Affinity Housing – Residential Life

What is Affinity Housing?

Affinity Housing communities bring together students who share identities that affect their college experience in specific and significant ways. They incorporate intentional interaction, programming and resources into the residential experience and offer students the opportunity to engage meaningfully with staff, faculty and peers around the Affinity Housing theme. All members of an Affinity Housing community will play a role in leading and crafting the shared experiences of their community.

Research shows that students who join Affinity Housing communities have a smoother transition to college both academically and socially. They tend to be more involved with their campus community and have higher levels of academic self-confidence and persistence. Participating in Affinity Housing communities often results in a greater sense of belonging for students.

Affinity Housing communities have the opportunity to receive programmatic support to build connections among themselves and the larger residential and campus community, as well as the intentional support from College staff and faculty.

What Affinity Housing Options Does K Provide?

Currently offered Affinity Housing communities include:

FirstGen – A community for students who identify as first-generation college students, meaning that neither parent completed a four-year college or university degree. For more information about what it means to be a first-generation student, visit the Center for First-Generation Student Success website.
English as a Second Language (ESL) – A living community for students whose native language or language most commonly spoken at home is not English.
LGBTQ+ – A living community for students who identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Substance Free – A living community for those students who live a substance-free lifestyle, meaning that they do not recreationally use substances (illicit or otherwise, including alcohol or cannabis products), and/or are in recovery from substance addiction.

How Do I Request Affinity Housing?

Use the Affinity Housing Request Form to note your preference for Affinity Housing. To ensure placement in an Affinity Housing Community, please submit your request by June 17.

Specific locations of Affinity Housing communities will be determined based on interest. Please note that, due to the physical makeup of our residence halls, single-occupancy rooms in these Affinity Housing communities will be extremely limited. If a student indicates interest in an Affinity Housing community, that interest will be prioritized over other residence hall or room-type preferences.

If you have any questions about Affinity Housing, please email us at reslife@kzoo.edu.

Affinity Housing Request Form

Name * Required
First Last
Student ID Number * Required
College E-mail Address * Required
Affinity Housing Communities * Required
Please indicate which Affinity Housing Community you wish to participate in.
- FirstGen
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- LGBTQ+
- Substance Free
Housing Preference Acknowledgement * Required
Specific locations of Affinity Housing communities will be determined based on interest. Due to the physical makeup of our residence halls, single-occupancy rooms in these Affinity Housing communities will be extremely limited.
I acknowledge that my request to participate in an Affinity Housing Community will be prioritized over other residence hall or room-type preferences listed on my housing application.