Residential Education

Students living on campus at the University at Buffalo will benefit from an environment designed to encourage learning through:

• Exploration of who they are, how they interrelate with others, how they fit into a community, and the skills they need to be a successful UB student and graduate. 
• Engagement in opportunities to learn with and from other community members.

Students living in UB's residence halls and apartments will have the opportunity to take part in numerous experiences that promote learning within the four domains listed below. By participating in experiences while living on campus, residents will be able to:

Academic Success

• Adapt academic skills necessary for success
• Choose resources that promote academic achievement

Self

• Evaluate aspects of their own identity
• Evaluate their academic, personal, and professional goals
• Practice techniques necessary for independent living

Interpersonal

• Examine how expression of individual views impacts others
• Develop their cultural competency
• Employ techniques to work through conflicts with others

Community

• Construct roles and responsibilities that foster an inclusive community
• Examine how their actions impact their local and global community

Educational Strategies are specific activities or interactions intentionally planned by Campus Living staff members to develop the residential community and promote learning through exploration and engagement. To ensure that the Educational Strategy is intentional, lesson plans have been created to ensure the interactions are designed to support the intended learning outcomes.

Floor/Building Meetings - Students will learn more about each other and learn expectations

Community Agreements - Students will come to agreements for what they expect of each other and discuss resolving conflicts

Roommate Agreements - Students will come to agreements for what they expect of each other and discuss resolving conflicts

Hall/Village Council - Students will have the opportunity to engage in the community and build a variety of skills through meetings, retreats, and activities

Conduct Meetings - Students that violate rules will reflect and learn from their choices

Mediations - Students that are in conflicts with roommates or neighbors will learn take part in conflict resolution

Programming - Students will have the opportunity to participate in events and programs that focus on our learning outcomes and overall learning goals with assistance from professional and paraprofessional staff

One on Ones - Students will have the opportunity to participate in one on one meetings with student staff members for personal support and guidance

Academic Checkpoints - Students will have the opportunity to meet with professional staff to discuss strategies for improving their academic performance

Learning Communities - Students will have the opportunity to apply to be a part of living learning communities. If selected for participation, they will be able to explore and engage in themes specific to the learning community they choose

Campus Living study centers offer a quiet place to study or engage in small group work. We also provide resources to help student with academic transition issues. The residence hall study centers include the Blake Academic Success Center, and the Evans and Fargo Study Lounges in the Ellicott Complex, the Jones Academic Success Center in the Governors Complex, and the Goodyear Academic Success Center in Goodyear Hall on the South Campus.

Tutor Program

Free tutoring is available Sunday through Thursday in each residential area; the Blake Center in Ellicott, the Jones Center in Governors and the Goodyear Center on South Campus. Tutoring is also available online. Tutoring is provided in various high demand subjects including chemistry, biology, English, physics, accounting, math and economics.

First-Year Interest Communities

Students in these communities live together on the same residence hall floors and attend programs and events specifically designed for their area of academic interest, but do not necessarily share class schedules. Each group has a faculty/staff advisor. In addition to an RA, FYI communities are enhanced by student Academic Assistants who provide academic support through programming, tutoring and individual interactions. Our FYI Communities include architecture, engineering, management, health professions, social sciences and first year explorations (for undecided majors).

Shared Interest Housing Communities

Similar to FYI communities, Shared Interest Housing communities are designated for students who share a common academic interest. However, SIH is designated for upper-class students and may be conceived, proposed and organized by students. These communities vary in size from a suite (8 students) to a floor (20+ students). Each SIH has a floor leader (designated by the group) and works with an Academic Assistant and a faculty/staff advisor to organize educational, social and community service programs. SIH Communities include Honors Corps, Architecture, and Acker Scholars.