Residential Education

Learning happens everywhere at UB. Just walk down the hall or across the yard, and you’ll find countless opportunities to grow as a student—and as a person. Our Residential Education program helps to bring all of these opportunities directly to you, right where you live.

LEEP - Learning Exploration and Engagement Plan

We take an active approach to your personal development, with a residential curriculum intentionally designed around proven learning outcomes. It's the Learning Exploration and Engagement Plan (LEEP).

We promise that while living on campus we will help you to achieve four key learning outcomes:

Academic Success

  • Adapt academic skills necessary for success
  • Choose resources that promote academic achievement

Community

  • Construct roles and responsibilities that foster an inclusive community
  • Examine how your actions impact your local and global community

Interpersonal

  • Examine how expression of your individual views impacts others
  • Develop your cultural competency
  • Employ techniques to work through conflicts

Self

  • Evaluate aspects of your own identity
  • Evaluate your academic, personal and professional goals
  • Practice techniques necessary for independent living

Reaching Your Goals

Students who live on campus are more likely to stay enrolled and graduate on-time compared to their off-campus peers.

All students want to leave school with an excellent education. But academic success can't happen without a strong foundation of self-confidence, healthy relationships and a supportive community.

Campus Living creates the opportunities for our residents to build the skills they need to be successful.

Pyramid graphic with icons representing the four key learning outcomes.

Here is How Learning Happens

Campus Living staff work with out partners across the university to provide structured programming and services that help our residents learn to thrive.

Community Connectors

An event that fosters the development of specific attributes of community as identified by residents in their Inclusive Community Agreement.

Self Builders

Strategic population-driven events fostering skill growth within identity development, goal setting and independent living skills.

Community Conversations

Residents engage in structured dialogues that promote skills needed to communicate across differences and develop their cultural competency.

Opportunities for Growth

The staff in Campus Living are here to support each of our residents in their own unique journey. We ensure that all of our interactions with students are an opportunity for growth and learning. We act with intention to turn challenges into success.

Inclusive Community Agreements

Residents describe attributes of their ideal inclusive community and explain the actions needed to achieve it.

Roommate Agreements

Residents examine how their habits/routines will impact others and discuss strategies for preventing conflict with their roommates.

Checkpoints

Individual conversations where paraprofessional staff check-in with residents and point them toward campus resources.

Responsive Passives

Using CheckPoint data, staff create interactive bulletin boards, displays or tabling that engages residents catering to a developmental area of need.

Conduct Meetings

Residents reflect on their decision making, examine their impact on community members and explore alternative choices for the future.

Academic Checkpoints

At-risk residents identify obstacles impeding their success and create a plan to meet their desired goals by connecting with campus resources.

Help is Just Steps Away

One of the first people you'll meet at UB is your Resident Assistant (RA) or Community Assistant (CA).

Your RA (in the residence halls) or CA (in the apartments) is an experienced UB student—typically an upper class or graduate student—who lives on your floor, in your building or in your apartment complex. They're the first person you should talk to when you have a question, need help with a problem, or want to get more out of living on campus.

Trained Resident Assistant and Community Assistants—Only at UB
  • Help students transition to campus life
  • Show you how to get around UB
  • Meet with you one-on-one throughout the year
  • Lead social and educational activities
  • Hold students accountable to conduct guidelines
  • Refer students to support services throughout campus