Students and faculty gathered at noon Tuesday in Atrium AB of Southern Methodist University’s Hughes-Trigg Student Center, to discuss the new Residential Commons (RC), which are set to open in the fall of 2014. While the group proved intimate in number, the presentation focused in on various significant aspects regarding the RC, enabling students to catch a glimpse of the five new residential structures.

As the largest single financial undertaking the university has invested in, the SMU RC claims $121 million, and draws inspiration from Duke University, Vanderbilt University, University of Chicago, and University of Pennsylvania.

“We looked at lots of different places, and we literally had people go to these different places to get a grip on the different residential commons,” said Jeff Grim, Assistant Director of Residence Life for Academic Initiatives, regarding the models for SMU RC.

Recognizing that learning happens everywhere, Grim stated that, starting in fall 2014, sophomores will be required to live on campus, and while current academic learning communities will continue to exist, they will no longer exist as housing communities, exclusively. To nurture student development, faculty engagement programs will continue to expand, grow and advance, as more faculty members and professors volunteer to serve as faculty in residence (FiR) — 11 individuals currently selected — and faculty affiliate (FA) — 23 individuals currently selected, with a goal of 50 members.

“All sophomores will be sprinkled among first-year students,” Grim continued, explaining that the project includes 1,250 new beds in five new residence halls, and the renovation of facility spaces within six existing residence halls. A full and complete “transformation of campus,” the RC will provide what Grim described as a “common experience,” creating a “microcosm of SMU in each residential hall.”

“We’re having a tent for Residential Commons,” Grim noted, encouraging students to stop by on the Boulevard this weekend. For more information regarding the SMU RC, follow @SMUResCommons on Twitter, or check out www.smu.edu/residentialcommons or www.smu.edi/rc.