EAST LANSING, Mich. — Starting with the fall 2008 semester, Michigan State University will offer students an opportunity to live in a residence hall environment where American Sign Language is the primary mode of communication.
This new housing option will be located in Snyder-Phillips Hall, which also will become a hub for many academic and cultural events focused on deafness – bringing together students who are deaf or hard of hearing and others who use or study the language from across campus and the Lansing area. Students must have at least a basic ability and commitment to communicate in ASL to live in the dedicated dormitory space.
American Sign Language is the third most commonly used language in the United States, following English and Spanish. However, hearing students who study ASL – as an asset or requirement of their future careers – don’t have readily available opportunities to immerse themselves in the language and culture of the deaf community.
MSU’s ASL Living/Learning option will be the only such environment among Michigan’s public universities and one of the most unique in the nation, said Harold Johnson, professor of special education and a widely known deaf education expert.
“This gives us a cultural and linguistic setting that will welcome individuals who sign and allow students to develop their ASL skills above and beyond what can be done through coursework,” Johnson said. “We’re moving ASL out of the classroom and into living.”
Although students from all class levels and majors may apply, students pursuing related MSU degrees in communicative sciences and disorders, deaf education or social work will be encouraged to consider the chance to gain awareness of each other’s disciplines and better understand the life experiences of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Faculty from the colleges of Communication Arts and Sciences, Education and Social Science proposed the ASL residential option as a partnership that will enhance their individual programs and the university’s efforts to support an inclusive, diverse student body.
“Evidence-based outcomes show that living-learning programs enhance the student experience in significant ways,” said MSU Provost Kim Wilcox. “We are pleased that the collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to establishing the ASL residential option has resulted in Michigan State’s ability to provide this unique educational opportunity.”
Jill Elfenbein, associate professor of communicative sciences and disorders, said many parties familiar with the needs and goals of students were consulted to make the new housing option viable.
“As we developed our proposal, we were fortunate to have advice from our alumni, from our current students and from colleagues from a variety of agencies and organizations, including the Michigan School for the Deaf, the Michigan Department of Human Services - Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Michigan Rehabilitation Services,” she said.
Snyder-Phillips was selected because it was recently renovated and re-focused as an on-campus community that values language arts and culture, housing the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities.
The building’s newly renovated and constructed spaces, including a theater and three-story cafeteria, offer ideal surroundings for students to comfortably communicate with, see and appreciate American Sign Language.
A limited number of reserved rooms, which will be available in both men’s and women’s sections, will be equipped with visual alerting systems and other accommodations upon request. A coordinator will plan activities such as guest speakers, social gatherings and captioned movies; Snyder-Phillips also could eventually serve as a convenient location for some ASL courses.
“The best way to learn any language is through continued use in a fun and relaxed environment,” said Kyle Callahan, an MSU junior who plans to apply for the program as he pursues a major in deaf education. “This will give both hearing and deaf students alike a place where they can live or go to where ASL isn’t considered strange, but rather celebrated and encouraged.”
New and returning students interested in this housing option should contact coordinator Marta Belsky at belsky@msu.edu. Current on-campus residents who would like to apply should contact Belsky no later than Jan. 30.
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