Theme housing offers options
Logan and Ashby Halls house SYE and Madison International
By Kaleigh Maher, staff writer
Posted on January 25, 2007

Before packing your bags to move into Ashby or Logan Hall, you have to fill out a special application, because Logan is home to the Second-Year Experience program, and Ashby hosts Madison International.

“The openness to learning, that desire to be challenged and pushed in some different ways in the residential setting is really what’s important,” said Greg Czyszczon, Bluestone/Hillside area coordinator with the Office of Residence Life. “If a student can encapsulate that in an application, I think that’s the thing that we strive for.”

Students living in Logan are required to take part in community-service projects and leadership workshops with their hallmates throughout the year. 

“With Logan the focus is on community, academics and leadership, everything that happens in the building is attempted to address one of those areas,” Czyszczon said.

 “Participation in the life of the community is really an expectation,” he said about both Logan and Ashby halls. “It’s really important that students learn by doing, so the focus is on that, the living experience.”

Junior Molly Mercer lived in Logan Hall last year and said she left the SYE with a strong sense of community.

“Everyone in the dorm had shared experiences and we interacted regularly through leadershops, committee meetings and community-service projects,” Mercer said. “Living in Logan made me a better person through providing me with opportunities to learn about myself and others.”

Sophomore Erik Ruiz said the coordinators don’t treat him and the other students as if they live on campus.

 “We have the luxury of having a great location mixed with the responsibility of being a leader amongst my peers.”

Ruiz also enjoys the SYE.

“SYE has really taught me to take an active role in my community, along with necessary time-management skills and interpersonal communication,” Ruiz said.

Ashby Hall houses U.S. and international students from around the world and approximately half of the 66 spaces are reserved for first-year students. The Madison International program has a partnership with the Office of International Programs and with the International Beliefs and Values Institute to help support its intercultural focus.
“Madison International is about international competence and everything is focused on developing that, the ability to work and live with others who are different and do it effectively,” Czyszczon said.

Junior Jeff Allen lived in Ashby Hall his freshman year as well as fall semester of his sophomore year before studying abroad that spring.

“As an incoming freshman in the field of foreign languages, I thought Ashby would be a good environment to reinforce my studies,” Allen said.

After his three semesters there, Allen is convinced that he could not have had a better experience anywhere else.

“By living with people from around the world, your perspective is opened greatly to other views and practices that may not normally be seen in other dorms,” Allen said.

Sophomore Kait Custer appreciates the learning experience her time in Ashby Hall has provided her.

“I’ve learned a lot about my own culture through interacting with people who are from the Middle East and Africa and all over the place,” Custer said. “[Ashby Hall] is probably one the greatest experiences I will have at JMU.”