MICHAEL BALL, Web Editor Emeritus—Students interested in global cultures, languages, study abroad and travel will have a new housing opportunity beginning in the 2022-23 academic year. Shaw Hall, on East Quad, will become home to the Global Living Community (GLC), a new initiative of Denison’s Center for Global Programs. The new housing option will enable about 100 students with globally-minded interests to live alongside other Denisonians from around the world with similar interests. Shaw will host special events and speakers, monthly community meals with international cuisines and excursions to globally-focused locations each semester.
All current first-years, sophomores and juniors are eligible to register to live in Shaw and select housing early, before the regular housing selection process. Open house sessions with food, prizes and more information will be held in Shaw Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 23 from 3-5:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 28 from 2-4 p.m. Anyone with a desire to learn more about the Shaw GLC should attend an open house to get more information and sign up. All majors are welcome, and students must attend an open house session to select early housing in the Shaw GLC. If the Shaw GLC does not fill, other students will live there. More info can be found at http://tiny.cc/shawhall
The mission behind this project is to further grow Denison’s “expanding global footprint” and “bring global learning into the residential hall,” says Dr. Katy Crossley-Frolick, Executive Director of the Center for Global Programs and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Affairs. The GLC at Shaw Hall is an opportunity for more students to develop their interests in different cultures, languages, regions and current events outside of the classroom.
Shaw is an attractive option for anyone who wants to expand their global perspective on campus. Particular students who may be interested are those who speak multiple languages, have studied abroad or lived outside of the United States, majors with regional focuses including Global Commerce, International Studies or Global Health, international students who wish to develop deeper cross-cultural understanding, or students who desire an intercultural living experience without studying abroad. “Shaw is wide-open for all globally-minded students,” says Dr. Crossley-Frolick, and she encourages anyone “with even a small curiosity” about the broader world to attend an open house session.
The committee guiding Shaw Hall, composed of faculty, staff and students, is a unique partnership between Global Programs and Residential Communities and Housing. The common areas in the hall will be used for community programming and can also host advising circles or class discussions, campus speakers and seminars, student club meetings or any other events with a global focus. “We want to pass the baton to the students who live there” to define what programming should look like in the GLC, says Dr. Crossley-Frolick. “We want students to have a defining role and voice in this project. It has a lot of potential.”
Dr. Crossley-Frolick hopes that students will “build relationships in this space that explore a curiosity they have about the world, beyond The Hill and Ohio… and bring these global learning moments” back to share with other students. The GLC in Shaw Hall aligns with Denison’s mission statement, which emphasizes global learning and service, and complements new internationally-focused majors and initiatives that expand global learning opportunities for students and makes Denison even more globally connected.
Photo courtesy of University Communications.