Advertisement
But in a few houses off Viterbo Drive, students are facing much more important challenges.
When students apply to live in Viterbo University’s “theme houses” they must have a particular mission in mind and a plan to achieve it.
Gloria Van Sloun, a senior in nursing at Viterbo, has been living in a theme house for two years. Her first year she and her roommates were dedicated to “hunger: here and abroad.” This year, their 100-year-old home near Viterbo Drive and South Eighth Street is littered with crayons and construction paper.
That’s mostly because two of the housemates are majoring in elementary education, but also, a common interest among all five living there is to dedicate themselves to making a positive difference in children’s lives.
“There is always a need in communities to support children. Kids need to know they are loved,” said Van Sloun.
Residents in the house have volunteered at the Children’s Museum of
La Crosse, collected Toys for Tots and judged science fair projects, and a few in the house organized the “Safe Trick or Treat” event last fall, in which area kids came to Viterbo and volunteers led them through the dorms to trick-or-treat.
“If you want to get something done on campus and you need to get people behind you, then you already have a group,” said Van Sloun.
Viterbo has three theme houses this year. The other two focus on community service and strengthening the sense of community on and off campus, said Brandon Paulson, community coordinator in the office of Residence Life at Viterbo.
“I wanted to live on campus again but not necessarily in an apartment,” said Viterbo senior Sheila Early who moved into the house focused on strengthening community last fall. “I liked the idea of a theme,” she added.
The theme houses provide the freedom of living in a house, but the conveniences that student housing afford, such as a meal plan, a resident assistant to go to for guidance and the safety of being located on campus, said Early.
So, why doesn’t everyone live in theme houses?
That’s likely because it’s a lengthy and somewhat daunting application process involving identifying a theme, how the group will fulfill it, providing a list of future activities and more, said Van Sloun.
And once the application is done, the residents need to carry out their theme.
Early and her roommates have organized a volleyball tournament during Viterbo’s fall orientation to help incoming freshmen meet other students on campus. This Valentine’s Day, they made more than 200 valentines with a thank-you note for every professor on campus.
Early and roommate Manda Laufenberg agreed that having the focus on strengthening community has not only helped them strengthen community on and off campus, but also inside their house.
“You create really strong friendships in the house that will probably last a lifetime,” said Laufenberg.
KJ Lang can be reached at (608) 791-8226 or klang@lacrossetribune.com.
