Office of Residential Programs

Special Interest Communities

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Special Interest Communities (SICs) offer a unique residential experience by allowing sophomores, juniors, and seniors to live and explore common interests together. This living arrangement also creates opportunities for students to connect with faculty, administrators, alumni, and community leaders.

SICs are advised by a faculty member selected by the SIC and an assigned staff member from the Office of Residential Programs. The faculty adviser is knowledgeable in the subject area and serves as a resource. The staff member provides programmatic guidance and is a link to the residential community.

Special Interest Communities 2011-2012

  • Casa Latina provides a safe and accessible space for Latino and other cultural organizations. The community's programming centers on the universal education and celebration of Latino culture. Many groups use the space to prepare foods, hold information sessions, or host a culture show. 

  • Community Health House fosters open dialogue regarding issues of health and wellness. Programming centers around issues ranging from eating disorders to abortion, and discussions are open to any topics of interest. This house works with student groups on campus to increase communication among students and with the surrounding community. 

  • Metta House provides a positive model of healthy and sustainable living with a vegetarian and interfaith environment that promotes harmony with and among the larger community. 

  • Pan-African House is a resource for those who want to know more about Pan-Africanism. To this end, the house creates programming to teach the Columbia community about Pan-Africanism.

  • Writer's House provides a collaborative environment for writers by hosting readings, workshops, and talks related to poetry, prose, screen-writing, playwriting, creative nonfiction, and journalism. On a day-to-day basis, residents offer criticism, support, and an enthusiastic audience for one another's work. Writer's House also hosts events open to the larger community and attends readings, book talks, and other literary events in New York. In addition, the house provides a network for finding internships and publishing opportunities. 

  • Potluck House promotes a relationship between food and debate, and the community that arises from such an exchange. Potluck House strives to provide a nexus, a resource, and a physical space through which its members and the greater community can realize their artistic, academic, and social ambitions. 

  • GreenBorough develops creative and practical ways to reduce students' impact on the environment and increase campus awareness of environmental issues through example and education.

  • Middle Eastern Cultural Appreciation House (MECAH) creates an environment in which the culture of the Middle East, North Africa, and surrounding regions is explored and celebrated. MECAH promotes cultural exchange in a context outside of the political realm, transcending religious, national, and ethnic boundaries. By concentrating on arts, music, and literature, MECAH hopes to create a safe space for residents and the greater Columbia community to come together and appreciate the rich and diverse heritage of this region.

  • Q House is a residential community dedicated to providing a safe living environment for LGBTQ students and allies at Columbia. Q House residents engage the Columbia community in meaningful dialogue about LGBTQ issues. In addition, residents promote a collaborative campus environment that focuses on identity and further builds community among Columbia students. To this end, Q House sponsors events for the Columbia community at-large in order to establish social and educational environments in which all students feel welcome.

  • Students for Substance Free Space promotes substance-free living by educating peers about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.