The Residential Commons (RC) will transform student housing campus-wide with an integrated academic and residential experience. The Commons will bring live-in faculty and staff members, resident assistants and other student leaders together to create communities of support. Faculty members associated with each commons will have the opportunity to interact informally and mentor students.

Each commons will develop unique traditions, gatherings and meaningful activities that build community and long-term bonds among residents. Each student will have a close-knit, living and learning environment where a rich intellectual, social, and community life can flourish.

Residential Commons Guiding Principles

SMU faculty, staff and students have worked together to develop these principals for the new Residential Commons:

• Each Commons Will Be a Home Base for Students
  Each community will welcome students to campus. The community will help them connect to the University throughout their time at SMU and beyond.

• Create a Community through a Common Experience and Identity
  Each commons will represent the diversity of the SMU community and will establish identities and traditions to help students create a shared sense of belonging.

• Learning Happens Everywhere
  Faculty and staff will create an environment that is conductive to learning, used in the broadest sense to describe a student's development in college. Students will have a significant role in defining the learning experience in their residential setting.

• Residential Commons will Nurture Student Development
  Collaboration between faculty, staff and students will provide initiatives and student leadership opportunities that will assist students in their growth through their collegiate experience.