First-Year Experience
All first-year students live in a community with a focused and intentionally designed first-year experience program focused on assisting students in making a successful academic and social transition to Earlham College. Structured programs, initiatives, and supplemental staffing help to achieve this goal.
Students who are interested in living in more focused communities have the chance to live in a first-year experience community organized around one of the topic areas below.
Health & Wellness
The Health & Wellness Community is a first-year experience community located on the third floor of Barrett Hall. Students living in this community are committed to learning about and living a total wellness lifestyle. Focused programming and initiatives, connections to staff in our Wellness Programs team, and a commitment to a substance-free lifestyle are hallmarks of this community.
Students who are interested in living in a similar community beyond their first-year are encouraged to check-out the upperclass Wellness Community on the second floor of Earlham Hall.
Culture & Languages
The Culture & Languages Community is a first-year experience community located on the second floor of Bundy Hall. Students living in this community are interested in learning about the languages, cultures, and customs of communities from around the world. Focused programming and initiatives are hallmarks for this community.
Students who are interested in living in a similar community beyond their first-year are encouraged to check-out the language and cultural theme houses.
Sustainability
The Sustainability Community is a first-year experience community located on the third floor of Bundy Hall. Students living in this community are committed to exploring sustainable living and promoting sustainability efforts. Focused programming and initiatives, connections to faculty and staff in our Sustainability Office, and a commitment to a sustainable lifestyle are hallmarks of this community.
Students living in the Sustainability community are enrolled in a common 7-week course during the fall semester where they learn about sustainable living, efforts to enhance sustainability across campus, and more. This class meets on Tuesday afternoons from 2:30pm-3:50pm for the first seven weeks of the fall semester.
Students who are interested in living in a similar community beyond their first-year are encouraged to check-out the environmental and sustainable agriculture theme houses.
Theme Houses
A Theme House community is a group of students living together in an Earlham College house to pursue shared educational and involvement goals. These houses are more permanent communities on campus and are reviewed regularly by the Office of Residence Life and Campus Life Advisory Committee. Each Theme House has a faculty adviser who leads and facilitates the Theme House from year to year with student conveners and house members.
The current Themes House communities on campus are:
| African/African-American Studies |
Cooperative Farming/Sustainable Agriculture |
Environmental Studies |
| Interfaith Studies |
Japanese Studies |
Jewish Cultural Center |
| LGBTQ+ |
Literary Arts |
Mindfulness |
| Outdoor Education |
Quaker Studies |
Spanish/Hispanic Studies |
Space-permitting, new Theme House applications may be accepted and reviewed by the Office of Residence Life and the Campus Life Advisory Committee during the spring semester for the upcoming academic year.
Friendship Houses
A Friendship House community is a group of students living together in an Earlham College house to pursue shared educational and involvement goals. What makes Friendship Houses different from Theme Houses is that Friendship Houses are completely organized and managed by students. These houses do not have a faculty adviser. These houses also exist for only one academic year and new Friendship Houses are accepted for the next academic year.
The Friendship House communities for the 2020-21 academic year are:
Students can submit a group application for a Friendship House in spring semester before the applicable academic year. The Office of Residence Life along with the House Selection Committee review proposals and announce the successful applicants – typically before Spring Break.
Residence Hall Lifestyle & Themed Communities
Residence Hall lifestyle and themed communities are a floor or floors of students living together around shared values and/or educational or service goals. These communities are reviewed regularly by the Office of Residence Life. Students self-select into the communities as space allows, agreeing to live by the tenants of the community.
There are two residence hall lifestyle & themed communities on-campus:
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African, African-American, & Black Identity Community (BAAAF)
The African, African-American, & Black identity community is an intentionally designed community for black-identifying students at Earlham College. This community provides more direct connection to support and resources for black-identifying students while also creating a stronger sense of community through shared-experiences. The African, African-American, & Black community is located on the third floor of Warren Hall. |
Substance Free Community
The Substance Free community is committed to living a total substance-free lifestyle. Students living in this community share a commitment to zero substance use, such as tobacco and alcohol. The Substance Free community is located on the second floor of Earlham Hall. |
