The First-Year Program at Saint Lawrence University is designed to provide a solid foundation for liberal learning. It consists of four integrated components:

• A multidisciplinary and team-taught course inquiring into fundamental and enduring questions of the human experience
• Extensive attention to writing, speaking, and research which emphasizes critical reflection on texts and media
• An enriched advising system
• Residential colleges where students might live and learn together, and in this way realize connections between the intellectual, social, political and cultural dimensions of their lives.

1. The First-Year Program sees communication skills - reading, writing, speaking, listening, and research - as integral to all academic inquiry. The teaching of these skills should permeate every dimension of the program. (See the FYP Statement of Philosophy and Goals for the Communication Skills Component for further elaboration.)

2. The residential life of FYP colleges is a critical part of the program. Students, faculty, and staff cooperate in developing colleges as living/learning communities. An environment of mutual responsibility and respect is essential to the work of a university. Behavior which violates these standards will not be tolerated. Each college will participate in the residential curriculum as agreed upon by the FYP each semester. (See the FYP Statement of Philosophy and Goals of the Residential Component and the FYP Residential Curriculum for further elaboration.)

3. Faculty will participate in faculty development events as specified each semester.

1. FYP Attendance and Participation Policy - Since this course is based on the participation of each member of the community, the learning process would suffer from the lack of involvement and participation of its members. Participation is a central feature of the FYP classroom and the FYP college community. The development of critical thinking and communication skills requires active participation by all students. Attendance is expected and will be considered part of class participation. Each college will account for non-attendance in the semester's evaluation.

2. FYP Evaluation Policy -Teams should work together to develop and apply consistent criteria of evaluation.