1. All RC instructors have office hours set aside for RC students!
Our amazing instructors all hold virtual office hours to stay connected to students within COVID-19 safety regulations. This also aids in avoiding those snowy treks across campus during those Ann Arbor winters, brrr! Under normal circumstances, RC instructors hold office hours in person in East Quad, even if they have connections to various departments around campus, which increases accessibility!
2. Your RC Instructor may be an RC Academic Advisor!
In the RC, you can find advisors with expertise in various areas, and you are not limited to the first advisor you meet during RC Orientation as a freshman, so you can visit any of the advisors you are most comfortable with. Many RC advisors also teach courses in the Residential College, so if you have an instructor that you connected with, and they are an advisor, you can choose to meet with them throughout your college career for advice.
3. You can find your RC Instructors participating in various student life activities alongside students!
From the RC Parents & Family Reception to art exhibit openings, to plays and discussions, you can often find your RC Instructors avidly participating alongside students. This also gives students a chance to talk to their instructors in an informal setting.
4. From office hours to a first-name basis, RC Instructors try to create a warm environment and support their students as much as possible.
Many RC instructors try to be flexible with their office hours and some instructors even offer free tutoring to students based on need. There’s an unofficial RC policy that RC students call their instructors by their first names! This creates a comfortable environment that fosters discussion. RC Instructors also love to talk to prospective students! You can find them at panels, in our RC Podcasts and you can find their information on the Faculty page of our RC Website.
5. RC Instructors help connect students, whether they are RC students or general UMich students, to opportunities around campus.
There are many community engagement opportunities that have their start here in the RC! In fact, you can find RC Instructors who are faculty advisors or leaders for these organizations. Some examples include PALMA, which is overseen by Cristian Espinoza-Pino; the Spanish Language Internship Program, which is lead by Teresa Sanchez-Snell; Shakespeare in the Arb, which is coordinated by Kate Mendeloff; and the Community Garden, which is directed by Virginia Murphy.
About the author
Third-year student Taranbir Kaur hails from Westland, Michigan. Her RC Language is Spanish, and she is majoring in Spanish and Social Theory & Practice with a minor in Food and the Environment. Her extracurricular activities include being co-treasury chair of the Sikh Student Association, being a mentor in ARISE, and being a part of APO which is a professional community service fraternity. She was originally drawn to the RC by its language program, but what stole her heart was the community engagement style classes, the interdisciplinary style learning, and the creative, wonderful community she found here in the RC.
