[SuperJon]

The dorm stuff? Probably, but that's before I realized how many kids were tailgating on East. There's a crapload of kids over there every game.

[Hold My Own]

our parade will never quite be what it could be until student life gives control over to the athletic dept. in my opinion

I havent been able to get past the 1st reply to this thread. Student life? Which atmosphere is better, the athletically run football games or coffee house. That is all

[somethingbrewing]

our parade will never quite be what it could be until student life gives control over to the athletic dept. in my opinion

I havent been able to get past the 1st reply to this thread. Student life? Which atmosphere is better, the athletically run football games or coffee house. That is all

hmmm....tough one

[thepostman]

The dorm stuff? Probably, but that's before I realized how many kids were tailgating on East. There's a crapload of kids over there every game.

I see...well, all i remember is you complaining about it....

anyways....there is one other problem, but I think people already know what I am thinking that have been around enough on this board

[SuperJon]

Student Life promotes what they want to. We all know that.

[PeterParker]

Floats aside, with LU's niche, Greek Life is probably out, but the Residential College system as utilized by several of the Ivys would be a good fit to get the best of both worlds (the collegiality and tradition of the Greek Life without all of the more base elements of it.)

Explained by FlamingYalieWahoo (btw awol lately) here:

http://flamefans.com/forums/viewtopic.p ... al+college

Let me suggest an alternative - the residential college system. Yale does not have a thriving greek system or at least a very, very small one. Skull and Bones is a "club" of sorts which exists for the elite of the elites. The residential college system works by grouping students under the umbrella of a named "college.' At Yale there's several - Timothy Dwight College, Jonathan Edwards College etc. All incoming freshman (or whatever the politically correct term for freshman is) reside on what is called old campus but they are assigned to a particular college upon acceptance. The second year you move to your college's dorms. Each college is made up of about 400 -500 students, has its own dining hall, living space, and social events. The college has its own system of academic advisors and a faculty member who serves as the "master." He or she lives in a house or area within the college. You carry your college name with you for the rest of your life and it forms your social network as well as your alum connections. I think in fact Yale undergraduates number about 5200 (there are a grand total of 11,000 students in undergrad, grad, and professional schools). It basically breaks the university down into smaller, more manageable portions which is one reason Liberty needs to move in this direction. With as many students as LU has and as disconnected as they are eventually there will be a break down in cohesion and morale as students feel more and more disconnected. I'm not saying that LU would have to follow some rigid pattern - given the uniqueness of LUs layout it would take a creative effor to devise some sort of system like this.

I think this system works well and doesn't have quite the stigma that the greek system carries. UVA has a residential college system and a greek system but its mainly the drunks in the greek system that get the attention (Brown and Monroe colleges are a couple). The residential college system also does a better job of promoting what university life should be about - academics but in a FUN way. Seriously the students handle all or most of the social stuff that takes place and they. Plus each school has its own crest and mascots and all of the sort of tradition, rivalries of intramurals between colleges (think Hogwarts).

From Yale's residential life website:
"Yale's residential college system, now more than seventy years old, is perhaps the most distinctive feature of the College. The residential colleges allow students to experience the cohesiveness and intimacy of a small school while still enjoying the cultural and scholarly resources of a large university, fostering spirit, allegiance, and a sense of community. Before freshman year, all incoming undergraduates are randomly assigned to one of Yale's twelve residential colleges. Students remain affiliated with their residential college for all four years (and beyond). Yale makes every effort to represent, on the level of the college, the diversity of the entire undergraduate community. In this sense each college is a microcosm of the larger student population. The residential college system offers students a familiar, comfortable living environment, personal interaction with faculty members and administrators, and exciting opportunities for academic and extracurricular exploration.
Every residential college has its own master and dean, both of whom are Yale faculty members who live in the college with their families and eat their meals with students in the dining hall."

I really like this idea as an alternative to Greek Life, since I think Greek Life would get bogged down and be difficult to get off the ground given LU's niche. However, the residential system seems like a great fit for LU...IMHO