Not all the learning at Trinity University has been taking place in lecture halls, labs, and classrooms. Some students living in campus residence halls have been speaking the same foreign language (Spanish or Chinese) or voting to change student leaders periodically as a way to experience leadership opportunities, rather than having the same Resident Assistant for an entire semester.

Living arrangements such as these as known as community initiatives, but what makes them unique at Trinity is that students have a chance to define their own communities instead of limiting them to those that are academically-related or University-sponsored. Officials say students are learning “life skills” that simply cannot be taught in an academic setting. “It’s a way for them to practice being community leaders,” says Cara Taylor, coordinator for residential education.

Students must apply to live in clusters of special-interest groups, and fraternities and sororities are allowed to participate. One benefit of community initiative housing is that it spurs students to engage in community service projects off campus. Living and studying together provides a social bond that might not otherwise occur during the college years, officials say.

Residents of an arts floor recently organized and held a poetry reading at an after-hours campus coffee house. Some students majoring in the visual arts may exhibit their works in coming months.

To learn more about Trinity’s learning communities, contact Susie P. Gonzalez at (210) 999-8406 or e-mail Susie.Gonzalez@Trinity.edu.