Residential Learning Programs seek to build resilience in students

With all the added responsibilities and stress that come with college, it can be difficult to make new friends, especially at a school as big as UNC. 

UNC’s Residential Learning Programs can help with that. RLPs are unique communities where students with shared interests and identities live together and can participate in special programming and activities. 

Currently, Carolina Housing offers five RLPs: First Gens, Transfers United, Pride Place, BLUE — for students interested in entrepreneurship and innovation — and Outdoor Pursuits for students interested in outdoor activities. 

Most RLPs have campus partners — organizations that they work with for programming and events. For example, Pride Place partners with the UNC LGBTQ Center and Outdoor Pursuits partners with Carolina Adventures. 

Students apply to RLPs when applying for on-campus housing. The application consists of a short essay on the Carolina Housing application portal. With the exception of Transfers United and First Gens, any undergraduate student can apply to live in any RLP. 

“The first thing that sets [RLPs] apart is really that intentionality across campus,” Patrick Preudhomme, the assistant director of Student Learning Initiatives at Carolina Housing, said. “Our goal is, of course, the residential experience is having programs, meeting people, building community. [RLPs] do that on a smaller scale.” 

Preudhomme said it can be overwhelming to connect with students in a large residence hall such as Hinton James, but RLPs connect a smaller group of students who already share some similar interests. At the beginning of the year, RLP retreats connect students so they get to know each other before classes start. 

Maggie Martin, a first-year living in the Outdoor Pursuits RLP, said that because of how small the RLP is, everyone is close friends. 

“We had a lot of things we were doing together in the beginning, like August and early September,” Martin said. “We’ve done rock climbing a couple times, we’ve done some hikes, we did stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Jordan a couple weeks ago. It’s been really good. We also do things together outside of the program since we all have similar interests.” 

Students in Outdoor Pursuits have not only done various outdoor activities together, but also team-building activities at the Outdoor Education Center, Martin said. 

Building community through social events is the cornerstone of every RLP, no matter the focus. 

Cal Stoke, a first-year living in Pride Place, said that many of the programs with the RLP are social events, such as a s'mores-making event. 

“We just kind of share resources, and everyone’s pretty friendly with each other, because I think we had a jumpstart with the RLP retreat at the beginning of the year,” Stoke said. 

The proximity of living close together also helps with building community, Stoke said. He didn’t go to many hall events, but was able to meet some other residents just through being on the same floor. 

While the various programming of an RLP may seem like a big time commitment, it is ultimately up to students to decide what they want to get out of it. 

“We really are excited to be like a choose-your-own adventure for the students,” Preudhomme said. “We provide stuff that each student can choose to get more into if they want, if they want to do just a little bit, we allow that. We just provide a lot of opportunities to do these things with a group of students that are all living together to help you do it.” 

According to Preudhomme, RLPs have a long history at UNC. Unfortunately, the pandemic resulted in the discontinuation of several RLPs. At one point, Carolina Housing had 60 RLPs. Now, the focus is on rebuilding momentum for the program. 

Preudhomme’s role with RLPs involves considering what students want to see, and a major priority is that students are getting value out of the program. 

“We want students that live in the RLP to feel like, after being in the RLP, that they’re more resilient, to be successful in their town of Carolina,” Preudhomme said. "So as they face adversity, as they face difficult stuff, we want, through the RLP, to build resilience.”