Some GU Townhouses to Become LLCs

Sixteen university-owned townhouses will be converted into mini make-your-own Living-Learning Communities, to be known altogether as Magis Row, next year.

Students living in Magis Row, which will be located on the 1400 block of 36th Street between O and P Streets, will select a group to live in a four-person townhouse to pursue a mutual interest focused on social justice and community life. “Communities may be extensions of current Living-Learning Communities, they may be related to a particular area of interest represented on the Georgetown campus, or they may represent a cause particular to a group of students,” states the Web site.

Stephanie Lynch, director of the Office of Residence Life, said that the idea of Magis Row, a housing project outside the normal housing lottery process, has been in the works for many years.

“Discussions actually started years ago about providing small communities for interested groups of students,” Lynch said. “We also spoke with students this summer about what would attract students to apply to Magis Row.”

The program is rooted in the Ignatian ideal “magis,” a Latin word that translates to “more.” The Office of Residential Housing selected the name to reflect the Jesuit belief in educating the whole person.

Students applying to the program will be asked to present a written proposal and presentation detailing the area they wish to explore. Lynch said she would like to see the new community be occupied by juniors and seniors expanding their horizons at Georgetown.

Once accepted, communities will be required to participate in one day of service each semester organized by the Office of Residence Life. In addition, students must sponsor two events or programs each semester that incorporate academic excellence and social justice.

Participants in the new program will have a faculty/staff adviser assigned to their townhouses who will help them realize the program’s mission.

One of the requirements for living on Magis Row will be involvement in select activities, which, according to the Web site, includes participating in a community service project, inviting faculty members to dinner, holding a book discussion and developing a program on campus to raise awareness of a particular issue. Each community will be required to host two social justice-themed events each semester. In order to live on Magis Row, students must demonstrate a willingness to partake in the creation and establishment of this new community, be in good standing academically and judicially, have a faculty or staff sponsor, agree to participate in a service day organized by the Office of Residence Life and sponsor the two social justice events, Lynch said. Rising juniors and seniors applying to live on Magis Row must submit a proposal for their community and give a presentation to a selection committee by Sept. 29.