When Matt Vaughan, a sophomore from Mexico, Mo., came to Western fall 2007, he was a little nervous about coming to a school where he knew no one.

But when Vaughan started talking with his fellow residents in Minton Hall, he found they had a lot in common, including a desire to change the world.

So Vaughan knew he wanted to get involved when he heard about a new Living Learning Community focused on social justice, he said.

The Social Justice Living Learning Community is a new take on The Gateway Program, said Peggy Crowe, assistant director of student programs for Housing and Residence Life.

Gateway, which was the first living learning community, was originally for undeclared students, Crowe said.

It’s now changing focus to become the Social Justice Living Learning Community, she said.

The social justice community and the Women in Science and Engineering Undergraduate Program are new this fall, Crowe said.

Both are Living Learning Communities, in which students with similar interests and goals live and study together, according to the HRL Web site.

All Living Learning Communities are in Pearce-Ford Tower, Crowe said.

There are three other communities, including the college of business community, according to the HRL Web site.

Enrolled students attend classes with a small group of students and live together on the same floor in their dorm, according to the Web site.

About 40 students will be in the social justice community, said Paul Markham, director of the ALIVE Center.

The students will have a resident assistant to keep them involved in global, local and national issues, he said.

Vaughan, who will be an RA in PFT next year, said he doesn’t know if he will be an RA for the social justice living learning community. But he said he would like to be the RA for the group.

Vaughan said he wants to try and re-create the bond he made with students in Minton last year.

The students in the social justice community will take classes together, including an English course called “Rhetoric of Social Change,” a philosophy course called “A Committed Life,” a University Experience course, a community organizing class and an action seminar, Markham said.

“The bottom line is that we’re looking to build a constituency of student leaders who are passionate about changing the world,” Markham said.

WISE UP students will also live in PFT and take a University Experience class together, Crowe said.

Sharon Buzzard, director of University Experience, said each Living Learning Community has its own section of University Experience.

Themed Living Learning Communities, such as the social justice community and WISE UP, not only provide camaraderie for students, but pair them with others who share similar interests, she said.