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2016

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GROUP LIVING
The Second Committee Engrossment

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6WHEREAS

students should oversee all aspects of group housing,

7WHEREAS

the current group living processes are confusing and

8cumbersome for students and other members of the Lawrence Community,
9WHEREAS

current group living selection and adherence in these two

10processes are overseen in different ways and bred inefficiency,
11WHEREAS

there is increased desire for small group living and in order to

12make this housing option efficient and easy for groups to apply,
13WHEREAS

the ability for as many groups of students to live together as

14possible during their time at Lawrence is diminished by the longevity of
15Formal Group House compacts,
16WHEREAS

groups of students that are student-led do not have the same

17opportunity to apply for group living due to Formal Group Living being
18restricted to LUCC recognized organizations and the availability of houses
19for Theme housing continues to shrink,
20WHEREAS

groups of students who are a positive force in the community

21through a group living space should have the opportunity to apply for a
22larger house or smaller house upon reapplication should their numbers
23fluctuate as members of the community leave and new ones arrive,
24THEREFORE

WE, THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY OF LUCC,

25MOVE TO: amend LUCC legislation Section II. A. Room Assignment
26Procedures, number 4.00 Group Living (page 45 in the Student Handbook),
27to read as follows:
28(KEY: stricken = removed, old language. underscored = added, new language.)
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GROUP LIVING 1

GROUP LIVING 2

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Group Living
.01 Formal Group Housing
The Lawrence University Board of Trustees approved Formal Group Housing to
begin in the Fall of 2002. The selection and review process must be completed
before any other aspect of the housing lottery process begins.
.02 Theme Houses
Theme houses are to be available for groups of students who have a common
program which they wish to develop. This program must enhance and augment
the liberal arts ideal.
a. Criteria for proposals

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i. Must present a statement of purpose which promotes the liberal arts ideal.

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ii.
Must have written consent from a faculty advisor including a
written endorsement of the proposal.

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iii.
Must elect a student representative who will be on campus all three
terms to serve as residence life manager of the theme house. The student
residence life manager will be responsible for either attending to general
issues of house governance, or setting up an intra-house system to do so.

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iv.
If at least 40% of a new group that is applying is comprised of
members of an existing theme house, the group will need a letter of
approval from the dean of students regarding the use of the facilities.

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v.Must present a complete roster, including the names of four alternates, to

fill to capacity for each academic term any house or houses for which the
group applies.

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vi.
No proposals turned in after the deadline set by the Residence Life
Committee will be accepted for consideration.

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b. Process

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i. The Residence Life Committee is required to hold two informational

meetings explaining the procedure for theme house application. A
representative from each applicant group will be required to attend at
least one session.

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ii.

Theme House Selection Board

GROUP LIVING 3

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a. Purpose
The purpose of the Theme House Selection Board is to review all
theme house proposals and make decisions concerning selections of
themes.
b. Members

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i. The board will consist of three members of the Residence Life

Committee, three members of the LUCC General Council, and
three members of the Lawrence community.

ii. All members shall be appointed by the Steering Committee.

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iii. No member of the Theme House Selection Board may apply for a
theme house.
c. Duties
To review and select theme house proposals in conjunction with the
housing process of the General Council.
d. Procedures
The Residence Life Committee sets the procedures.

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iii. Theme House Selection Board will review all proposals turned in prior to
the appointed deadline. Representatives from each theme house may
appear before the board in order to discuss the themes before a decision is
reached. After discussion, the board will select by majority vote the
proposals which possess the most merit and fulfill the criteria listed in
4.02a.

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iv. These themes are subject to approval by a majority vote of the LUCC
General Council. The themes selected by the Theme House Selection
Board will be presented to LUCC along with a list of all proposals
submitted.

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v. The number of theme houses will be determined by the Residence Life

Committee.

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.03 Any house not filled under the formal group or theme house processes will be
handled as a small house during the housing lottery.

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.04 Operation during the academic year

4 GROUP
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a. All members of a theme house are required to plan and participate in at least
one beneficial activity for the Lawrence community each term, such as a
service project, performances, etc. Members of a theme house are strongly
encouraged to include their faculty advisor in all stages of the planning and
production of the beneficial activities.

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b. In addition to this, the majority of the occupants of a theme house are

required to collectively participate in at least one community service project
per year for the greater Appleton community. This activity is to be
coordinated through the Committee on Community Service and Engagement.

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i. This activity must be arranged or completed no later than week one of

Spring term.

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c. At least once per term, each theme house must submit a report on the house
activity for the previous term to the Residence Life Committee. This report
must include a description of the event as well as posters, tickets,
photographs or any other documentary proof that the event actually occurred.
The report must also include information on how the house advertised its
activity, an estimate of the number of people who attended (not counting
house members) and an evaluation of the activitys strengths and weaknesses.

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d. The theme house must be filled to capacity during the entire academic year.
During the academic year if a theme house falls below the number required
to fill the house the Residence Life Committee will be asked by the housing
coordinator to determine a viable solution for filling the space. Room
assignment within the theme house is at the discretion of the theme house
government.

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e. The residence life manager and the house government are responsible for all
internal house disputes and changes. Room assignments, roommate
difficulties, programs, budget, etc. should be handled by the members of the
theme house.

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f. The residence life manager and the house government will be required to
meet with a staff member of the dean of students office at least twice a term.

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.05 Enforcement

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a. The Residence Life Committee will evaluate each house to determine if that
house has violated any of the theme house standards. If the Committee
decides by majority vote that the house has violated any of the standards, it
may assess any or all of the following penalties at its discretion.

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i. A $50 fee shall be assessed to the account of each member of the house.

GROUP LIVING 5

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i. None of the house members will be allowed to live in a small house the
next year.

ii. The houses theme may not be used the following year.

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b. Any house which has not submitted a report on its beneficial activity by the
third week of the following term will have a $50 fee assessed to the student
accounts of each of its members. The Residence Life Committee may also
subject the house to either ii or iii above at its discretion.
.01 Definition and Purpose

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a. Group Living, implemented in spring 2016, is a housing option available to

student groups that have a shared mission or interest, a desire to live together
in campus housing, and a willingness to be responsible for the privilege of
occupying such housing. Student groups are eligible for Group Living if they
meet identified criteria including the presence of a mission to enhance and
augment the liberal arts ideal, the involvement of a faculty staff, or alumni
advisor, and a commitment to service to the Lawrence and/or Fox Cities
community.

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b. Group Living units are either individual dwellings (i.e., houses) or distinct,
separate areas within a larger residential facility. (For purposes of this
document, Group Living units of either type as well as the groups assigned to
those units according to the selection process are hereafter referred to as
houses.) A group residing in Group Living establishes its own residential
rules including quiet/courtesy hours.

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.02
Application Criteria. In order to be considered for allocation of Group
Living, an applicant group (for the purposes of this section, group refers to the
students applying to live together in one house) must demonstrate viability by
meeting the following criteria in its application:

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a. Stated Purpose. The groups application must present a statement of purpose

which promotes the liberal arts ideal.

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b. Advisor Approval. The group must have written consent from a faculty, staff,
or alumni advisor including a written endorsement of the proposal.

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c. Student Contact. The group must name a student contact. This contact should
be one of the students presenting the groups application to the Group Living
Selection Board and preferably be either the groups de facto or official
leader. This student should not be the groups Residence Life Manager.

6 GROUP
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d. Residence Life Staff. The group must elect a student representative who will
be on campus all three terms to serve as Residence Life Manager (RLM) of
the house and be responsible for either attending to general issues of house
governance, or setting up an intra-house system to do so.

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e. Membership and Occupancy. The group must present a complete roster,

including the names of at least four alternates, to fill to capacity for each
academic term any house or houses for which the group applies. The group
must also describe its requirements for earning and maintaining membership.

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f. Governance. The group must describe its governance structure. Included in

the description of the group structure should be an explanation of how it
helps the group fulfill its stated purpose as well as the requirements of
section 4.03.

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g. Openness to Campus. The group must describe, in detail, activities it will

sponsor to fulfill the requirements in 4.03.c as well as examples of
organizations with whom the group would collaborate to sponsor these
activities.

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h. Funding. The group must describe how the funds collected from the
residence hall activity fee will be used to support community development
within the house. In addition, the group must describe how the provision of
programming funds from the office of campus life will enhance any activities
described 4.03.c or further enable the house to fulfill its stated purpose.

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i. Community Service Projects. The group must provide its plan for
commitment to the Lawrence and/or Fox Cities community and list activities,
projects, and programs that it intends to organize and support that fulfill the
requirements in 4.03.e.

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j. Conduct. The group must provide a detailed plan for the regulation of
conduct within the house that includes the following:

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i. Behavioral standards by which group members agree to abide

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ii.
A method for educating members about appropriate
behavior/standards

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iii.

An assessment of past group conduct

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iv.

Membership of the conduct board

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v. A method for educating members about the conduct board process

GROUP LIVING 7

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vi.
A plan for educating/sanctioning members regarding inappropriate
behavior or violations of the behavioral standards

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k. Safe Space Training. The group must present the signature of the chair of the
LUCC Committee on Diversity Affairs as certification that the groups
student contact and RLM have completed Safe Space Training.

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l. Housing Units. The group must specify all houses for which it is applying
and include a brief summary describing how each specific house it lists will
uniquely benefit the group and help it fulfill its stated purpose.

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m. The LUCC Residence Life Committee shall design and modify the
application as needed.

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n. No proposals turned in after the deadline set by the LUCC Residence Life
Committee will be accepted for consideration.

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.03 Operation During the Academic Year

a. Occupancy.

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i. Freshmen may not live in Group Living.

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ii.

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iii.
If the number of residents in the group house falls below the
facilitys capacity during the course of the academic year, the members of
the group are responsible for filling the vacancies.

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iv.
Room assignment within the house is at the discretion of the house
government.

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v. The house is responsible for ensuring its residents adhere to its

membership requirements.

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No group may be assigned more than one house.

b. Residence Life Staff.

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i. Once approved by the associate/assistant dean of students for campus

life, the student RLM will be a paid staff member hired and supervised by
professional Campus Life staff.

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ii.
The RLM must participate in training sessions and is expected to
complete all job responsibilities as outlined in the position description.

8 GROUP
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iii.
The RLM and the house government are responsible for all internal
house disputes and changes. Room assignments, roommate difficulties,
programs, budget, etc. should be handled by the members of the house.

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iv.
The RLM and the house government will be required to meet with
a staff member of the dean of students office at least twice a term.

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v. If at any time during the year there is a vacancy in the RLM position, the
group is responsible for identifying a qualified replacement.

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c. Openness to Campus. Houses must make a commitment to welcome other

members of the Lawrence community into the living space at least once each
term by sponsoring various activities that build campus community and/or
help fulfill the houses stated purpose, often collaborating with other
organizations to sponsor these activities.

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d. Funding. The office of campus life will provide programming funds for at
least two events per year to help support student efforts to build campus
community and promote openness to campus. For larger events and
expenditures, groups are encouraged to seek funding through the LUCC
Finance Committee. The group will be responsible for management of these
in-house activity funds distributed by the University and by LUCC with
oversight provided by the office of campus life.

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e. Community Service Projects. The majority of the occupants of a house are

required to collectively participate in at least three community service
projects per year for the greater Appleton community.

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i. Community service projects must meet criteria established by the

Volunteer and Community Service Center.

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ii.
These projects are to be coordinated through the Committee on
Community Service and Engagement and/or the Volunteer and
Community Service Center.

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iii.
These projects must be arranged or completed no later than week
one of spring term.

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f. Conduct Regulation. Each group must establish standards for appropriate

behavior and to educate its members about such behavior and establish an
internal conduct board to address instances of inappropriate behavior.
i. This internal conduct board complements but does not supersede the
Universitys Judicial Board.

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ii.
Alleged inappropriate behavior by any member(s) of a group in
Group Living will be reported to the groups conduct board, and the
conduct board will be expected to address the situation and educate the
student(s) involved.

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iii.
A complaint about the behavior of a group member(s) may be
brought forward by another member of the group, a staff member, or any
member of the campus community.

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iv.
The conduct board will respond to any allegation of inappropriate
behavior by any of the groups members.

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v. Written correspondence to the student(s) involved will document the

outcome of the educational efforts. Copies of all documentation (incident
reports, complaints, and follow up correspondence) will be forwarded to
the dean of students.

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vi.
A group will not be penalized as it is reviewed or re-applies for
Group Living for holding its members accountable for violations of the
Social Code or local, state, and federal laws.

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vii.
At any time during the year an internal conduct board may request
that the housing office find alternate housing arrangements for any
disruptive group member in order to improve functioning of the group.

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viii.
In addition, acting in accordance with his/her job responsibilities,
the dean of students will work in consultation with the LUCC Residence
Life Committee (see below) to take necessary disciplinary action against
individuals or groups in cases of egregious behavior, patterns of
inappropriate behavior, or health and safety concerns, as determined by
the dean of students. In serious cases, such disciplinary action may
include revocation of Group Living privilege. The LUCC General
Council serves as the final authority.

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ix.
Training in such skills as identifying unacceptable or unsafe
behavior, confronting peers, and educating through use of appropriate
sanctions will be made available to internal conduct boards.

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x.

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Groups are encouraged to involve their advisor in establishing and

maintaining acceptable standards of behavior.

g. Safe Space Training. Each houses student contact and RLM have completed
Safe Space Training prior to application. At least one member of the conduct
board must complete this training before the houses first term review.

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i. The LUCC Committee on Diversity Affairs will administer the Training

prior to the application deadline.

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ii.
Houses not required to reapply must fulfill this requirement as part
of the annual review process.

.04 Review Process

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a. Termly Reviews. At least once terms I and II, each house must submit a
report on the house activity since its formation or its previous review, if it had
one, to the LUCC Residence Life Committee.

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i. The report should include a description of any events the house hosted as
well as how the house advertised its activity, an estimate of the number of
people who attended (not counting house members) and an evaluation of
the activitys strengths. These events should also demonstrate a
willingness and effort to collaborate with other campus organizations and
houses in their activities.

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ii.
In a written response to the report, the Committee shall discuss the
group can improve relative to the points enumerated above.

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iii.
The Committee may call representatives of a group to a meeting to
discuss any concerns that arise over the groups report.

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iv.

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The presence of a quorum is required for this activity.

b. Annual Reviews. Each year before the housing selection process takes place,
a review of existing groups that are not required to re-apply for the following
year shall take place. This annual review is a mandatory process during
which the LUCC Residence Life Committee has the opportunity to evaluate
the success of each group and look ahead to the next year.
i. The annual review process consists of a report that the group submits to
the LUCC Residence Life Committee.
a. This report must include the following:

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1. A general statement of how the house has been fulfilling its stated
purpose for the past year

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2. Complete rosters for the following year

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3. Records that include all vacancies that occurred since the

beginning of the compact and show whether or not they were
filled and if they were not provide an explanation why not

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GROUP LIVING 11

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4. An outline of how the houses RLM and governance have

resolved internal disputes not within the purview of the Conduct
Board

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5. A list of events or activities the group hosted that were open to the
campus as well as estimates of turnout (not counting house
members) for each and with which, if any, other campus groups
the house collaborated to host the event

6. An accounting of all house funds supplied by Campus Life

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7. A record of all community service activities as defined in 4.03.e

as well as a list of house occupants who participated in each

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8. A general report on the activities of the house Conduct Board,

provided by the dean of students

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9. A record of serious isolated incidents and patterns of

inappropriate behavior among house members (who shall remain
anonymous in the report) as well as the action taken to address
these instances of negative behavior, provided by the dean of
students

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b. The Committee shall also consider the groups application during the
review and whether or not the group has fulfilled or is fulfilling their
objectives and purpose expressed therein.

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ii.
The LUCC Residence Life Committee shall issue a written
response to the group offering constructive feedback and any suggestions
for improvement.

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iii.
If there is need for improvement, specific requirements will be
articulated in the LUCC Residence Life Committees written response.
Only in extreme cases would the Committee find it necessary to require a
group to re-apply for housing as part of the regular selection process in
order to have a house the following year. Those cases include the
following:

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a. At the time of review, a group has failed to meet the basic

requirements enumerated in 4.03 and has not taken adequate steps to
rectify those shortcomings.

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b. At the time of review, a group has not made any attempt to fulfill its
stated purpose.

121GROUP LIVING
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c. At the time of review, a group has not maintained the minimum

requirement of 90% occupancy on average for all three terms of the
year during its compact. In this case, the group will not be eligible to
re-apply for the same facility but may re-apply for a smaller facility, if
available.

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d. At the time of review, a groups requisite members, as specified in

4.03.g, have not completed Safe Space Training that year.

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iv.
Should the LUCC Residence Life Committee find it necessary to
require a group to re-apply for housing as part of the regular selection
process the year the review takes place, the group will not be afforded
priority for the space it currently occupies and it must reestablish
eligibility for a two-year compact.

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v. The LUCC Residence Life Committee may remove a group from its
house based on egregious behavior and/or a pattern of inappropriate
behavior. It should be noted that if a group is prematurely removed from
its house (that is, prior to its time for re-application), neither the group
nor its members may re-apply for Group Living for two years.

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.05 Group Living Selection Board

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a. A body known as the Group Living Selection Board is charged with the
allocation of Group Living spaces and compacts.

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b. The Selection Board shall be comprised of the following members:

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i. Nine students appointed by LUCC, not affiliated with any group applying
for Group Living

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1. Two members of the LUCC Residence Life Committee (nominated

by the LUCC Residence Life Committee)

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2. Three LUCC class representatives or cabinet members (not on the

LUCC Residence Life Committee) with no more than one from any
class year

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3. Four students at-large (not on the LUCC Residence Life Committee

and not LUCC class representatives or cabinet members) with no
more than one from any class year, nominated by the LUCC
Residence Life Committee by the following process:

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a. Residence hall directors will each recommend two students, and

current Residence Life Managers of houses not up for

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reapplication may each recommend one student to serve as

students at-large on the Board.

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b. Students may also submit applications to serve as students at-large

on the Board to the LUCC Steering Committee, which will then
submit a list of recommended students to the LUCC Residence
Life Committee.

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c. The LUCC Residence Life Committee will randomly select

students at-large to serve on the Board from students
recommended by the above processes.

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ii.
One residence hall director, serving on the LUCC Residence Life
Committee, ex officio

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iii.
The associate dean of the faculty and vice president for diversity
and inclusion or, if position is not filled, assistant dean of students for
multicultural affairs, ex officio

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iv.

Associate dean of students for campus life, (non-voting)

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c. The associate dean for campus life will convene the group and will oversee
administration of the selection process.

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d. The LUCC Residence Life Committee sets the procedures for the Board.

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e. Student members shall elect a member from within their own ranks to attend
and report to the LUCC General Council on the activities of the Board.

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.06 Selection/Re-application Process

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a. The selection process for Group Living must be completed before any other
aspect of the housing lottery process begins.

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b. The LUCC Residence Life Committee will hold informational sessions for
the Lawrence Community on Group Living and the selection process.

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c. Following review of continuing groups, all groups that meet the eligibility
criteria and wish to apply or re-apply for Group Living will participate in a
selection process. Each group must submit a written application. Additional
required materials include housing rosters for all three terms of the next
academic year that match with available facilities the group is seeking and, if
the group is re-applying, copies of its termly and annual review reports, if
applicable.

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d. Groups apply for either a one-year or a two-year compact.

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i. All groups applying are eligible to receive a one-year compact.

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ii.
Groups applying to receive a two-year compact must have
occupied a house for at least two consecutive years immediately prior to
selection.

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iii.
No more than 40% of compacts awarded in a given year may be
two years in length.

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iv.
The strongest applications, as determined by the Board, of eligible
groups shall be awarded two-year compacts first.

e. Process.

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i. The Group Living Selection Board will review all written materials.

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ii.
Representatives of each group will be given time to make an oral
presentation of their proposal for Group Living.

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1. The Board will evaluate each groups application and presentation

separately.

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2. Those members listed on a housing roster may be contacted to answer

questions for the Selection Board.

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iii.
During oral presentations, the Board assess the strength of each
groups application and presentation, according to the procedures set by
the LUCC Residence Life Committee.

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a. The Board will first select a number of groups with the strongest
applications and presentations. The number of houses available for
selection that year shall dictate the number of groups the Board
selects at this stage.

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b. The Board will then assign available houses to all groups selected. In
order to encourage continuity, a group that is re-applying for the same
houses, meets all criteria for that facility, and is selected to continue
in Group Living will be given first priority to be reassigned to the
same house.

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iv.
Once the Board has assigned a house to each selected group, it will
assign compacts to those groups.

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a. Only an eligible group that has indicated their preference for a twoyear compact in their application may be awarded a two-year
compact.

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GROUP LIVING 15

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b. As stated above, eligible groups with stronger applications should be

given two-year compacts first.

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c. In the case that the maximum number of two-year compacts have

been assigned, any other group who was assigned a house and had
applied for a two-year compact shall be given a one-year compact.

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v. The Board shall draft a public statement that includes its decisions as well
as an explanation for them.

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vi.
Selections the Board makes under this process shall be reported to
the LUCC General Council. This report is subject to final approval by a
majority vote of the Council. If the Council takes no affirmative or
negative vote on approval by a date the office of campus life specifies as
the beginning of the general housing selection process in a given year, the
decision of the Board shall stand.

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vii.
An applicant group may only appeal decisions of the Board in
cases of misconduct, e.g. racism, sexism, or other bias against any group
or individual(s) applying for Group Living.

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18

a. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the LUCC President within

72 hours after the decisions of the Board are announced.

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20

b. The President shall judge whether the appeal has sufficient merit to be
brought before the LUCC General Council.

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22
23
24

c. If the President is affiliated with an applicant group, the LUCC Vice

President shall serve as this authority. If both the President and Vice
President are affiliated with one or more applicant groups, the LUCC
Residence Life Committee shall serve as this authority.

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26
27
28

.07
Exemption. Houses with compacts awarded prior to the enactment of this
legislation and not ending in or sooner than 2016 are not subject to the provisions
contained in sections 4.01-.03 as amended. This section (4.08) shall be stricken at
the beginning of the 2018-2019 academic year.