The Shea House provides approximately 75 students at the University of Virginia the unique opportunity to live for an academic year in an environment of total language immersion in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, Italian, Japanese, or Persian. Modeled after similar houses for other languages, the Shea House serves as the cultural and linguistic center at UVA for Italian and for six of the richest and most widely spoken languages of Asia and the Middle East. Each year there will be a number of cultural events put on at the Shea House in collaboration with faculty from the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (AMELC) and from the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Whether joking with friends, sharing meals, keeping a journal, discussing films, or discussing politics, students living at the Shea House will have one of the finest opportunities available at a North American university to deepen their experience of these vital languages and cultures.

∎ Where are we located?

Our official mailing address is: 400 Monroe Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22903

The Shea House is located at the corner of Jefferson Park Avenue and Monroe Lane, across from the Student Health Center. Along with the already existing Casa Bol?ar and La Maison Fran?ise, the Shea House is one of the foundations of the Language Precinct at UVA., and it is a convenient five-minute walk from Central Grounds and The Lawn. Here is the map (we are object 29).

∎ Living in SHEA

The Housing Division of the University of Virginia spent over three and a half million dollars on this building. It consists of six residential blocks, one each for Arabic, Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, Italian, Japanese, and Persian. Each block houses a native- or near-native-speaking Language Assistant who helps organize a weekly language table as well as other cultural events. Entry to the building is on the first floor, and there is an elevator for the students' convenience. There are both single-occupancy and double-occupancy rooms, and the cost per bed is similar to that for other focused-housing on Grounds: about $3000/year for single occupancy, and about $2500/year for double occupancy. Satellite dishes are being considered in order to provide direct access to the relevant languages' TV programming. Students living in the Shea House are provided with full laundry facilities, central heating and air conditioning, high-speed Ethernet connections in each room, and spacious common areas. Food is provided by ARAMARK and is available through one of the University's meal plans. The Shea House also provides cuisine from all the cultures represented there, and there is an in-house kitchen for students to occasionally cook for themselves and for the house's other residents. In addition to the house's ground-floor dining area, there is also a terrace located between the Shea House and Casa Bol?ar that may be used for patio dining.

The Shea House is open to any full-time student at the University of Virginia who can demonstrate at least a first-year competency in one of the relevant languages. Although priority is given to students taking classes in the six languages, the House is also open to international students and to heritage students who can demonstrate the necessary linguistic proficiency. Although the default inter-floor language is English, students are expected to carry on their daily activities in the language of the block they are living in. Acceptance to Shea House will be based on an application completed by the student and evaluated by a committee consisting of faculty members of UVA's Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (AMELC) and from the Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, for the Italian block. Applications are currently available online and in print. For further information contact Ahmad Obiedat, Director of the Shea House.

Brochure ∎ Application ∎ Employment ∎ Photos∎ UVA Housing Division