Information for Students Considering Living in the Healthy Carolina Wellness Community for 2010-2011

The Healthy Carolina initiative partnered with University Housing, the Arnold School of Public Health and the Division of Student Engagement to develop and implement the Healthy Carolina Wellness Living Learning Community.  The first cohort of residents entered the community in August of 2009.  The missions of the Healthy Carolina Living Learning Community are to promote the academic success and personal development of students, provide motivated, health-conscious students the opportunity to live in a community designed to enhance personal and collective wellness, foster the concepts of wellness and facilitate wellness being made a priority in the lives of the students residing within, increase faculty-student interaction, provide active learning experiences, service learning, community development, and diversity.

The Healthy Carolina Wellness Community is located in Columbia Hall and is a co-ed learning community that is open to incoming freshman, as well as returning undergraduate students.  Students can apply for the Wellness Community online during University Housing registration.  Registration for on-campus housing and living learning communities opens on November 1st, 2009 for incoming freshman and for current students on January 5th, 2010.  Current students wishing to live in living learning communities should be aware that the deadline for application is February 1, 2010.  

The living learning community is open to students in any major of study.  The academic partner of the community is the Arnold School of Public Health, however, no desire to pursue a career in a field related to health or human services is necessary to join this community.  Any student with an interest in immersing themselves in a lifestyle of wellness through educational programming developed around a holistic concept of wellness and live with other students for whom wellness is a priority is welcome to apply.

The goals of the Healthy Carolina Wellness Community are to:

• Create an environment that encourages and promotes the development and maintenance of a healthy body, mind, and spirit through a wide-ranging array of wellness programs.
• Enhance learning potential and academic success through creating a community that facilitates optimal health.
• Motivate students to make a life long commitment to keep wellness a priority.

Planned programming includes:  Group exercise classes in the hall, healthy cooking demonstrations, group outings to Columbia events, service learning opportunities, yoga and meditation classes in the dormitory, and intramural teams.  All programming will in some way relate to the 8 dimensions of wellness:  Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Intellectual, Vocational, Environmental, and Cultural.  Learn more about these 8 dimensions of wellness

Benefits of the community will include: 

• Wellness programming and support
• Social interactions
• Health and physical fitness assessments