The purpose of the residence life program is consistent with that of the Student Affairs program: to complement and enhance the College's central educational mission. The program also works to develop an effective support community within each hall that reflects the broad range of student experiences and life in a rigorous academic environment.

The residence life philosophy is based on self-governance, a matrix that includes student government, the Student Affairs staff, the Committee on Student Life, the judicial system, and hall council. Within this structure, Residence Life Coordinators foster self-governance by working closely with students, student staff, and hall councils as educators, mediators, advisers, counselors, and advocates. The hall council fosters community within each hall through a governing structure that includes student staff members, student government members, and hall residents.

Grinnell College believes its residential environment benefits students in the following ways:

• Encourages students to become responsible world citizens
• Empowers students to make personal, community, and global decisions
• Promotes respect for individual differences and community norms
• Provides students with a structured support system to meet academic, social, and emotional needs

The residence life program is designed to:

• Provide a support system of professional and student staff who work in a non-disciplinary role to help students with this freedom
• Promote a positive sense of community on individual floors and through-out the halls and houses
• Place an emphasis on teaching students how to take responsibility for their actions and resolve their problems
• Provide opportunities for students to experience a balance of educational, recreational, cultural, and social programs in the halls
• Promote an atmosphere of respect where students develop an apprecia- tion for cultural and life-style differences
• Recruit a diverse professional staff to meet the varied needs of Grinnell students
• Encourage students to govern themselves in their living environments, where few rules and regulations are imposed by the college administra- tion.

The Residence Life office is staffed by the Dean for Student Life, the Assistant Dean and Director of Residence Life, six Residence Life Coordinators, 64 Student Advisers, and 6 Hall Social Coordinators.

Residence Life Coordinators
RLCs are professional Masters-level staff members who live in on-campus apartments located in the residence halls. Their primary responsibility is to build relationships with students by walking the halls, presenting programs, counseling and through general campus visibility

Each RLC functions as a communicator, adviser, counselor, educator, life issues specialist, and a friendly presence in the hall. RLCs invite and encourage students to live their lives more fully, to challenge assumptions, and to grow as citizens of the world.

Student Advisers/Hall Social Coordinators
Each residence hall has a Student Advisor (SA) and Hall Social Coordinator (HSC) whose primary responsibilities are to build hall communities and support students as peer counselors. They are supervised by the hall Residence Life Coordinator. Both SAs and HSCs are volunteer staff selected by peers, the RLCs, and the Assistant Dean and Director of Residence Life.