Get Involved
Student Leadership
At the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston, there are a variety of opportunities for Junior Fellows (undergraduate residents) to explore and take on leadership positions.
House Council
Each of the four Houses is led by an elected student council, members of which are responsible for planning events and programs for residents. House Councils are open to anyone and elections for House Council executive boards are held in the spring semester. Each House Council is advised by a Graduate Resident Fellow (GRF), a graduate student who lives in the community and serves as a mentor and advisor. Junior Fellows can get involved with House Council as soon as their first day living in RCWAJ.
Apartment Fellows
Apartment Fellows live in one of eight suite-style spaces in West AJ and serve on their House’s leadership team alongside House Council members. Apartment Fellows plan programs for residents and use their living space to host events for the community. Applications for the Apartment Fellow position open in the fall semester.
Alliance Council
Alliance Council is made up of the four House presidents and is led by a separately-elected Alliance President and Vice President. Together, the Alliance Council plans RCWAJ-wide events and supports cross-House collaboration and connection.
Our Traditions
Every fall, the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston begins the year with our Aims of Education Address, a gala speaker event that prepares us to meet the joys and challenges of the academic year ahead. Aims of Education is an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and the Virginia Tech community to think deeply together about the major political, social, and cultural issues of our time and to imagine the futures we’ll create together. Past Aims of Education speakers have included citizen artist Vijay Gupta, theoretical physicist and black feminist theorist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author and activist Arun Gandhi, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, and National Book Award Winners Nikki Finney and Andrew Aydin.
Mondays at RCWAJ are the best day of the week because every Monday is FaculTea! FaculTea is the centerpiece of our intellectual life together, as scholars, researchers, artists, and educators from across the VT campus and beyond share their groundbreaking work with students. Hosted by the Faculty Principal in their apartment on the 4th floor of West Ambler Johnston Hall, FaculTea is a catered event that features food for the mind and the body.
Every Thursday evening during the academic year, RCWAJ residents gather at the D2 dining hall (mere steps from our door) for dinner and time together in community. Senior Fellows (affiliated faculty) join students, staff, and the Faculty Principal for plentiful food in a dedicated space where old friendships are strengthened and new ones are formed.
The Residential College at West Ambler Johnston is led by a live-in faculty principal and supported by affiliated faculty and staff from across Virginia Tech.