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The Connections Learning Community

What are Learning Communities?

Learning communities are specialized University Housing programs that link students’ academic learning and their living environment. The learning communities at Cal Poly are designed to enhance the university experience by supporting academic skill development, providing opportunities for faculty interaction and supporting development of social and personal skills needed for future success.

What is the Connections Learning Community?

The Connections learning community is about more than creating a place for students to live and learn together. It’s about ensuring academic success, making faculty connections, exploring new possibilities and finding support.

This learning community offers students an environment which supports academic goals, emphasizes the respect and appreciation of diversity, and provides opportunity for community connections through service and educational programs. The Connections learning community helps first-year students transition into college and connect to resources on campus.

Housed in Sierra Madre and Yosemite Halls, the Connections Program helps residents to gain knowledge in three focus areas:

Increasing awareness of campus resources that support academic success
Taking part in social and educational activities that enhance understanding and appreciation of difference
Positively contributing to the community by involvement in service opportunities

How does the Connections Learning Community’s goals align with the University Learning Objectives?

The Connections Learning Community collaborates with the Academic Programs department to incorporate the University Learning Objectives (ULO) into the Connections philosophy and programming.

Students who complete an undergraduate or graduate program at Cal Poly will:

Think critically and creatively
Communicate effectively
Develop an awareness of issues related to sustainability
Engage in lifelong learning
Demonstrate expertise in a scholarly discipline and understand that discipline in relation to the larger world of arts, sciences and technology
Work productively as individuals and in groups
Use their knowledge and skills to make a positive contribution to society
Make reasoned decisions based on an understanding of ethics, a respect for diversity and an awareness of issues related to sustainability.

To learn more about the University Learning Objectives, please visit:
http://www.academicprograms.calpoly.edu/academicpolicies/university_lo.html

Where is the Connections Learning Community Housed?

The Connections Learning Community is housed in Sierra Madre and Yosemite resident complexes on the Cal Poly campus. Each complex has a number of ‘towers’ that house between 60 and 70 first-year residents. All of the resident rooms are double occupancy, and each tower is lead by one or two student leaders.

Coordinators for Student Development (CSD) are professional staff members with a Masters degree who live in the community. The CSDs supervise 10 to 12 undergraduate students who serve as Resident Advisors (RAs) living in Sierra Madre or Yosemite Halls. The Resident Advisors and Coordinators of Student Development plan and implement programming throughout the academic year to enhance students’ living and learning experiences in the Connections Learning Community.

Coordinators of Student Development also advise student leaders, uphold community standards and support students to make important connections to support future success.

What is the Faculty Associates Program?

The Faculty Associates Program gives Connections students and faculty from all disciplines an opportunity to interact with one another outside of the classroom. There are a number of dedicated faculty members who participate within the Connections Program community. One faculty member is assigned to each tower within Sierra Madre’s and Yosemite’s complexes. Faculty Associates work with the student staff and residents within their assigned towers to plan social and educational programs. Some programs include: tea hour, astronomy cookie decorating, field trips, office hours, study skill seminars and many, many more.

Penny Bennett	Graphic Communication
Beth Chance	Statistics
Barry Floyd	Management
Annie Garner	English
Corinna Kahnke	Modern Languages
Brian Kennelly	Modern Languages and Literature
Jennifer Klay	Physics
Jane Lehr	Ethnic Studies Women’s and Gender Studies
Karen McGaughey	Statistics
David Mitchell	Physics
Sari Pinto	English
Ali Shaban	Electrical Engineering

The following are programming opportunities in which Connections residents can participate:

Social Events:

Barbecues
Leadership Opportunities
Club Fairs
Community Service Projects
Open mic nights
Learn to cook programs
Craft workshops
Intramural games
Video game competitions
Hall dances and socials
Workshops and events to promote healthy living

Academic Opportunities:

Group Study Sessions
Advising Week
One-on-one academic support meetings with the Coordinator of Student Development
Academic skills programs and workshops
Honors Banquets

Cultural Inclusion:

Cultural field trips
Latino Heritage Month
Chinese New Year Celebration
Dia De Los Muertos Celebration
Darfur Awareness Event
Monthly cultural inclusion educational bulletin boards
Women’s History Month
Fat Tuesday Celebration
Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Black History Month
People with Disabilities Awareness Month
Pride Month supporting the GLBTQ population

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