Cyphi RLC
Cyphi Residential Learning Community (RLC) is a traditional-style, co-ed community of first and second-year students, focused on the themes of sustainability and the arts. The RLC is housed within Swig Residence Hall.
Focused on sustainability and the arts, the Cyphi RLC brings together students with diverse passions and interests to pursue the shared goal of making the world a better place. Cyphi RLC focuses on helping students engage with sustainability and the arts through social justice work, community service, and helping residents develop meaningful connections at SCU.
In addition to its broader theme, Cyphi RLC has three themed floors, which provide more focused programming for residents interested in exploring a topic more specifically. Cyphi RLC’s three themed floors include:
- Sustainability (7th floor): The SLURP (Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project) floor focuses specifically on sustainability, with many of its students taking linked-courses in environmental science.
- The Performing Arts (5th floor): The SPARC (Swig Performing Arts Repertory Community) floor focuses on the performing arts, and is home to musicians, artists, actors, photographers, dancers, and poets. Hallway jam sessions are not uncommon in this creative community.
- Outdoor Adventures (2nd floor): the SWAN (Students Wild About Nature) floor focuses on getting students outdoors and into nature. Students on this floor often organize day hikes, camping trips, and other fun excursions off-campus.
Cyphi RLC is also home to three floors entirely comprised of 2nd-year residents to offer specialized support in this area.
Our Community is a traditional-style, co-ed space with long hallways and double rooms. It is home to approximately 415 residents, divided among the building's ten residential floors. About 80 percent of residents are first-year and 20 percent are second-year residents. Students tend to form close-knit communities with their floor. Many describe living in Cyphi RLC as the "classic" college experience, and the high population of first-year students makes the community particularly active and social.
Every Residential Learning Community (RLC) offers several programs and events each week. Community Facilitators and Leadership Councils host floor and building-wide socials, facilitate activities to promote wellness and mental health, lead students to on-campus events, and organize service opportunities.
Events traditionally held in Cyphi RLC include numerous floor socials, movie nights, and hiking programs.
Theme programming provides opportunities to engage with sustainability and the arts and has included Bob Ross painting nights, sustainability potlucks in the Forge Garden, Succulents & Chipotle, and spring Field Day!
The Cyphi RLC staff is comprised of 10 Community Facilitators (CFs), 1 Spirituality Facilitator (SF), 1 Faculty Director (FD), 1 Assistant Resident Director (ARD), and 1 Resident Director (RD).
The Cyphi RLC 2024-2025 team includes:
Leadership Team
- Gabriela Ruelas, Resident Director
- Kevin Shimizu, Assistant Resident Director
- Sreela Sarkar, Faculty Director
- Fernando Sanchez, Spirituality Facilitator
Community Facilitators (CFs)
CFs in Swig support a floor of approximately 40 students. All student staff on campus receive training in conflict resolution and roommate mediation, crisis response, community building, and campus resources, and are present in their community to support their residents. Students can contact their Community Facilitator or Leadership Team directly for support.
Swig Residence Hall
Swig Hall is an eleven-story tower with ten residential floors, an 11th-floor lounge, and communal space in the basement. Rooms are traditional doubles with a vanity and sink in each space. Communal restrooms, one male and one female, are on each floor. Approximately 40 students live on each of the ten floors, with one Community Facilitator per floor.
There are communal kitchens on several floors in the building, and a large laundry room is located in the basement. The basement has additional communal spaces, including a dance studio and music room. Swig does not have air conditioning.
Each student living in a Swig Hall standard double, pictured above, is provided a twin XL bed frame and mattress, desk, rolling desk cabinet, desk chair, wardrobe, and set of three stacking dresser drawers.
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Each RLC is coordinated by a Leadership Team comprised of a live-in Resident Director (RD), Faculty Director (FD), Spirituality Facilitator(s), and Assistant Resident Director(s). Your RLC’s Leadership Team is a valuable resource and its members can help you with both personal and academic concerns.
