ordal Hall All DJS communities are located on Gender Inclusive Housing wings.
Global Community (Global Engagement & Language Immersion Theme) is for students who are interested in a global study focus. The Global Community features the follow sub-communities:
- Global Language & Culture Community — for any and all students interested in learning about and engaging in global communities, including: language learning, study away interest, enjoying global education, having held cultural identities from global locations and more!
- International Honors Program (IHON) Community — for students enrolled and taking classes in PLU’s International Honors program
- International Student Community — for students who identify as international and/or are coming to PLU from beyond the fifty states
- LatinX Student Community — for students who self identify as LatinX/a/o/e; this is an affinity based space celebrating LatinX cultures, social identities, and languages
- Native American & Indigenous Student Community — for students who self identify as indigenous or native and/or who are studying in the Native American and Indigenous program at PLU
Connected Residence Hall: The Global Community is currently housed in Kreidler Hall.
STEM House is for students interested in learning about the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics). This community is great for intended STEM-related majors and also for those not majoring in STEM who would like to continue their learning on these topics.
Connected Residence Hall: Tingelstad Hall. This community has gendered wings with gendered bathrooms; if you identify as Trans* or Gender Nonconforming, please contact Residential Life for additional information.
Wellness House is for students interested in conversations and activities that promote and sustain healthy lifestyles, including transitioning to college in a way that develops healthy habits around mindfulness, diet, exercise, substance use, time management, and mental health.
Connected Hall: Tingelstad Hall. This community has gendered wings with gendered bathrooms; if you identify as Trans* or Gender Nonconforming, please contact Residential Life for additional information.
Connected course(s): First-year Wellness House residents will be enrolled in a linked PLUS 100: Transitions to PLU course connected with the Wellness House.
Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equity Community is for women-identified and Transgender/Gender Non-Conforming students with a focus on gender equality, community building, and programming that explores gender and empowers women.
Connected Residence Hall: Stuen Hall. This hall is reserved for women and gender non-binary students.
Learning Communities (LCs) Themed by Year at PLU
Traditional Residence Halls: Transitioning Into PLU Traditional residence halls include: Harstad Hall, Hinderlie Hall, Hong Hall, Ordal Hall, Pflueger Hall, and Tingelstad Hall. Many of our traditional residence halls are configured by First Year Communities (Note: Hong is the one exception, as Hong is configured by language/IHON wings).
First Year Communities For first year students, staffed by returning student leaders (Resident Assistants) to assist in the transition to PLU and the Parkland/Tacoma community. First Year Wings are located in traditional residence halls: Harstad Hall, Hinderlie Hall, Ordal Hall, Pflueger Hall, and Tingelstad Hall.
Traditional Residence Halls: Transitioning Through PLU Traditional residence halls include: Harstad Hall, Hinderlie Hall, Hong Hall, Ordal Hall, Pflueger Hall, and Tingelstad Hall. Many of our traditional residence halls are configured by New Transfer & Continuing Student Wings (Note: Hong is the one exception, as Hong is configured by language/IHON wings):
New Transfer and Continuing Student Communities For new transfer & continuing students (second year and beyond) with programming centered around academic support and major/career exploration. New Transfer and Continuing Student Communities are located in traditional residence halls: Harstad Hall, Hinderlie Hall, Ordal Hall, Pflueger Hall, and Tingelstad Hall.
Upper Division Communities: Transitioning to the Future/Career Preparation are for students who are 20+ years or who have 60+ credits, these communities promote an independent living experience to support students as they transition into post-collegiate life. Upper Division student housing is located in Harstad Hall and South Hall.
Campus Life works intentionally with PLU community members — students, faculty, and staff alike — to develop diverse Learning Community (LC) offerings across eight residence halls. The communities are organized across a variety of themes: some academically focused, some by interest/topic, some by social identity, and some by the stages students find themselves in at PLU. Each one continues to be developed with care, with student input and comparison research. The learning communities are assessed on a regular basis so Residential Life can understand how effective and meaningful they are for the students who choose to live in them. Learn more about the PLU history of LCs and research supporting this learning model.
Most importantly, ALL students — residential and commuter — are welcome in all of the halls and all of the LCs. Everyone is invited to most hall programs. Students are invited and encouraged to visit halls and wings even if they don’t live there, to make friends with peers, learn from offerings, and connect with faculty and staff.
Some students choose communities based on academic interest, such as an immersive language wing in Hong International Hall or in the STEM House in Tingelstad. Other students pick their campus home based on an area of interest, such as Hinderlie’s Community for Creative Expression or Tingelstad’s Wellness House. We also know some students prefer to live with a diverse group of peers in communities that are not organized by topic. So, we have intentionally held spaces that connect students based on their transition into, through, or out of PLU: for first-year students, new transfers and returners, and upper-division students.
Several of our newer communities, built around social identities, are a direct response to students who voiced a need for affinity spaces. Students told us those spaces were in demand, and we listened — especially to those who identify with historically marginalized and underrepresented communities. For students who opt into these affinity spaces, it’s an important step in finding a sense of belonging at PLU. They are a home from which the rest of the PLU experience can be explored.
Students actively choose the themes centered on social identity. For example, residents of the Students of Color Wing (in Ordal Hall’s Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability community) chose to live in that space because they self-identify as a Person of Color and are interested in learning alongside other students who identify in similar ways. This also is true for our Lavender wing in Ordal (for LGBTQ+ identified students) and First in the Family wings in Ordal Hall’s Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability community (for first-generation students). These identity-based communities provide an intimate, cohort experience for students who want to intentionally engage their social identities in their learning at PLU.
If you are curious about a particular Learning Community or residence hall, we encourage you to learn more! If you are a prospective student or community member, feel free to explore our Learning Community (LC) web pages and/or email the Community Director who works with that LC. If you are a current student, we welcome you to come to a program, get to know the Residential Life staff and ask us questions, or get to know your peers who live there to understand why they chose that space and what they love about that community.
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