By Molly Burke and Raeghan Hilton / Jambar Contributors
Moving six and a half hours away to Youngstown State University was daunting for Delaware native Lauren Skarosi.
However, moving into Wick House eased the freshman’s transition. It’s the home of the Cliffe College of Creative Arts Living Learning Community, a program for students interested in arts, music and theater.
“It was really scary coming here and not knowing anybody, but it’s been very great being somewhere that’s so small with like 20 people,” Skarosi said. “Since everybody’s so close, it’s so easy to make friends and to talk to people.”
Skarosi is a music education major and plays saxophone in the Marching Pride. She said the program also provides academic benefits.
“It’s very beneficial because we’re in a very close proximity to Bliss Hall, and that’s where all of my classes are besides one,” Skarosi said. “We can work on things together, or we can help each other out with things. I just have to walk down the stairs and I can go and I can practice for hours, and nobody minds it because everybody’s doing it.”
This is the second year for the LLC. The house is complete with practice spaces and a computer lab for students to use whenever they need. Olivia Cupp, director of Housing and Residence Life, said the house was fully refurbished in preparation for the program.
“We have an art studio, we have a dance practice studio with a ballet barre. We have a theater practice room. There’s a bunch of extra resources available to that community to enhance their living environment,” Cupp said.
Chris Bryne is an academic advisor for CCCA students and oversees the LLC. He said students in any major or grade can apply.
“It’s really open to students across the campus. So, you don’t have to be majoring in one of our majors to be part of the LLC. You can apply to be part of the LLC because you have an interest in these areas and would like to learn more, or maybe you have a friend in the LLC that’s staying in the LLC and you want to room with a friend,” Bryne said.
The program also hosts events for residents and friends. For Halloween, students could take a spooky special effects makeup workshop.
“We also did Halloween Lego printmaking, which was a lot of fun. We put Lego boards and used specific Legos to make Halloween scenes and used ink brushes to make Halloween prints,” Bryne said. “We’re planning on repeating that for Valentine’s Day to do a Valentine’s Day card workshop.”
Shannon Holdridge, CCCA’s director of Academic Advising, said students are welcome to be part of the program even if they’re unable to live in Wick House.
“If you’re a first-year honors student, you’re required to live in Cafaro [Hall] if you’re living on campus, but those students — if they want to be part of the LLC — they can be part of the LLC, and they have access to the practice spaces. They have access to the events,” Holdridge said.
With students of all grades living together, Holdridge said the LLC provides mentorship for freshmen.
“One of the benefits of not being restricted to a certain class is that we have freshmen living in the LLC along with seniors. This creates an opportunity for there to be a lot of camaraderie [and] support and mentorship among the different classes of students,” Holdridge said.
Skarosi said she appreciates the company of upperclassmen.
“It’s been very nice to have people that are older than you because they have the experience that you don’t have yet. You can ask for help and ask for the guidance that you need when you need it or just to have a friend that’s older who knows more than you do. It’s pretty great,” Skarosi said.
Wick House is located on Wick Avenue just up the street from Bliss Hall. For more information on how to apply, visit CCCA’s website.
