The Blount Scholars Program is extremely fortunate to have three buildings. Theses spaces are a benefit of being in the program and constitute a resource that many other students do not enjoy. They’re open to all Blount students and serve as meeting rooms, lounges, study halls, and anything that our students can think of. To have access to some of the oldest buildings on campus is a privilege that Blount students hold closest to their hearts and would protect to their dying breath.
The Blount Living Learning-Center (Blount LLC)
The Blount Living-Learning Center is the residential building for all first-year students. There are four classrooms on the first floor where the Foundations classes are held. These classrooms are open 24/7 to students and, as long as there is not a class happening there, it is free for Blount students to use. There is a computer lab on the fourth floor. The LLC is located near Lakeside Dining Hall, John England Hall Market, and the Ferguson Student Center. For more information about specifications and other questions check out the official UA housing website for the Blount LLC here.
Blount’s Own Videos
If the UA Housing website does not quench your thirst, please check out some of our student-made Blount Videos:
Common Areas
Blount LLC is not just a place to sleep (even though I bet you’ll find a college kid sleeping in the oddest places). It is also a place where students always have the ability to meet people they would have never had the chance to meet otherwise. Whether that is in the in-house library, the computer lounge, or the game room, Blount students have ample areas to mix and mingle with their cohort.
This unique living dynamic provides the Blount student with a large foundation of peers that only a small portion of students have readily available compared to Blount students.
Classrooms
Of course the name “Living Learning Center” means that there is some “learning” going on in the LLC and the ability to have four different classrooms right below your dorm rooms is a privilege at UA.
Blount students also have 24/7 access to the four classrooms as long as there is not a class at that moment. These rooms can be used for anything from a group study night to a bustling board game night.
If you want to learn about the curriculum and the variety of readings read in these classrooms check them out on our curriculum page.
Living Quarters
The Blount Living aspects are specifically set up to maximize student interaction from the shared common spaces to the living quarters. The dorm rooms themselves are often a place of epic karaoke battles, study sessions, and intense philosophical debates. (Pro tip: the area between the beds is a prime location to build a fort). If you want to find out more about specifications and other additional details, UA housing is your best bet! Check out the official UA housing website for the Blount LLC.
Check out an official room tour video of a Blount Dorm room by UA Housing.
If you want to schedule a tour of the Blount LLC or the other Blount buildings, schedule a tour here.
Oliver-Barnard Hall (OB)
Oliver-Barnard Hall is the heart of the administrative wing of the Blount Scholars Program. The first floor contains classrooms, a kitchen and the great hall. The great hall in Oliver-Barnard should be thought of as a living room – many people will share it, some might hog the couch, and there’s sunlight that hits just at the right angle for you to read St. Augustine’s Confessions in perfect peace.
Administrative Office
The administrative offices and some faculty offices are on the second floor. Murrie might even have some nice snacks in her office if you ask. The lair of the program director is also located there. Enter at your own cost, but he might have his dogs, so big risk, big reward.
OB Kitchen
The kitchen is available to anyone, and if you are lucky, you might be blessed with some leftovers from a previous Blount ceremony. But if you dare disturb someone else’s sustenance, heaven have mercy on your soul. Just trust me, don’t do it.
Tuomey Hall
Tuomey Hall is the library, study, and workspace for Blount Scholars. The quintessential domain of a budding scholar. Open 24/7 to Blount students.
Library & Classrooms
The lower floor contains the Yarbrough-Danforth Library, with literature open only to Blount students. There are also several classroom spaces open to Blount students (as long as there’s not a class happening) for study groups, project get-togethers, and world domination planning sessions.
The Computer Lab
The computer lab offers free printing. The access to a free printer in the center of campus is like finding an oasis in the middle of a desert. Rather than paying $0.10/page (this adds up quickly) to print at Gorgas, just join Blount!
Tuomey Kitchen
The Tuomey Kitchen, unlike the OB kitchen, is home to the oddest species alive: the fatigued college student. In this kitchen, you are likely to find a mathematics student brewing their 6th pot of coffee of the day while unnervingly spouting numbers that cause the humanities to hunker in fear.
