These facilities are free, with posted hours, and are staffed by graduate or upper-level students or faculty. Communities A number of learning communities have been created on campus to provide students with a small group of like-minded peers with whom they can interact academically and socially. Students in these groups ease their adjustment to the University environment by taking common courses, sharing residence hall facilities and participating in special events. The College of Arts and Sciences features three such learning communities. The Alpha Program is a nonresidential liberal arts community for first-year students.
Participants take a year-long course with the same instructor and small group of students.
In addition, members of Alpha take part together in various on-campus events and community activities related to their class. For students who wish to pursue an enriched program, the College of Arts and Sciences offers a lower-division Honors curriculum featuring about forty courses, recitations, and labs each academic year. For pre-medicine students interested in the humanities, the Humanities in Medicine Program explores how the human and artistic dimensions of medicine complement the scientific. Humanities in Medicine students take courses that explore topics related to medicine, ethics and society. They attend special events and lectures and they complete a professional shadowing or volunteer experience every year.