Living and Learning at UVM: A Comprehensive Guide to Residence Life and Learning Communities

The University of Vermont (UVM) offers a rich and diverse residential experience designed to foster academic success, personal growth, and a strong sense of community. With over 6,200 students living in on-campus housing, UVM's Residential Life team is dedicated to creating an inclusive and engaging environment through various programs, resources, and learning communities. This article provides a comprehensive overview of living and learning at UVM, covering residence hall options, learning communities, dining, transportation, support services, and the impact of data-driven initiatives on enhancing the student experience.

On-Campus Residence Halls

At UVM, first and second-year students reside in one of the 41 on-campus residence halls. These halls are organized into interest-based Learning Communities, which aim to connect students with shared interests and provide opportunities for engagement outside the classroom.

Exploring Residence Halls:

Prospective students can explore UVM's residence halls through virtual 3D walkthrough tours, offering a detailed look inside each hall. While Central Campus Residence Hall (CCRH) is the only dorm featured on UVM campus tours, the virtual tours provide a comprehensive view of all available options.

Fitness Centers:

UVM offers two in-hall fitness centers with convenient hours for on-campus residents. These centers provide an intimate atmosphere for students to maintain their physical well-being.

Locations and Hours:

Central Campus Residence Hall:
- Monday-Thursday: 7am-10pm
- Friday: 7am-8pm
- Saturday-Sunday: 10am-8pm
Wright Hall:
- Monday-Thursday: 7am-11pm
- Friday: 7am-7pm
- Saturday: 11am-8pm
- Sunday: 11am-11pm

Membership Details:

On-campus students can complete the Fitness Center Membership form in their housing portal.
Membership activation takes two business days after form submission.
Off-campus students are not eligible.
Required Live On Staff, Resident Advisors, and Fitness Center Staff receive free memberships.

Membership Costs:

Academic Year: $125
One Semester: $75
Winter Package (Nov. 1-April 1): $75

Refund Policy:

Full refunds are available for cancellations within the first two weeks.
Academic year pass holders can cancel for the spring semester within the first two weeks of the spring semester.
No refunds are issued after these periods, unless an academic year pass holder is leaving UVM, in which case a $50 credit is applied.
All membership charges/credits appear on the student's account.

Fitness Center Rules:

To ensure a positive experience for all users, the following rules must be adhered to:

Bring your UVM ID and scan it upon entry.
Comply with requests from fitness center staff.
Wear athletic sneakers at all times.
Wear athletic clothing (no jeans or restrictive clothing).
Refrain from using loud or abusive language.
Avoid spitting in the drinking fountains.
Do not drop, throw, or clank weights.

Failure to comply with these rules may result in termination of membership.

Learning Communities

Learning Communities at UVM are designed to connect students with shared interests, providing opportunities for engagement outside the classroom, intentional integrative learning, and enhanced student connection. These communities are built around a common theme and coordinated by dedicated program staff.

Current Learning Communities:

Arts and Creativity
Global Connections
The Honors College
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Leadership and Social Change
Liberal Arts Scholars Program (LASP)
Outdoor Experience
Sustainability
The Wellness Environment (WE)
The Gaming Collective (new for the 2023-2024 school year)

Each Learning Community has a full-time staff that supports each student’s residential experience and arranges activities centered around their community’s theme. These communities are spread across all four of UVM’s campuses: Athletic Campus, Central Campus, Redstone Campus, and Trinity Campus. The locations and specific buildings each learning community occupies vary per year, but you can find the upcoming year’s locations here.

Specific Learning Community Programs:

Liberal Arts Scholars Program (LASP): This program allows first-year students to live and learn alongside like-minded peers, taking integrated courses that consider significant questions from multiple angles. Students participate in residentially based seminars and study with some of UVM's top students in a challenging and intellectually rigorous environment.
STEM Scholars: This four-year cohort-based learning community aims to develop future leaders in STEM fields. STEM Scholars not only excel in their chosen disciplines but also develop the skills to become change leaders.
Impact Scholars: Beginning in fall 2026, this selective program brings together first-year students passionate about creating positive change. It fosters leadership, innovation, and community engagement, reflecting UVM's recognition as a top public university for making an impact.
Summer Enrichment Scholars Program (SESP): Designed for first-time, first-year students, SESP increases retention by providing comprehensive support in academic achievement, personal growth, identity formation, and intercultural development.
UVM Catamount Recovery Program (CRP): This program provides an affirming and empowering community for students in recovery from substance misuse. On-campus housing is available for CRP members, along with educational, academic, advisory, community-building, and programmatic opportunities.
Jewish Learning Community: This community offers students opportunities to connect to Jewish life in meaningful ways, including socially, academically, religiously, culturally, and personally. Students can engage in Shabbat dinners, Jewish learning classes, social gatherings, and volunteer opportunities.

Critiques and Potential Improvements:

Some students have expressed that the descriptions of the learning communities can feel vague, making it difficult to understand what to expect. Additionally, the learning communities may not always effectively bring together like-minded people.

Potential improvements include:

Read also: Learn about Aspire Programs

Providing more specific information about activities and trips within each Learning Community.
Making Learning Communities optional.
Using a questionnaire similar to that of random roommate assignment to better match students with appropriate communities.

Dining Options

UVM offers a variety of dining options to meet the diverse needs of its students. There are four traditional dining halls, one on each campus:

Harris-Millis Dining on Athletic Campus
Central Dining on Central Campus
Simpson Dining on Redstone Campus
Northside Dining on Trinity Campus

In addition to the dining halls, there are also several retail options on campus, including:

Given Bistro
New World Tortilla
Redstone Market
The Marketplace
The Skinny Pancake
University Marche
UVM Dairy Bar
Waterman Café
Campus Perk
Twelve

All on-campus students are required to have a meal plan. For the year 2023-2024, four meal plans are offered. First-year students are assigned the All-Access Plan for their first semester, with the option to switch to a different plan later. The All-Access Plan includes unlimited Meal Swipes into the dining halls, 150 retail points, and 3 guest meals per semester. One retail point is equivalent to $1 and can be used at any dining location on campus. Guest meals allow students to swipe another person into a traditional dining hall. The other three plans are All Access Plus, the Flex Plan and the Retail Point plan.

Transportation

First-year students are generally not permitted to have cars on campus, but UVM offers numerous transportation options. The campus is highly walkable; it takes approximately 25 minutes to walk from Redstone Campus to Trinity Campus, the two furthest campuses from each other. Many students also bike, skateboard, or rollerblade to class. Each residence hall has a bike rack for storage.

UVM also provides an on-campus shuttle called the CatBus, which runs from 7:30am-10pm on weekdays and from 4:30pm-10pm on weekends, connecting all four campuses. The Redstone Express shuttle runs between Central campus and Redstone campus from 7:45am-5pm on weekdays.

Read also: Funding Your College Life

Off-campus transportation options include:

Walking to Church Street downtown (approximately 20 minutes from Central Campus).
Using the Green Mountain Transit (GMT), which provides free bus service for UVM students throughout Vermont.
Taking the GMT to the Essex Junction Amtrak station for out-of-state travel.
Utilizing Burlington International Airport, located a few miles from campus, for worldwide travel.

Support Services

UVM offers a variety of support services to help students succeed academically and personally:

Undergraduate Writing Center: Provides peer tutoring for academic, personal, and professional writing projects.
Tutoring Center: Offers individual and group tutoring for a wide range of subjects. Every student is eligible for one free hour of tutoring per class, per week.
Women & Gender Equity Center (WAGE): Strives for a brave, diverse, and equitable learning environment for all members of the UVM community.

Data-Driven Initiatives: StarRez Community Management Solution

UVM has implemented StarRez's Community Management solution to enhance its residential programs and gain deeper insights into student engagement. This solution addresses challenges in tracking, assessing, and showcasing the impact of residential programs.

Challenges Prior to StarRez:

Lack of a centralized system for tracking attendance, measuring outcomes, and assessing overall impact.
Data scattered across multiple platforms, creating silos and limiting insights.
Manual processes for attendance tracking and program reporting, consuming valuable staff time.

Benefits of StarRez Implementation:

Ability to track attendance and learning outcomes, aligning events with specific goals tied to the department’s residential curriculum.
Streamlined program submissions for RAs and professional staff, eliminating inefficiencies.
Custom dashboards for strategic insights, providing a granular view of engagement metrics.
Reduced administrative burden through automations, such as batch data imports and ID tappers.

Key Outcomes:

Nearly 700 programs tracked in one semester.
Alignment of programs with departmental and institutional goals.
Improved collaboration across teams through workshops and training.

Overcoming Resistance:

The implementation of StarRez faced initial resistance, which was addressed through a collaborative approach involving staff at every stage of the rollout. This included one-on-one meetings, departmental workshops, and the development of training materials.

Future Enhancements:

UVM plans to expand the capabilities of StarRez to include qualitative data, demographic metrics, and student feedback. The goal is to create a more holistic picture of student engagement and use data to drive storytelling, highlighting the value of residential life at UVM.

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