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Our Curriculum

Mission Statement:

The Office of Housing & Residential Life cultivates a residential experience that is safe, supportive, and equity-minded by creating holistic growth opportunities that align with the Division of Student Life’s Mission.

Vision Statement:

The Office of Housing & Residential Life aspires to build a residential experience that is research driven and assists students in reaching their fullest potential.

Diversity Statement:

The Office of Housing & Residential Life is committed to establishing an inclusive and equitable residential experience that supports and celebrates every student within our communities.

Residential Curriculum

Educational Priority:

By living in our residential communities, students will become responsible, culturally competent, and engaged citizens.

Educational Themes:

  1. Self-Efficacy: Self-Efficacy is a student’s belief in their ability to reach their goals through the exploration and integration of their values, beliefs, attitudes, and interests into their daily life.
    1. Learning Outcomes: Students will…
      1. Identify the values and traits that comprise their personal identity.
      2. Examine personal goals and pathways to reach them.
      3. Integrate wellness wheel practices into regular routines.
      4. Articulate their sense of self and their place in the world.
  2. Cultural Competence: Cultural Competence is a student’s ability to interact and create meaningful relationships with those that are different from them. This involves understanding the identities of one’s self; the identities of others; challenging systems of power, privilege, and oppression; and working towards more equitable outcomes for all communities.
    1. Learning Outcomes: Students will…
      1. Define different aspects of socially constructed identities.
      2. Bridge the gap between their personal and social differences and commonalities.
      3. Identify the impact of power, privilege, and oppression in community dynamics.
      4. Advocate for a more just and equal world.
  3. Academic Success: Academic Success is a student’s ability to define their personal aspirations to ensure success in their academic pursuits. Such developments will enable students to contribute to the STE2M community in a meaningful way.
    1. Learning Outcomes: Students will…
      1. Competently interact with faculty and staff.
      2. Utilize appropriate campus resources to enhance academic success.
      3. Solve problems by integrating new information with personal knowledge.
      4. Develop a plan of continued growth and ongoing learning.
  4. Leadership: Leadership is the ability to serve communities ethically by recognizing when to act in the benefit of such communities. This involves developing a sense of care, agency, and personal empowerment.
    1. Learning Outcomes: Students will…
      1. Practice strategies for effective leadership through learning and action.
      2. Engage others with personal integrity and authenticity.
      3. Participate in their community though civic engagement.
      4. Possess sustainable behaviors to contribute to positive social change.

Affinity Spaces

What is the Queer Affinity Space?  

The Queer & Ally Affinity Space is an inclusive community intentionally focused on supporting, educating, and celebrating queer identifying students. Such students will engage in educational experiences that highlight their personal identity development, queer history, the context of being queer in STEM, and how to serve as a leader in a hegemonic field.

We use the term “Queer” as an umbrella term that includes all members of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, and +) community. As such, all room assignments and restrooms will be classified as ‘Gender Inclusive,’ meaning anyone, regardless of their biological sex, their gender identity, and their gender expression, may room with whomever they like and use the restroom on the hall.

For more information on the various terms encapsulated within our definition of queer, please visit NYC’s Gay Center (called “The Center”): https://gaycenter.org/about/lgbtq/ 

Non-queer identifying students are welcome to live in the Queer & Ally Affinity Space as an ally. We define the term “Ally” as non-queer identifying folx who are accepting of queer identifying folx and are willing to support and advocate for queer identifying folx. 

To learn more about how to be an Ally and/or the queer community at large, please visit the various websites listed below: 

What is the Womxns' Affinity Space?  

The Womxn’s Affinity space is an inclusive community intentionally focused on supporting, educating, and celebrating Womxn. Such students will engage in educational experiences that highlight their personal identity development, womxn’s history, the context of being a womxn in STEM, and how to serve as a leader in a male dominated field.

Our definition of “Womxn'' includes all persons who identify as a womxn. Additionally, we have changed the spelling to ‘women’ to ‘womxn’ to be more inclusive.

For more information of about the history of ‘womxn’, please visit the following website: https://womxnscenter.uci.edu/why-womxn-with-a-x/