Communities

Living-Learning Communities

Where each facet of your college experience enriches the other

Students who take several classes together make friends more quickly, form study groups, and generally have an easier time adjusting to college life.

But some students want more. They'd like a stronger connection between their academic goals and their extracurricular activities. They hope college will introduce them to other students who share their passion for a subject and will challenge them in new and exciting ways.

Borrowing from the thematic learning and close-knit classroom settings that are hallmarks of the First-Year Connections program, Hofstra has also created special opportunities for a first-year residence experience.

Eight thematic "living-learning communities" are associated with several first-year clusters and seminars, giving students the opportunity to live with many of the same students they are in class with, as well as students who share the same passion for leadership, business, communications, math and sciences, as well as health science issues and the arts. Additionally, two of our communities are identity based: one for students who are first in their family to go to college and another for students who engage in learning centered around the principles of Umoja: maintenance of unity in the family, community, and race.

Caitlin Yuen

"Living in the LLC, I am able to collaborate with my housemates inside and outside of class. LLCs also have many opportunities to interact with the faculty and to get involved on campus. Coming from California, I feel this is my home away from home where everyone is so welcoming and caring. I feel comfortable knowing that I have a group of classmates that will help me through my first year at Hofstra."

Students who choose a living-learning community reside together either in the Netherlands Complex in a house with 55 other first-year residential students or on a floor together in Stuyvesant Hall. Honors College students reside in Vander Poel Hall. All of these students enjoy class-based activities and events as well as interaction with faculty outside the classroom within their living-learning community.

Commuting students who register for the First-Year Connections clusters and seminars may also participate in the activities associated with these living-learning communities.

First-Generation Student: The First-Generation LLC provides an opportunity for additional focused support for students who are first in their family to go to college, meaning that their parents did not earn bachelor's degrees from a college in the United States. Students in this community will learn how to navigate the University together and with the assistance and guidance of Resident Assistants and other residence hall staff who were also the first in their families to go to college. Specific emphasis will be placed on campus resources, financial literacy, and student involvement.
The Umoja Scholars: The Umoja Scholars LLC is a diverse group of residential students who engage in learning centered around the principles of Umoja: maintenance of unity in the family, community, and race – while examining the cultures, identities, and experiences of Black students of all class standings. This LLC is facilitated through collaborative and interdisciplinary programs and experiences, including faculty from Africana Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Anthropology, and other academic programs.

If you are interested in joining this new community please email reslife@hofstra.edu with the subject line : Umoja Scholars LLC. First year and upper class students can participate.
L.I.V.E. NYC (Learn, Interact, Visit, and Explore NYC): The L.I.V.E. House is a community for students who want to explore the history and culture of New York City, home to many of the world's greatest writers and artists past and present. Students will occasionally travel to NYC for different types of events, such as neighborhood tours, gallery visits, or poetry readings. Some trips may be connected to English Department courses or topics. By living in the L.I.V.E. House, students will get acquainted with one of the world's most diverse and dynamic cities.
MATH, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING HOUSE: The MSE House is home to students who are studying and have an interest in an array of STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering, and math. If you like to take things apart, put them back together—or to design something from the ground up—this LLC is for you. One year it was an air hockey table. There’s no telling what this year will bring. In addition, since students will be taking similar courses, students in this house find it easy to form supportive study groups.
PreP HOUSE (Pre-Health Professions): The Prep House is designed for students considering medical, veterinary or dental studies; physician assistant studies; community health studies; or clinical psychology studies. This house is closely connected to the first-year course sequences in biology and chemistry. Faculty make regular appearances to lead study sessions, go over problem sets, discuss lab reports—and sometimes they stay for dinner. Students will get to know the health-science community in NYC by taking trips around town.
S.T.A.G.E. HOUSE: The S.T.A.G.E. House (Students Aspiring to Greatness in Entertainment) is home to students who are studying and share an interest in performing arts, including dance, vocal, instrumental, theatrical, and comedic performances. A house full of students who like to perform leads, quite naturally, to all sorts of in-house programs like open mic nights, readings, and more than a few impromptu surprises. House members typically support fellow students by going as a group to campus performances, and several times a year there are trips to NYC to soak up what they can from professionals in the field.
STUDIO House: The STUDIO House is for students who are studying film and television as well as graphic design. Students who share an interest in the visual arts, including photography, painting, drawing, and pottery may also find their home here. This LLC is linked to the "Creating Compelling Television," "Film and Philosophy," and "Film Studies and Production" first-year clusters, so students can often be found discussing current television, streaming content, and cinema—and old favorites as well. RA's and faculty mentors lead television, web, and film screenings in the house and organize trips to indie movie screenings in NYC.
Zarb House: The Zarb House is designed to enable first-year students enrolled in the Frank G. Zarb School of Business to live and study with other students pursuing careers in business. Residents attend guest lectures; interact with deans, faculty, and alumni; utilize exclusive tutorial services; and attend field trips. Supplementary house programs include an annual entrepreneurial challenge, discussions about ethics in business, and Career Center information sessions targeting professional opportunities in the field.
COMMUNICATIONS HOUSE: The Communications House is for students who are interested in studying Mass Media, Public Relations and Journalism in The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Students with career goals in print, broadcast and multimedia journalism, information graphics, media analysis, scholarly research, and public relations will find a connection here. This LLC is linked to the Journalism, Media, and Society first-year cluster—though others with media interests are welcome as well.
L.E.A.D. (Leadership through Engagement, Advocacy and Dedication): The L.E.A.D. House is a community that promotes social, academic, and professional growth as well as meaningful involvement in the campus community. Participation in this community will allow students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through campus involvement in programs like the Blue Leadership Program and the Discovery Program. Students will also be able to actively engage with their peers through in-hall programming that promotes an in- depth exploration of topics such as decision-making, ethics, team-building, goal-setting, and communication.
Honors Housing: Honors Housing is a residential community for Rabinowitz Honors College (RHC) first-year and returning students whose diverse interests and commitment to excellence make this a place where animated conversations about books, art, music, and politics happen alongside foosball tournaments, game nights, and late-night snacks. First-year students, who make up approximately 1/2 of the population, are all taking RHC's flagship course sequence Culture & Expression. As a result, they find Honors Housing an especially helpful place for discussing big ideas, forming supportive study groups, and getting advice from the returning students who have gone before them.

The learning experience is not limited to the four walls of the classroom or even to the borders of the campus. Through these energetic living-learning communities, Hofstra students are exposed to environments that are intellectually stimulating, supportive, and conducive to building lasting friendships and a memorable first-year college experience. If you are interested in registering for a cluster or seminar associated with an LLC or you would like more information about this program, visit the First-Year Connections website.

LGBTQ+ Communities

The Office of Residence Life is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive experience for all students. Gender-inclusive housing is available on the 14th floor of Enterprise, Estabrook and Constitution Hall. Students living in these communities desire and agree to live either in single rooms, or in multiple-occupancy rooms with roommates regardless of biological sex and/or gender identity or expression. Both communities feature two single-user, lockable restrooms on the floor. Students interested in this option should contact Residence Life at reslife@hofstra.edu.

Students wishing to live elsewhere on campus may opt to participate in Mixed-Sex Housing, a program that allows students who request to live in suites with individuals of differing biological sex and/or gender identity or expression. While suites are mixed-sex, the individual rooms within these suites are same sex pairings. Mixed-Sex Housing suites are not part of one single community and occur wherever on campus a group of students request it by contacting reslife@hofstra.edu directly. Only students requesting this option expressly will be assigned into these suites. To qualify for this option, students must be able to fill the full suite. In the event of one or more suitemates moving out, the remaining students will have the opportunity to replace the vacancies with other interested students, or they may be required to move into a traditional same-sex paired suite.

Hofstra University’s bathroom policy allows for students to use the bathroom that most closely corresponds with their gender-identity and expression, including in common area residence hall restrooms. View a list of gender-inclusive bathrooms on campus.

If you have questions about LGBTQ+ life on campus, please stop by the Office of Intercultural Engagement & Inclusion(IEI) located in Room 242 Mack Student Center, or email them at IEI@hofstra.edu or visit hofstra.edu /lgbtqia/.