Theme Housing
Theme Housing is a program established to promote a direct link between residential, academic and extracurricular life for students at Wake Forest University. It is designed to provide students who have common educational endeavors or common extracurricular interests the opportunity to live together in campus housing. By focusing on a specific area of residential living, Theme Housing can profoundly impact the experiences of our students on campus. A Theme Housing program increases students’ opportunities to pool resources and learn from each other and has proven to be an effective living/learning tool. There are also employment opportunities for students looking to get involved with Themes. If you are interested in becoming a Theme Program assistant, visit the Employment page for additional information and an application.
Criteria
- Each Theme is required to recruit a faculty/staff advisor to work with the Theme for the entire academic year.
- The group must create a purpose statement to outline the reasons for the Theme’s existence.
- A goal statement must be submitted for the upcoming year. This statement must specify how the Theme will contribute to the Wake Forest community and the greater community of Winston-Salem.
- Each Theme will have a student leader (Theme Programming Assistant) who lives within the Theme to coordinate programming initiatives and complete program requirements with their faculty/staff advisor. It is the responsibility of each Theme to identify an individual who will serve in this capacity.
- Decisions to approve Themes are based on the number of applications submitted, the thoroughness of the application, and the availability of housing space.
- All Themes must abide by Wake Forest University policies and Residence Life and Housing policy standards.
Accommodations
The following locations have been identified as possible (but not the only) Theme Housing opportunities:
- 109-111 Rosedale (Capacity: 14 students)
- 1109 Polo Road (Capacity: 7 students)
- 1115 Polo Road (Capacity: 12 students)
- 1125 Polo Road (Capacity: 4 students)
- 1141 Polo Road (Capacity: 7 students)
- 1145 Polo Road (Capacity: 13 students)
- 1157 Polo Road (Capacity: 10 students)
- 1210 Polo Road (Capacity: 10 students)
- Huffman Basement (Capacity: 18 students)
Additional space may become available. Resident Advisers may be assigned to any house. There may also be some blocked housing space available for Themes in designated upper-class residence halls. For existing Themes, an assessment of the current year’s progress, which includes feedback from faculty/staff advisors, will be considered. Existing Themes will be given priority on their location preference.
Please note: Existing Themes are not guaranteed Theme Status from one year to the next.
Information Sessions
Information Sessions will be held prior to the Fall Room Selection process. Actual dates and times of Information Sessions will be posted in January of each year.
Current Themes
| Theme | Description | Location | Assistant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Aston Players | A thespian organization which works to support the efforts of the Wake Forest University Theatre. | 109-111 Rosedale Cir. | Paige Klasing |
| H.O.P.E. | A co-ed community that works to mentor young elementary and middle school students through weekly tutoring and outreach. | 1157 Polo Road | Nyasia Nickle |
| T.R.E.E. | A community centered around tolerance, respect, education, and the on-campus environment. | Huffman Basement | Christopher Funk |
| Crew House | Promotes an environment of competitive rowing and facilitates the success of WFU rowing club throughout the community. | 1115 Polo Road | Alex Aceituno |
| Sustainability House | Serves to unite, motivate, and provide unique opportunities for the students on campus who are concerned with the issues surrounding sustainability. | 1141 Polo Road | Carrie Stokes |
| Ice Hockey | A group of students who work to increase awareness of fitness and healthy lifestyles through fitness-related activities (namely, ice sports) through a “learn to skate” initiative with local youth programs. | Martin Suite | Jonathan Lerner |
| Wake Radio | Spreading awareness of Wake Radio on campus and in the community, and connecting students to the local music scene. | 1109 Polo Road | Kory Riemensperger |
| B.R.O. | Providing a source of encouragement, academic enrichment, and positive socialization to youth from local Paisley Middle School. | 1210 Polo Road | Rakeem Chesney |
| ARTnow | A group of students who seek to create a community of artists, reach out to students who are interested in the arts, take advantage of the rich artistic culture of Winston-Salem, and promote the arts of the WFU campus. | 1145 Polo Road | Diane Eapen |
- Application
Submit a Theme Housing Application to Residence Life and Housing in Benson 101. Applications will be due in late January or early February. A specific Application Timeline including Application Deadlines, Interviews, Decision Notifications, Acceptance Letters and Room Assignment Deadlines will be posted in January. Groups who have received a Theme housing location must complete the process of assigning students, collecting and submitting a complete roster with the faculty/staff advisor’s signature.
- Application Timeline & Deadlines
Date Description Thursday, December 1, 2011 Applications available on RL&H website Thursday, February 9, 2012 Information Session (Time and Location TBD) Friday, February 17, 2012 Theme Housing Application due, Benson 101, no later than 5 pm Monday – Friday
February 20 – 24, 2012Theme Housing Interviews Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Notification letters with decisions about 2012-2013 Theme Houses will be sent by Residence Life and Housing Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Completed theme rosters due to Residence Life and Housing Please Note: If any selected theme house has not assigned 100% resident occupancy by the March, 2012 deadline, then that theme may lose its designated location. Each member will then have to proceed through the remainder of the 2012 Fall Room and Dining Selection Process, and the theme space will become part of regular room selection.