The Department of Residence Life at the University of Memphis is looking to expand housing options for students. Staying on-trend with national college housing standards of themed communities where students live and learn together, ResLife will be adding a Housing Homestead beginning Fall 2019. This will be the 12th living learning community at the UofM and is open to all classifications of students.

The Housing Homestead of living spaces, farm land and water features will occupy the Richardson Commons green space on the north side of Centennial Place. Part of the students’ curriculum will involve building their own solar-powered 6′ x 9′ wood shed. Each shed, fully furnished with two cots, a wood burning stove and bathtub, will be shared by two residents.

The sheds will overlook the new Centennial Lake which will replace the Centennial Place parking lots on Central Ave. Water for cooking, drinking and Sunday bathing will be carried from the lake by the residents and water filtration will be part of the curriculum.

As part of a fully sustainable living program, each resident will receive a 9′ x 9′ plot of land to grow vegetables. The included Meal Plans consist of weekly rations of seeds, fishing bait and eggs from the community chickens. Some of the weekly activities include: Milkin’ Mondays (learn how to milk goats), Weaving Wednesdays (textile making), and a Friday Fishing Rodeo. Residents will also be required to participate in a daily 18-mile urban hike.

To keep in line with green and sustainable living, residents will not be allowed to bring their automobiles to campus. Instead, the students will have horses to care for and use for travel on and off campus. Stations and troughs will be constructed at several spots across campus for securing and watering the horses while students are in class. This effort to move away from our dependency on automobiles is in line with the overall University initiative to be an all-horse campus by 2023, alleviating the ever-growing parking issues.

“We are looking ahead to the next wave of students after Generation Z. Studies show that Generation LMNOP will cut ties with all things digital, embrace simpler living and get back to nature. Generations have a cyclical nature, so it makes total sense,” says Tracy Shipp, marketing coordinator for UofM Residence Life.

Roughin’ it with ResLife could be the next big thing in student housing. Students will wake with the sun with help from the ResLife rooster and go to bed at sundown after a community sing-a-long by the fire.This program will help nurture and strengthen those real-world skills needed to survive in the 21st century.

Students will be expected to carry an unprecedented 27 hours per semester. To help residents balance studying with their daily chores on the farm, student workers will be hired to assist them by holding their books while they till, quizzing them while they fish or reciting literature while they shovel.

If you haven’t realized by now that we ‘got your goat’, applications for this Housing Homestead experience will open June 31, 2019. We will be accepting 33 candidates who will then go through an 9-week vetting process.

 

We hope you have a very happy April Fools’ Day!