Do you like the outdoors? Are you into the arts? Are you planning to study overseas? Theme housing options are designed to enhance your residential experience by supporting your academic interests or lifestyle preferences. Theme floors allow students with common interests and pursuits to live together and support each other through planned activities and informal interactions.

If one of the following themes appeals to you, please indicate your preference on your room placement questionnaire and complete the theme floor application in addition to your housing contract.

In an age when citizens of all countries must look beyond their borders to the world at large, the International Awareness hall brings together students from different cultures to learn from each other. This hall provides great opportunities for students who have studied or plan to study abroad, for U.S. students who live abroad, and for international students who want to share experiences with U.S. students.

As a member of this hall, you will have the opportunity to help maintain the hall's Web page; promote the College's annual International Fair; and receive specialized information on overseas programs, educational opportunities, and other services. You will also be encouraged to attend regular culture-based activities, such as international cuisine nights, trips, holiday celebrations, and subsidized admission to performances and events.

Living in the International Awareness hall will give you the opportunity to share experiences with those from different cultures and to broaden your knowledge base through new activities and different ways of thinking. We seek a ratio of 60 percent U.S. and 40 percent international students.

The Ethnic Cultures floor will seek to promote the understanding of ethnic diversity in American culture. Both on and off campus, we will educate ourselves and our community through the celebration and exploration of our widely diverse cultural identities. Floor sponsored activities and outreach include forums and discussions on issues facing ethnic minorities, a focus on leadership in a multicultural society, attendance of campus and community performances and lectures, and regularly scheduled dinners, movies and dances focusing on a particular minority's culture.

We believe in the creativity of personal and artistic expression. We may individually prefer writing, painting, drawing, dancing, music playing, singing, acting, or sculpture but as a community we embrace all forms of artistic expression even if they are new and uncharted territory. Art is a challenge to the human mind and a gift to the human soul. Through art, we think, we feel, and we grow. Art is not static and cannot be bound to the conventions of a basic definition. Rather art is growing and changing all the time. We do not believe art only imitates life, but that ideally, life may also imitate art. Art is more than an object, it is an interaction and a moment kept in eternity. We choose to seek and celebrate art within our community, within the Lewis & Clark College community, and within the greater Portland community. We wish to share art with all of these communities. We wish to learn how to better appreciate and understand art, and we wish to become better artists. Throughout the year, RAs work with floor members and the Office of Student Activities to provide subsidized trips, tickets and on and off campus activities in all areas of the arts. In addition, each floor member receives free admission to all Lewis & Clark Arts Alive! events.

Floor members live in close proximity to the Platteau, the student art center. The Platteau has a photo lab, ceramics studio, dance studio, stage, and ample room for painting, drawing, and other artistic pursuits. Regular programs include poetry readings, art exhibitions, and informal classes.

The outdoor floor is a community founded on a common interest in the outdoors. It is a place where residents can learn to plan and coordinate outdoor trips. It provides a comfortable environment for learning about the outdoors and activities in the outdoors. It provides a place where residents can connect with others interested in their activity. Finally, the outdoor floor provides a venue for participation in trips of a wide diversity to help its residents explore the outdoors in the Northwest. Typical excursions might include a camping/hiking/caving trip to Mount Hood, a rafting trip on the Clackamas or Deschutes rivers, a retreat to the coast, or a backpacking trip through any one of Oregon's many parks and wilderness areas. The Office of Residence Life subsidizes all activities.

The Environmental Action floor is both a community and an informal educational experience. We do projects both as a floor, and with the campus community with the intention of encouraging others to get involved. We are aware of environmental issues on campus, in Portland and beyond. As a community we bring people of similar interests together to support and challenge one another to become leaders. We are a resource for each other, and we have fun. Residents will be provided opportunities to express their environmental values and convictions in the community. Activities subsidized by the Office of Residence Life may include a trip to the coast for the annual beach clean-up, an Ancient Forest clinic, or a home weatherizing service project in the greater Portland area.

If you would like to live in a dynamic, living-learning environment that is free from alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and the issues related to their use, you may want to consider participating in this community. All residents of the community are encouraged to participate on the Peer Governance Board, which works to define community norms, educate on substance use issues, and address any community concerns that might arise. The Substance Free Community is not listed as a Theme Floor option since it is clearly a lifestyle preference rather than a special interest. A separate agreement acknowledging your acceptance of the provisions of the Substance Free Community is required and will be sent to you upon your acceptance to the hall. (If you smoke you may not live in Stewart Hall.)