Student Life

In our life together at PSR, we rely on God's presence among us as we build a community that values diversity, mutual respect, and listening and learning from one another. The importance of these values transcends PSR: when we work to create community with others different from ourselves, we acquire important skills for leadership in churches and other faith communities.

At PSR, you're sure to be with others different from yourself. We welcome students who have diverse theological views and cultural backgrounds; international students; new college graduates as well as second-career professionals; heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students; families with children; and people with disabilities.

Our students relate to campus life in a variety of ways, depending on where they live and work: Half our students are in residence, living in dorms on campus or adjacent apartments. Half are commuters, from as close as Berkeley or Oakland and as far away as Reno or Seattle. Commuters make an important contribution to the life of our community, helping to connect life on campus to diverse faith communities around us.

The PSR staff—particularly the Office of Community Life—offers a number of services that encourage community building. But our community is really created by students who take the initiative to develop systems of care and support and opportunities for conversation and play.

Worship and Spiritual Life

Ministry—and preparation for ministry—requires a vital and growing worship and spiritual life. PSR students find many ways to integrate their life of faith with theological study. Many commuters and resident students participate in worshiping communities in the Bay Area, or find these communities after they move here. Each weekday brings opportunities for spiritual development and worship in diverse faith traditions at other GTU seminaries.

At PSR, we work to shape an ecumenical worship life that reaches out to the entire campus community. A Chapel Committee—made up of students, staff, and participants in the PSR Chorale—coordinates worship planning, often with faculty participation. We welcome students to take the initiative to incorporate diverse traditions-such as Taize, Gospel, and meditation-in our weekly services or in special services.

Prayer support groups provide another spiritual resource. Some are student-initiated, and others are facilitated by local alumni/ae who volunteer to meet weekly with prayer groups.

Pastoral Care

Students receive pastoral care from many people—faculty advisors, student friends, spiritual directors, pastoral counselors, local pastors, as well as staff. PSR staff offer referrals to pastoral counselors and spiritual directors, and coordinate systems of care within the campus community. A rotating group of students—the Campus Care Network—helps provide peer support and care in the community.

Community Association of PSR

The Community Association of PSR (CAPSR) advocates for students and their families, plans community events, appoints student representatives to the major governance committees of the seminary (including the board of trustees), and participates in development of seminary policies. All students and their spouses/partners become members upon registration through the CAPSR fee. The association's activities are planned and implemented by an elected council.

In recent years, CAPSR Council has sponsored community picnics and trips to ball games, published a campus newspaper, and given financial assistance to major seminary conferences and student task forces.

Apart from CAPSR, PSR students often take part in GTU-wide, student-initiated associations organized around specific interests. These include the International Students Association and Black Seminarians at the GTU.

Children and Schools

Students of all ages at PSR welcome the presence of children of all ages. PSR children enjoy a multitude of potential grandparents, aunts and uncles, and big brothers and sisters in our community. Parents of young children frequently cooperate in childcare exchanges. There are many day care and nursery school programs in Berkeley, but the high cost of these services is a concern for many families.

Most PSR children and teenagers attend Berkeley public schools. Parents generally find these schools to be educationally excellent. In addition, there is a good parochial elementary and high school nearby which some families prefer.

Room and Board for Commuters and Residents

Our housing options help long-distance commuter students to enjoy community life between classes, and enable resident students to feel truly at home on campus. We usually can secure campus housing for students who apply by February 1 for fall semester admission. If you have questions about your housing options, contact the Housing Coordinator.

Commuters who live and work some distance from Berkeley often need a place to stay overnight. We reserve several dormitory rooms for commuters who stay here one or two nights a week. Some students are both commuters and residents: they maintain households as far away as Seattle or Los Angeles while living on campus during the week.

Most resident single students live in our dormitories. Benton Hall, built in 1926, has 22 large single rooms with a shared bath on each floor. Anderson Hall, built in 1969, has 14 two and three-bedroom suites, each with a common living room and bathroom, and eight one-bedroom apartments. Both facilities have group kitchens, which students use on the weekends when the dining hall is closed. Students may stay in their rooms year-round as long as they are enrolled full-time for the following semester.

Families with children, couples, and some singles live in studio, one, two, and three- bedroom apartments adjacent to campus. The monthly rate for these apartments is one-half to one-third the rent typically charged for equivalent apartments on the market. We welcome gay and lesbian students, their partners, and children in our family housing. You can find photos of Benton hall, Anderson Hall and some of our apartments in our Campus Tour.

Community Dining

D'Autremont Dining Hall serves three meals each weekday during the Fall and Spring semesters for dorm residents. All other full-time registered students pay for a Chez Nous dining card which covers one meal a week at d'Autremont during the semester. PSR families may also use their Chez Nous card for occasional family nights out at d'Autremont. The dining hall draws together dorm residents, apartment residents, commuters, as well as students from other GTU schools, providing a focal point for conversation and socializing for the entire PSR community.

Accessibility

We work to assure that important private and public spaces on campus are accessible to people in wheelchairs. Ramps or ground-level doors provide easy access to our dining hall, chapel, administration building (with an automatic door opener at the west entrance), and the first floor of our Mudd Building classroom facility. Rooms on the first floor of Benton Hall and one of our studio apartments provide comfortable living spaces for people with mobility impairments. Accessible housing is limited but can be arranged through the Housing Office . Because of the hills around PSR, manually driven wheelchairs are difficult to maneuver; the use of motorized wheelchairs or scooters is advised. Unfortunately, most campuses of the other GTU member schools are not accessible.

Students who wish to request accommodations from PSR for a disability are required to submit an Information and Release Form to the associate dean before these accommodations can be considered. This includes requests for accommodations in the classroom, PSR housing, and other PSR facilities. The form can be obtained from the associate dean at 510/849-8258.

Technology Resources

PSR students have access to state-of-the-art computer equipment, software, and web services through the PSR Computer Lab. The lab provides a supportive environment for students to gain practical skills, and offers 11 computers with multi-media capability, two laser printers, and a variety of academic software programs. PSR also provides web-based e-mail accounts for students that can be accessed from the Computer Lab.

The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) recently received a major grant from The Lilly Endowment, Inc. designed to enhance the consortium's educational technology resources. PSR and GTU faculty are being trained to do web-based course enhancements, and a new "smart classroom" has been created at PSR to provide an enhanced learning environment for students.

Student Handbook

PSR's Student Handbook answers many common questions about academic and residential life at PSR, and has tips on getting settled in the Berkeley area. For more information on student life at PSR, contact the Office of Community Life at 510/849-8257.

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Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709-1323
Phone: 800/999-0528. E-mail: PSRinfo@psr.edu. Web: www.psr.edu.
PSR is a member of the Graduate Theological Union.
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