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Specialty Housing

Austin Scholars Community

Program Description

The Austin Scholars Community is based on the ideals of St. Augustine and supports Merrimack College's mission. The Austin Scholars Community supports the College's mission that "before all else our college is a community of scholarship and service whose members support and challenge each other in a wholehearted pursuit of knowledge, holding one another to the highest intellectual and ethical standards." An application is required for this residential community and selections are made in mid-July for incoming first year students. First year students who participate in this program live in Ash Centre and upper-class students live in Monican Centre.

This community is based on the life and thought of Saint Augustine and aims to create an atmosphere where students lead themselves to maturity so that, little by little, the students become their own guides. The more mature people become, the more they will grow in knowledge and in wisdom. (St. Augustine On Order 2, 26)

As first-year Austin Scholars participants living in suites in Ash Centre and sophomores living in suites in Monican, students will experience:

Social Gatherings
Cultural Experiences (On and Off Campus)
Political Discussions
Lectures and Special Events
Book Group Discussions
Shared Academic Programming
Community Dinners

Through the various activities and experiences the program aims to foster dialogue which Augustine sees as the best way of seeking truth(Soliloquies, 2, 14). The activities and experiences of the program are designed in the hope that each participant's experience of college-level education may result in descriptions similar to Augustine's own: I found all kinds of joy when I was in the company of my friends

-- talking, laughing and being kind to each other
-- reading engaging books together
-- going from the lightest joking to talking of the deepest things and back again
-- differing with others without discord, as I might differ with myself
-- teaching and learning from each other

These and similar experiences ignited a flame fusing the many of us together as one. (Confessions, 4, 8, 13)

Substance Free Housing

Substance Free is a great place to live! You will be with students who share the same positive attitudes towards life, learning, and is a place where you can make lifelong friendships. Students who live in Substance Free subscribe to a lifestyle free of alcohol, drugs, and smoking. Residents will find the substance free environment cleaner, quieter, and very conducive to studying. Residents in this community can look forward to programs organized by their Resident Advisor (RA). Residents of Substance Free Housing are also welcome to participate in all other building and campus activities. First-year students will live on the first floor of Deegan East and upper-class students will live in the Townhouses. An application for Substance Free is required.