Campus Connection

UWL’s newest Living Learning Community supports students’ artistic passions 

College is about more than classes — it’s about community. At UW-La Crosse, a new housing option is helping students turn their creative interests into lasting connections. 

UWL’s newest Living Learning Community (LLC) brings together students who share a passion for the arts: onstage, on canvas and everywhere in between. 

Housed in the newly remodeled Wentz Hall next to the Lowe Center for the Arts, the Visual & Performing Arts (VPA) LLC gives students a supportive, immersive environment rooted in creativity. 

It’s one of several themed housing options, or LLCs, at UWL that bring together students with shared interests, ranging from academic programs to creative passions and personal identities. 

“LLCs give students access to faculty and staff who are directly connected to each LLC, and there are events that are targeted to the specific community,” says Andie Coxey, coordinator for Engagement & High Impact Practices in Residence Life. “It gives them a connection right from the first day and really helps to naturally build community.” 

The VPA LLC was developed through a collaboration between Residence Life and Pete Rydberg, director of the School of Visual & Performing Arts.

“When I learned about the other LLCs on campus, I thought that it might be excellent to set one up for students involved in the arts for a couple of reasons,” Rydberg explains. “First, my hope is that it will be one more way to build community on campus, not just amongst VPA majors and minors, but also students from all disciplines who participate in the arts.” 

Rydberg sees the VPA LLC as both a social and academic asset. With classrooms and rehearsal spaces just outside students’ doors, the LLC is designed to enhance the academic experience and make participation in the arts more accessible.  

“The arts thrive with collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas and styles,” Rydberg says. “With the LLC, residents can memorize lines, practice music and create works of art with creative collaborators right in their corridor.” 

More than 20 students are already set to join the VPA LLC this fall, which will offer a mix of artistic enrichment and social bonding opportunities. Events on the calendar include a trip to Milwaukee to see the “Violins of Hope” exhibition, a group outing to the Pump House Regional Arts Center, and even a night of ax-throwing and an escape room challenge.  

“Taking some time just to have fun while bonding with your floormates is important, too,” Rydberg says. 

Whether students are majoring in the arts or simply enjoy creative expression, the VPA LLC provides a unique chance to build connections, grow artistically and be part of a supportive community. 

Learn more about UWL’s Living Learning Communities.