By TANGELIA CANNON
Features Editor

As the campus continues to become larger with increasing numbers, programs and housing, many feel it is appropriate that APSU offer more opportunities for students. One of these opportunities that will be offered in the upcoming school year is the Service and Learning Community (SLC).

“Service and Learning Communities are a popular living and learning communities on campuses across America,” said Assistant Director of Service and Student Engagement Alexandra Howard.

“Engaging students in their communities is something that Austin Peay finds very important and therefore the support for new initiatives towards service learning has been fantastic.”

Last spring, the assistant director of Student Life and Leadership submitted a proposal to the Office of Housing/Residence Life for a living and learning community to come to campus.

This spring, the learning community was able to begin taking applications for the fall.

The SLC will enhance student opportunities to serve both the APSU and the Clarksville community, while learning in a community setting. Students will have to complete bi-weekly service projects and attend weekly meetings.

In the fall, students who get accepted into the service and learning community program will be required to move into campus several days early to attend a three-day service project and participate in the APSU welcome band wagon to help students move in.

“This will give the students an opportunity to develop relationships and plan their service projects,” Howard said.

The student life staff will plan the bi-weekly service projects with the interest of students in mind.

However all students living in the SLC will be responsible for planning, promoting, and executing a campus-wise service project.

In order for students to learn together in the best possible setting, the coordinators of the program have chosen Cross Hall to house the SLC program because it allows students to all live on the same hall, have access to a common meeting space and attain affordable living.

However, Cross Hall will not continue to be the housing location.

When the new resident hall on Marion Street is completed, the SLC will be moved.

The SLC program is open to students who are in good standing with the university and maintain a GPA of 2.5.

In addition, in order to participate in the SLC program students must not have had judicial violation within the last semester.

In order to find out more about the SLC program, students are advised to visit the SLC Web site at www.apsu.edu/SLL/SLC.aspx.

“The plan is that the SLC will become a fixture of APSU Housing and service programs,” Howard said.

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