Residential College at Mary Foust
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The Residential College at Mary Foust (abbreviated RC) is a living-learning community located on the campus of the University of North Carolina Greensboro. The college is made up of about 120 students who apply to the program in their senior year of high school.
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[edit] History
The Residential College was founded in 1970 by Warren Ashby. It was an experimental program to try to fix the key problem that plagued univerisites across the country- namely, the lack of integration between a student's social life and their academic life. RC has been in Mary Foust Residence Hall since inception of the program.
[edit] Population
RC is made up of about 120 full-time students who all live in the Mary Foust Residence Hall. The program is limited to freshmen and sophomores, but up to ten upperclass who have completed the program are allowed to apply to serve as upperclass mentors. Mirroring the university at large, RC has had a majority of female members consistently year after year.
[edit] Classes
Freshmen and sophomores in the program take between six and nine credit hours from special classes offered only to members of the program. These in-dorm classes help students to fulfill University Liberal Education Requirements.
Students are required to take a core course focusing on the American Experience three out of the four semesters that they spend at RC. The Core class is team taught, and starting in the Spring of 2007, core faculty will rotate between each of the 4 or 5 core seminars.
Other classes offered by RC are taught by faculty from the University at large, who usually come into RC to teach a smaller, discussion based class of what is usually a huge lecture course. Examples include classes in Sociology, Psychology, Astronomy, Earth Science, Personal Health, Buddhism, Math 112/115, Masterpieces in Cinema, etc.
[edit] Annual Events
(listed chronologically, starting in the Fall semester)
[edit] RC Orientation
One of the most unique parts about RC is that it has a separate new student orientation that takes place in the days preceding the University's official move-in day. RC Orientation usually begins with new RC students moving in on the Wednesday before classes start at UNCG. However, up to 25 returning RC sophomores and upperclass people are selected by the RC Office to be Orientation Leaders (often referred to simply as "OLs") who help to plan and facilitate the Orientation process. OLs move in to Mary Foust a week before classes start. The main objective of RC orientation is that by the time the final orientation event has taken place, the new students feel safe and secure in the program.
[edit] Valle Crucis
Every fall and spring semester, RC takes a retreat to a conference center in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. In the fall, the retreat is limited to just current RCers and the immediate faculty, but in the spring the retreat is open to alumni of the program as well.
[edit] Haunted House
The students in RC transform their dorm into a haunted house every year, selecting a theme and then charging visitors a fee to be taken on a tour through the haunted house. Typically, proceeds are donated to a charity selected by members of the Social Committee.
| Year | Theme | Charity |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Dante's Inferno | Battered Women's Shelter in Greensboro |
| 2005 | Haunted Hospital | Hurricane Katrina victims |
| 2004 | Haunted Carnival | unknown |
| 2003 | Fractured Fairytales | unknown |
In addition, it might be noted that this event is often cited as to how the dorm acquired its nickname, "Scary Foust".
[edit] Rocky Horror Picture Show
Since at least the mid-1980s, RC has put on their own personal version of Rocky Horror Picture Show. While originally it might have been a self-contained production of the theatrical version of RHPS, it currently is staged in front of a live projection of the film, with RCers acting out the entire movie.
[edit] RC Thanksgiving
The Social Commmitee's main responsibility every fall semester is to put on RC's own Thanksgiving that takes place the weekend before the University goes on Thanksgiving Break. RC students, staff, alumni, and their family and friends, are all invited to join. While the event is rumored to originally have taken place in the main parlor of the dorm, it now takes place at the Campus Minitries building.
[edit] RC Christmas
Before exam week begins, it is RC Tradition to gather in the main parlor of the dorm to celebrate the winter holidays. The name of the event, "RC Christmas" is not specifically referring to the idea of Christmas as far as Christianity, but rather the idea of Christmas as a time when people come together and celebrate something. Highlights of RC Christmas include sharing information about winter holidays and traditions of various religions, holiday gift bags for the entire dorm donated by alumni, and one of RC's former directors Murray Arndt, reading stories and poetry to everyone present.
