Living in a residence hall is more than just sleeping, showering, and studying. It’s about being part of a community. Upon move-in, you have opportunities to meet new people, participate in student clubs, attend social and educational events, and have easy access to a variety of dining and fitness facilities.
We believe living on campus is about experiencing learning moments. These moments occur in the classroom, in the residence hall, and all across campus. At St. Thomas we call that holistic learning, the Tommie Advantage. In Residence Life, you’ll experience the Tommie Advantage through intentional opportunities like:
Our Residence Life Team engages you in this learning at a level that is appropriate based on your year at St. Thomas. We also connect you to resources across campus that can support your college journey.
Our Residence Halls are designed to help you create your home away from home. We provide community spaces for studying and socializing in, including study lounges, community lounges that include gaming systems and billiards and ping pong tables, and community kitchens.
In addition to our professional staff, each of our resident hall communities has a dedicated Resident Advisor who lives in the hall. Our Resident Advisors are peer educators who are a resource for and provide support to students living on campus. They focus on opportunities to help students build community, make connections and learn and develop outside the classroom.
From trivia nights to Saturday morning yoga, our hall communities host social and educational events to help students connect and learn. Residential Connection Events are offered frequently in the first six weeks of each semester by the Residential Connection Team, then on an ongoing basis through the rest of the year.
The Residential Connection Team (RCT) is a group of students who plan and organize social programs and events to help build a fun, inclusive, engaging and welcoming community for all students living on campus.
At St. Thomas, we develop students to be morally responsible leaders, preparing them for active work toward a more just and civil society. Focusing on our first- and second-year students, our Tommie Advantage initiative provides learning opportunities focused on five learning goals:
Your learning community and academic plan matter and are the first step to getting you into the right environment to succeed. Our Living Learning Communities (LLCs) are specialized living environments that connect students with similar academic interests in and out of the classroom. As an incoming student, through our First-Year Experience, you will choose to participate in either a LLC or the Common Good Learning Community (CGLC).
We believe that living on campus is a cornerstone of the student experience. There's plenty of Student Life outside of the halls, including these important components.
Coffee, grab-and-go, convenience stores, and complete meals -- food and drinks to keep you going through the day and evening study sessions. Our self-operated dining services team provides meals for approximately 12,000 students, faculty, staff and visitors daily.
As a Catholic university, St. Thomas is committed to enabling the spiritual growth of all our students. We support and honor diverse faith traditions with spiritual leaders from different faiths as well as prayer, worship, and meditation spaces that are open to all.
St. Thomas infuses sustainability into its academic programs, student life, facilities, dining and campus operations while working toward a goal of carbon neutrality by 2035. The Residence Halls participate by recycling, using recycled paper, and purchasing Energy STAR appliances.
Our Public Safety team is dedicated to creating and promoting a safe, secure and peaceful environment for the campus community. Residence Halls have card-swipe access and front desk staff; walking paths are well-lit; security staff patrols campus; and campus escorts are available to all.
The Residential Connection Team is a group of students who take an active role in the quality of Hall life, from solving issues to planning events for students in Residence Halls.
Anderson Student Center, or ASC, is the main gathering spot for students. It has multiple eateries, a coffee shop, even a bowling alley. It’s also home to Tommie Central, your resource for everything from transportation, to meeting rooms, to camping equipment.
The Center for the Common Good connects students (plus faculty and staff) with opportunities in the community. The Center facilitates the way we can catalyze social innovation, which may manifest as a volunteer opportunity, research, or as an element of an academic course.