Welcome to SERC A!  It is certainly a great place to live!

SERC A is one of the newest residence halls on campus and is one of the best!  The building is home to approximately 325 residents, nine Resident Assistants (RAs), and a full-time professional staff member.  Not only is the new building fantastic, but the residents who live here are fantastic too!  Right away you’ll find SERC A residents are friendly and always willing to help out.  There’s always something going on and someone new to meet! 

Sometimes new buildings have a reputation of being a “retirement community” for upperclass students.  Not here!  We have residents from all different class standings, freshman through senior!  In fact, about 1/3 of the building’s residents are freshmen.  The community is an active one where we encourage hard work on academic pursuits, getting involved on campus, learning about our differences, and creating healthy habits.  There is truly something new to experience here every day!

Academics

Although we’re a new building, SERC A has already established a reputation for high academic achievement.  Students who live here work hard in their classes and our nine study lounges and areas are always busy with students studying for an exam, writing a paper, or working on class projects together.  The hall staff provides numerous programs throughout the year focusing on helping students make the most of their academics.  The staff also focuses on establishing good academic habits no matter what your class standing or how long you’ve been here. 

Community

We have nine distinct communities within SERC A!  On floors one through four there are two RAs per floor.  There are two distinct sides to each floor: a “Suite” side of the floor where there are four, five, six, and seven person suite-style rooms, and a “Spicy” side of the floor where rooms share a common lounge space and central bathroom.  Our 5th floor (with one of the best views on campus!) is one floor community and combines the best of both worlds – “Suite” AND “Spicy!”

There is always a floor social or hall-wide program going on practically every night of the week in SERC A.  Here, going to social programs, educational programs, or other hall-wide events IS the cool thing to do.  Each RA plans and organizes weekly social programs for their floors.  Past social programs include things like jewelry making parties, Guitar Hero and other video game tournaments, board game nights, attending speakers or concerts on campus, field trips to the UNH Dairy Bar, cooking or baking in the hall’s amazing new kitchen, and the list goes on and on!  The RAs also plan weekend programs in and out of the hall.  These programs are a great way for residents to be active on the weekends in SERC A.  We have hosted Coffee House programs, video game tournaments, a Halloween Dance, and a ton of other great programs.

Diversity

SERC A is an inclusive community, one that respects and honors the differences in all of us.  We believe each student should be respectful to their fellow community members and not only treat the building with respect, but themselves and others as well.  Each person who enters SERC A and any other residence hall on this campus will be held to a high standard in regards to treating others with respect based on many components, which include but are certainly not limited to: their living environment, race, who they are as a person, gender, background, sexual orientation, interests, religion, ability level and anything else you can think of!  Our goal is to create a safe and welcome place to live – a home away from home – where everyone feels welcome.

Community Service Project

SERC A, along with our neighbors in SERC B, has teamed up to work with the families and children of the Forest Park apartments.  Tenants who live in Forest Park include graduate students and faculty members from all corners of the globe.  Many residents have children so we thought it would be a great idea to work together and provide some fun activities for them!  Throughout the year we’ll be planning and organizing several activities to bring our residents together with the children of Forest Park and give them a chance to have a great time.  Recently, we held our first “Trick or Treat in the Street” event on the pedestrian walkway between the SERCs and Forest Park.  We set up tables with different Halloween activities at each table for the kids to partake in, like a coloring contest, costume contest, caramel apples, apple cider, pumpkin carving and painting, and of course a boatload of Halloween candy!  There were over 150 kids, parents, and SERC students who attended the program.  It was a huge success and are hopeful our next event will be even more successful!

Hall Council

The SERC A Hall Council is made up of residents who like to get involved and plan great events and activities for the hall.  We have an extremely active and dedicated group of students this year who have started the year off strong!  So far, Hall Council has hosted a huge Patriots game tailgate party where over 120 residents came, ate great food, and watched the Pats kick up on their opponent!  It was a great success and everyone had a great time.  Hall Council also helped plan and organize Trick or Treat in the Street and was largely responsible for the success of that program.  The group has purchased many new items for the hall, including cookware for our brand new kitchen, board games, athletic equipment, and is looking in to buying a ping pong table and big screen TV!  Hall Council has many more great programs up their sleeve this year and they are looking forward to establishing many new hall traditions!

Quotes!

After only a few months of living in SERC A I am proud to call it my home away from home. It  has made for a great living atmosphere making the transition from high school to college that much more enjoyable.  Not one week goes by where there isn't?t some type of social where you can get to either know people on your floor or within the building.  This goes to shows what type of friendly environment SERC A offers to those who reside within the building. Every day I enjoy seeing the politeness of people and how someone will stop and go out of their way to hold the door for you even if that person is in a rush.  ~ Tyler Putnam, Freshman Chemical Engineering major

Living in SERC A is wonderful! We have great lounges for studying or hanging out, and I love using the kitchen on the first floor. I especially enjoy living in a suite. Hall Council is an easy way to get involved and meet friendly, respectful people. I loved Hall Council’s “Trick-or-Treat Street,” which featured lots of Halloween activities out on the promenade for the children and families who live nearby. SERC A is fantastic!  ~ Becky Noyes, Junior Music Education major

Living in SERC A has helped me interact with more of my own classmates and those of other years. Living on “1 Spicy” is fun. All the doors are open and there is a sense of community and friendship throughout the whole floor.  ~ Shawn Olsten, Sophomore Communication major

It’s not every day on a college campus that students get to live in brand new buildings with all the luxuries of home, but here in SERC A, we are certainly spoiled. SERC A is nestled into a little corner of campus with easy access to dining halls, the gym and of course, academic buildings. With this in mind, residents take full advantage of all the opportunities that living in a new area can provide. With a mix of both suite style and regular dorm style living, residents in SERC A have the opportunity to make friends with students from every grade and participate in fun socials sponsored by the Resident Assistants living on each floor.  Far enough away from the bustle of classes but close enough to all the events on campus, SERC A is more than just a dorm, it’s a home away from home.  ~ Aisling Maes, Junior Spanish major

"I really enjoy living in SERC A. From day one, I have constantly been impressed with the motivation of the hall staff. Not only do they show enthusiasm in everything they do, but they also get everyone living here involved. Whether it be hall council, floor socials, or community activities like the Halloween Trick-or-Treat Street with our neighbors at Forest Park, the hall staff here at SERC A are some of the best! I encourage anyone interested in living here to stop by sometime and check it out, it's a great place to live!"  ~ John DeWaal, Junior Music Education major

I feel extremely comfortable with the fact that if I ever needed anything or had questions to ask, help was just down the hall. I am very close to Heather (my RA) and she has made herself available day or night to check up on us. I also like having a hall director that isn't some mystery figure that we just hear about and never see. I know that most likely if I was running around the building the odds were I would bump into Aaron and be given a friendly HELLO ESME! This really helps because I am someone that comes from a strong family life and it makes SERC feel that much more of a home when there are familiar faces at every turn.  I am proud to say that I live in SERC A: A place that always has something to do, always a safe spot, never fails to offer a friendly face, and is a great place to attribute to the already great life at UNH :) ~ Esme Flynn, Sophomore Communication major

The brand new building, with ample lounge space and nice facilities provides a comfortable setting.  In addition for those who wish there is something for everyone to take part in from BBQ's, to socials and educational events at SERC A.  The combination of great facilities and great people makes SERC a great place to live.  ~ Michael Lynch, Junior Electrical Engineering major