Community Connections: Living and Learning at Evergreen

One of the most important expectations of an Evergreen graduate is the idea of taking responsibility for your own education. Community Connections is designed to facilitate the transition to college, and to Evergreen in particular, by helping first year students identify pathways for self-directed learning. Each student will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with peer mentors, who will help the student navigate important resources, both on and off campus, while beginning to assess his or her own learning needs.

Our investigation of what it means to be an Evergreen student will be framed by the idea that every Greener participates in multiple circles of community, both at the College and in the broader Olympia area. This program is designed to help first year students find the communities that will best support their learning, and to encourage them to ask: "What does it mean to be pursuing a liberal arts education in America in 2009?"

Students will have the opportunity to participate in community-based learning activities during Wednesday afternoon governance time and will meet on a regular basis with their mentors. The primary focus, however, will be on identifying the strengths and interests that will shape individual students' Evergreen experience. This work will culminate in a detailed educational map, demonstrating the student's learning and his or her future academic plans. For some students, this will mean finding out how to pursue a particular career path at a non-traditional college; for others, it will mean articulating a broad set of goals and principles. All students must turn in an educational map in order to earn full credit in this program; partial credit will not be awarded. This program includes mandatory sessions during orientation week.