LiveWell | SubFree is a community open to first-year students that provides a community for those seeking to live a holistically well life, free of alcohol and drugs, and meet peers with similar interests. Livewell | SubFree believes that holistic wellness is a part of each student’s unique success at the University of Michigan, and that every student deserves equitable access to wellness. By participating in LiveWell | SubFree, students will engage in conversations around holistic wellness via the wellness wheel, the intersection of wellness with diversity and inclusion, and develop strategies for personal and community well-being in college and beyond. Your RA will provide a variety of social events focusing on education, wellness, and other needs. All students in this community are committed to a substance-free residential experience.
“My favorite thing about being in the SubFree Theme Community is having people to hang out with on a Friday or Saturday night when everyone else is going out. We’ve had a lot of fun nights watching Netflix, eating Oreos, and playing board games. So if you’re a first-year looking for a group of friends that will be with you for the rest of college, this is definitely the place for you!”
Updated 2-21-25
1st Gen provides a community and support for first-year students who are the first in their families to attend college. In partnership with the First Generation Gateway and Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI), the 1st Gen theme community is dedicated to maximizing student success by creating a support system within the community that creates helpful relationships between residents and U-M staff and faculty. Through offering intentional support and personal development programming that addresses college transition, 1st Gen will help students make the most of their Michigan experience.
- The formal definition of a first-generation college student at the University of Michigan is a student whose parents did not complete a four-year college degree.
- Residents of 1st Gen regularly attend events like the First Generation Open House, Fall and Winter Community Dinners and more put on by the First Gen Gateway.
- The community’s themes and activities are customizable depending on the needs and desires of the participants.
“I just love that I was able to meet and bond with people who can understand my biggest struggle with college, being a first generation student. I think knowing that I have access to a whole community to create memories that parents could not tell me about makes this journey a whole lot easier.”
“Living in the 1st gen Theme Community is something I highly recommend. This is a huge campus and coming to it for the first time can be extremely intimidating. Making friends and feeling accepted is something everyone wants, living in this Theme Community really helped with that. You live with people who share a similar background as you, which makes connecting to them an ease. People followed the ‘open door policy’ everyday, inviting others into their room with welcoming smiles. The RA for 1st Gen also reached out to us with special events and beneficial resources. It has definitely been a great experience living in this community, so if you are considering it you should follow through and join!”
Updated 2/21/2025
The Multicultural M Housing Community (MHC) invites residents to participate in an intentional living environment that focuses on celebrating and embracing a diverse community. This experience is open to any resident that wants an opportunity to build and foster meaningful connections and live alongside a diverse group of individuals. Members of this community will work closely with the Diversity Peer Educator (DPE) to develop community wide multicultural programming.
- MHC is coordinated by the Michigan Housing Diversity and Inclusion Department. Residents can look forward to participating in regular dialogues, gaining skills in planning and facilitating programming, and participating in signature events.
The Innovation Theme Community provides a collaborative living-learning space for residents interested in social innovation and entrepreneurship. Partnering with Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the College of LSA, we create a supportive community for you to build skills, pursue passions, and take action. Ranked in the top 10 nationally undergraduate entrepreneurship programs, U-M offers entrepreneurial opportunities for students of many backgrounds and areas of study. Through creative exploration of wanting to make a positive impact and applying the notion of asking yourself “Why Not Me?!”, this community will focus on providing strategies in human-centered design to residents and help them navigate the entrepreneurial network to make the most of their Michigan experience. Residents in the Innovation Theme Community are encouraged to enroll in a 1-credit course offered by LSA, ALA 250.001 or ALA 250.002 (not a requirement but highly recommended).
“My favorite memory is being able to bond with the engineers and business students on my floor and be able to talk about projects we were working on. We are able to push each other to achieve new heights and push past harder obstacles.”
“Being in a community like this is pretty fun and it really helps cheer me up when I’m feeling a little down. Also, a lot of the people in my hall share similar career interests to me, which is really neat! Next week I’ll be going to a Hackathon at MSU with a few friends in the hall, and if I didn’t join Innovation, I probably would never have even heard of the hackathon.”
“I am so thankful to have been part of the innovation community! It is a great space to gain a close connection with people in your first year of college and create amazing memories together” – Architecture Major
Updated 2-21-2025
*In the fall semester of the 2025-2026 academic year, the Sustainable Living Experience Theme Community will become the Michigan Sustainability Community MLC.
Sustainable Living Experience (SLE) is dedicated to providing an inclusive and immersive environment for students to develop lifelong leadership in sustainability and environmental justice. SLE welcomes students regardless of academic focus and aims to foster a culture of sustainability across all of campus. Towards this end, SLE integrates sustainability programming and learning opportunities into the first year college experience and functions as a community of engaged learners and sustainability leaders. The cornerstones of SLE community programming are:
- Sustainable Community
- Experiential Learning
- Engaged Citizenship
Programming
SLE offers residents unique learning, leadership and engagement opportunities. Previous SLE programs have included:
- Educational trips such as retreats and service learning
- Mini-grants for sustainability projects
- Campus Farm visits and workdays
- Food preparation workshops in the community kitchens at Oxford Houses
- Sustainability trivia and other social events
- Designing and maintaining the SLE perennial edible garden
- Opportunities to return as student leaders within SLE
Questions about the program? Visit the SLE Web site. Program components are subject to change based on public health recommendations.
The Cheever Program’s legacy was originated by Noah and Adelia Cheever in the late 1800s for University of Michigan students. Striving for generosity, diversity, community, friendship, personal wellness, and leadership, Cheever’s home evolved into a University Co-Op for women and later into a Theme Community at Helen Newberry.
Current students in the program embody the spirit and traditions of Cheever alumnae. Such traditions include Cheever Chats (bi-weekly group discussions and programming) cultivated through three committees: Global Perspectives, Women in Leadership, Wellness; organizing annual events such as the Cheever Legacy Night, Culture Night, Galentine’s Day and much more! Returning Cheever members are eligible to rejoin the community as a Cheever Scholar, or Cheever Mentor, to incoming Cheever members. See below for more information!
Expectations for incoming students
- Participate in programs and weekly Cheever Chats
- Assist community members in program planning
- Serve on at least one Cheever committee
Expectations for returning students
In honor of past benefactors, the Adelia Cheever Board of Patronesses, and fellow Cheever alumnae, the Board awards
scholarships each year to sophomore and higher students in the program who meet the following qualifications:
- Active participant during the first year in Cheever (attending events, involved in program planning, supporting community members etc.)
- Apply for the Adelia Cheever Scholarship as well as:
- Obtain a cumulative 3.0 GPA by sophomore year
- Interview with Board of Patronesses
- Serve as a peer mentor for first-year Cheever members
- Assist with ‘Cheever Chats’
Living Business offers Ross School of Business first-year students a residential community that champions the goals and values of Ross. Living Business aims to create a strong cohort of Ross advocates that represent diverse backgrounds and interests, and who are highly engaged within the Ross community..
Residents in the Living Business Community, or “LBC,” have access to programming and a network that encourages meaningful introspection about Ross’s mission to “build a better world through business.” Residents will also gain an enhanced academic experience, a supportive community, and professional skill development by networking with alumni and local entrepreneurs and engaging in off-campus experiential learning. Residing in the LBC is a transformative opportunity for first-year students to connect with their cohort in a non-academic setting, while taking advantage of co-curricular activities that further their familiarity and involvement with Ross.
Partnerships from Ross that support the LBC:
Updated 2-21-25
The Transfer Year Experience (TYE) is a community designed to support the transition of transfer students from their previous institution to the University of Michigan. TYE allows transfer students access to a community where they feel immediately at home, learn to navigate campus resources and build intentional and lasting connections.
Living in a community of other transfers, residents of TYE are able to quickly connect over shared experiences and learn from each other’s individual strengths.
