Honorable Living

Maybe not all freshmen sit around discussing The Iliad or debating Plato's Republic, but those in Baylor's Honors College who desire to may find it easier to have those discussions this fall. 
Campus Living and Learning and the Honors College have announced Baylor's second living and learning center, to be located in Alexander and Memorial residence halls. The new housing option will be available to students in any of the four Baylor University Honors College programs: Honors, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, Great Texts and University Scholars.
"With common living areas for Honors College students, faculty offices and classroom space, the LLC will help us to build a community of faculty and students united in the pursuit of academic excellence," said Thomas Hibbs, dean of the Honors College and distinguished professor of ethics and culture. "It will allow for the integration of serious discussion of important issues and great texts into the very fabric of student life at Baylor."
Alexander Hall will house up to 145 men and Memorial Hall will accommodate almost 200 women in these programs. In addition to several faculty offices and a classroom, the new living and learning center will have a seminar room and a student lounge. Students who are not in the Honors College who had planned to reside in these facilities this fall will have priority at the residence hall reapplication process in January, said Frank Shushok, associate dean for Campus Living and Learning.
This is the second partnership between CLL and an academic department. Last January, Baylor announced the Engineering and Computer Science LLC, which will open this fall as part of the North Village Residential Community. Of the North Village's 600 beds, 180 of them will be reserved for engineering and computer science students.
As is the case with North Village, students who want to live in the Honors College LLC must apply and go through a selection process. These students also may be required to take a class together and meet additional prerequisites.
Shushok said studies show that living and learning centers enhance academic performance, provide a more satisfactory college experience, promote more interaction with professors and encourage more academic-related conversations among students.