Residence Life

Moving to college usually means having lots of questions about your new home. Watch this video to learn more about our first-year residence halls!

Outdoor Enthusiast - Do you love the outdoors and sustainability? Are you looking forward to exploring the nature and beautiful views that are right at your doorstep here at Clarkson University? Are you interested in diverse aspects of sustainability pertaining to the immediate campus, the North Country community, and the world at large. Students from a range of different backgrounds will come together to explore their interest in, and commitment to, the outdoors and sustainable living. If so, the Outdoor Enthusiast floor might be the perfect community for you.  This floor community is located in "the quad" with all other first year housing, but consists exclusively of residents who truly love the experience of the great outdoors and build a supportive community of trust and respect through their shared experiences with nature.

WiSE - Are you a female interested in science and engineering at Clarkson? Well, we've got the perfect spot for you, as a member of WiSE, a supportive living and learning community on campus. Located in "the quad" (first year housing), The WiSE (Women in Science & Engineering) program is an opportunity that fosters engagement in the world of science and engineering to females, who are typically outnumbered in such majors and programs. WiSE was created to offer females a strong support system to help with everyday challenges. This system of support includes upper class women serving as mentors of the program as well as several staff members from across the university.  Programming for the WiSE floor will be open to the students who are living in MiSE.

MiSE -  Are you a male interested in science and engineering at Clarkson? Well, we've got the perfect spot for you, as a member of MiSE, a supportive living and learning community on campus. Located in "the quad" (first year housing), The MiSE (Men in Science & Engineering) program is an opportunity that fosters engagement in the world of science and engineering to males. MiSE was created to offer males a strong support system to help with everyday challenges. This system of support includes upper class men serving as mentors of the program as well as several staff members from across the university.  Programming for the MiSE floor will be open to the students who are living in WiSE.

First Robotics - The Clarkson FIRST Robotics Living Learning Community is located on a suite-style residence hall floor in Graham Hall's Donahue House, which is usually reserved for upperclassman housing. It's designed to bring together forty students, both first year students and sophomores, to give them a tight knit living community. They live and work together, and do outreach within the FIRST Robotics family of programs to students from elementary through high school levels as well as campus wide programs and events. To learn more about FIRST and its programs, visit www.usfirst.org. Our community also participates in fun activities outside of robotics outreach. Some of these include guest speakers, hosting a League of Legends and Starcraft tournament, bowling, barbeques, and bonfires. Plus, you can always suggest your own ideas for activities! The floors are always looking for new ideas.  

Men in Business (MIB) - Are you a male student who is interested in developing yourself professionally in preparation for the workforce and the “real world”? If so, the Men in Business floor has many benefits to offer you.  This floor, also located in “the quad” with all other first year housing, is geared toward professional development of first-year males.  This floor will be particularly beneficial to men who are majoring in the School of Business or Engineering & Management (E&M). Participants will be connected with upper class mentors and will experience opportunities to connect with faculty and staff in regular floor programs. Programs will include workshops, on resume-building, job-searching and application, presentation skills, and more.  All programs on the MIB floor will be open to students living on the Women in Business floor.  We hope you will consider becoming a part of the MIB Family!

Pre-Health Professionals (PHP) - If you’re a first-year student intending on going into the healthcare professions such as physical therapist, physician assistant, doctor of medicine, or veterinary physician, you should consider living in the Pre-Health Professionals Living-Learning Community. This floor, also located in "the quad" with all other first-year student housing. This floor will allow students to connect socially and academically, and make connections through Clarkson to professionals in their field of study.

Cultural Cuisine - Are you interested in learning about diversity through a shared love of food? On the Cultural Cuisine floor you will have direct access to one of the two student kitchens available in the Quad! TheCultural Cuisine floor will feature programming on how to make different types of cuisine from around the world! This floor you will also get introduced to our various diversity and inclusion clubs and societies on campus such as: SHPE, NSBE, SASE, SWE and much more!

Go Knights! - This floor will be composed of students passionate about athletics and building Clarkson spirit at athletic events and across campus. This community will promote sportsmanship, enthusiasm for athletics and healthy living, and Clarkson spirit.  Programming will focus on teamwork, work ethic, healthy living, and academic excellence.  

The Golden Gamers Floor (The GGF) - Are you a new school gamer or an old school gamer? From PS4 to Dungeons & Dragons, this floor is for you.  The goal of this floor is to bring students with gaming interests together socially to provide academic support amongst first year students.  

Creative Minds - This floor is for first year students who have creative talents, musically, artistically, theatrically, or are interested in getting lost into a good novel, and may learn best from reading. This floor will be based around arts and literature, and the spread of thoughts and ideas inspired by storytelling through different media.  Programming will allow students to showcase their talents or interests to their community, share adventurous tales, or learning moments from your favorite characters, and how you can apply creativity to our current society.  The goal is to promote creativity on campus and in our local community.

ROTC Floor - This floor is for students who want to live in a community with other students who are interested in military service.  While living on this floor students will be exposed to traditions, customs, and current members of the Clarkson University ROTC programs. 

Movie Fanatics - Are movies your go to for relaxation? This floor will allow you to create relationships through film.  The Movie Fanatics floor will connect you with the Clarkson Film Club.  Programs will be centered around having fun, meeting new people, analyzing the impact of film on our community, and of course tons of popcorn. If you are interested in Hollywood, cinematography, or you just enjoy a good movie this floor will meet your needs.  

STEM Ed. - Interested in giving back to the local North Country and Clarkson communities through mentoring and teaching? This Clarkson Living Learning Community provides opportunities for CU students to work with local K-12 students and teachers through a wide-range of STEM enrichment activities. Clarkson has a strong relationship with school districts throughout St. Lawrence and neighboring counties with the ultimate goal of inspiring young people and getting them excited about STEM. CU students regularly help faculty run hands-on workshops and camps for local students throughout the year, provide after school tutoring, and even coach students in engineering challenges. A few examples of the activities the STEM LLC engages in include:

• Clarkson PI Day provides 300 students from the region the chance to come to campus each March to learn about and engage in STEM activities.

• Integrated Math and Physics for Entry to Undergraduate STEM (IMPETUS) serves over 150 students that come to Clarkson each month to take part in STEM challenges including: toothpick bridge building, model roller coaster building, math problems of the week, mousetrap car design, robotics and coding.  

• Roller Coaster Camp -- Paid and unpaid positions for this week long STEM Enrichment summer camp are available for CU students who want to work with high school and middle school students to design, build, and ride(!) roller coasters.

• Horizons, Extended Day, Robotics, and more…

Training, plans, and supplies are always provided by your faculty mentors, but your enthusiasm and inspiration are what make the difference!

Also, CU students regularly learn from each other. Based on your class background you can provide academic support to your peers as a tutor or by leading a discussion as a teaching assistant. A minor in STEM Teaching and a Masters of Arts in Teaching provide more opportunity and formal training for those interested in pursuing teaching as a career.

Pit Crew - Do you have an interest in automobiles, mechanical engineering, and/or SPEED Teams?  This floor is for you.  Clarkson University has multiple SPEED Teams including baja, formula, ChemE car, clean snowmobiles, and much more.  Please review the SPEED website for more information surrounding these exciting opportunities.  These clubs are a great opportunity to meet fellow Clarkson students with similar interests. 

Honors Program - First-year students who are accepted into the Honors Program at Clarkson University have the option to live in our Honors themed community. 

Gender Inclusive - Gender inclusive housing at Clarkson University provides an affirming, safe and welcoming theme community option for students who identify and/or share the following lived experiences: genderqueer, transgender, currently transitioning, discovering their gender identity, gender fluid, non-binary, or anyone who respects and appreciates students with the above identities and lived experiences. This community shares a single gender inclusive restroom.  The Gender Inclusive floor will be located on a fourth floor in first year housing. 

Ignite Innovation - The Ignite Innovation community is for students who are passionate about innovating for the global community. Ignite’s theme of Think. Make. Ignite. encourages students to explore the challenges and opportunities for their present and future. We believe everyone is a maker and that our world is better when makers create and implement effective solutions for tomorrow’s challenges. While cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets and innovative skills, Ignite encourages students to explore and broaden their thinking to meet the challenges of tomorrow. If you are someone who wants to learn, explore, and experience innovation and making, join other students who are looking to do the same. Students in this living and learning community will have access to the Ignite resource areas and make connections across campus with Ignite staff and student colleagues.