East-West Living and Learning Community ‘Fills a Gap’

Kristine Harris, former director of the Asian Studies Program, revived the East-West Living and Learning Community on campus in 2010, after a decades-long slumber. Now a model for successful living and learning communities on campus, it begins its fourth year at Crispell Hall.

New faculty liaison Nathen Clerici meets monthly with the community’s room mentor and resident assistant to plan events for the 15 participating students, who are a mixture of exchange students and matriculating New Paltz students. Languages spoken in the community include Chinese, Japanese and English.

Clerici coordinates the Japanese program in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures and teaches courses in Japanese fiction and language, as well as a course on Asian Americans.

Though he helps with event coordination for the living and learning community, Clerici stressed that students take ownership of the community by suggesting ideas for events, leading study abroad presentations and being open to new experiences with their peers.

“There’s a certain participatory element that isn’t required of someone living in a regular dorm situation,” he said. “You form a stronger bond with the community.”

Clerici, who will alternate as faculty liaison with Assistant Professor Hanmo Zhang, said the living and learning community has served as a valuable supplement to the department’s language offerings and the university’s study abroad programs.

The Asian studies major requires only two years of language study, and courses in Chinese and Japanese only reach to the intermediate level. Motivated students, however, can participate in four years of language study by joining the living and learning community and studying abroad.

“It fills a gap between the classes we can offer and getting people to keep their language skills warm,” Clerici said.