Ashby Residential College: Arts, Design, and Media
This living-learning community is open to all majors and will be of particular interest to students who would like to explore ways to interrogate digital and non-digital life experiences through programming to help students integrate and apply art, design and media to societal challenges locally and globally. The Ashby community uses this theme as a lens to engage with issues of inclusivity, ethics, and social impact while supporting a creative vision of students’ personal, academic, and professional journeys.
Ashby Residential College (located in Mary Foust Hall), founded in 1970, cherishes its history on UNCG’s campus and its many traditions, including producing an annual haunted house for the community. Located on College Avenue, the residential hall boasts an in-residence classroom, large formal parlor, high ceilings, angled stairwells, and gabled windows. With on-site advisors, and hosting a range of events and activities, it is a traditional hall-style residence with double-occupancy.
Signature Events
Valle Crucis Retreat Every September after Labor Day, a faculty-led weekend retreat for students is planned at the beautiful Valle Crucis Conference Center in the North Carolina mountains! This retreat, in large part sponsored by Ashby alumni, is a long-standing tradition offering students the chance to unplug, explore scenic trails, visit local tourist spots, and enjoy cozy bonfire nights with s’mores, music, and storytelling.
Haunted House Dare to enter one of the most anticipated student-led events of the year — our infamous Haunted House! Each fall, brave guests descend into a new nightmare, crafted entirely by students who specialize in the art of fear. With chilling past themes like Cannibal Co-Eds and Killer Clowns, no two years are ever the same — but the screams are guaranteed.
Designed, built, and run by students, this haunted experience blends theatrical horror, immersive sets, and jump scares that will keep your heart racing. Enter if you dare… but don’t say we didn’t warn you.
FousterCon
A student-organized vendor fair that brings together creativity, community, and commerce in a vibrant, comic-con-inspired atmosphere. Designed to showcase student entrepreneurs, local artists, small businesses, and pop culture enthusiasts, Foster Con offers a unique space where fandom meets innovation. Whether you’re here to discover handmade goods, grab exclusive merch, or just soak in the lively con-style energy, there’s something for everyone. Costumes encouraged, community welcomed!
Student Committees
The Ashby Ambassadors is a recruitment committee dedicated to representing and promoting Ashby Residential College to prospective students and their families. Members of this committee serve as enthusiastic ambassadors, helping to share what makes Ashby unique—our traditions, community, academic focus, and inclusive environment.
Committee responsibilities include participating in Saturday Admissions events and First Friday tours, where members may lead info sessions, give personalized residence hall tours with showrooms, and engage with students during Q&A panels or tabling events.
In addition to recruitment event support, members may help with outreach efforts such as public speaking or student modeling with special University Communications projects, assisting with social media takeovers, and connecting one-on-one with admitted students.
This committee is perfect for students who enjoy the Ashby RC Experience, would also like to enhance their public speaking skills and finally, are looking to make a lasting impact on its future by helping recruit the next generation of residents with warmth, authenticity, and school spirit.
Each fall, the Ashby Haunted House Committee transforms our hallways into a spine-chilling, student-designed haunted experience! From eerie lighting and special effects to creepy characters and storytelling, this committee works together to plan, build, and perform one of the most thrilling events on campus each year. It’s a chance for students to flex their creativity, collaborate on set design and costumes, and bring spooky fun to the UNCG community. Whether you’re a scare actor, makeup artist, prop handler or idea mastermind, this is the place to turn your haunted visions into reality!
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Committee is a dynamic, student-led group that brings Ashby’s iconic annual production to life each November. From casting and choreography to costumes, props, and promotion, this committee handles every aspect of the show’s planning and performance.
Whether you’re interested in performing, directing, tech, makeup, or behind-the-scenes support, there’s a place for you on this high-energy team. It’s a fun, collaborative way to get involved, build leadership and theatrical skills, and keep one of Ashby’s most beloved and outrageous traditions alive!
The FousterCon Committee is a student-led team responsible for organizing Ashby’s signature spring showcase, held during the final Saturday Admissions recruitment event of the year. Designed as a mini Comic-Con, FousterCon celebrates Ashby’s creativity and community through themed cosplay.
A highlight of the event is the student vendor market, where artists and creators offer customized artwork, crafts, and merchandise for sale to prospective students and their families—providing a fun, authentic way to experience the talent within our community.
From concept to execution, committee members help plan the theme, recruit potential performers and/or vendors, decorate spaces, and engage with campus guests. It’s a colorful, high-energy event that showcases the heart of Ashby and makes a lasting impression on our future residents.
Artby is Ashby’s very own creative collective of students—a cozy space where crafts meet community. Whether you’re a seasoned painter, a passionate crocheter, or just looking to explore your artsy side, Artby hosts hands-on events where Residential College students can relax, make, and connect. Join us for paint nights, DIY décor sessions, sidewalk chalk creations, embroidery circles, and more—no experience required, just curiosity and good vibes.
Silver Screen Society (S3):
The Silver Screen Society (S3) Committee is a student-led group of cinema lovers and movie buffs who meet weekly to watch, discuss, and appreciate films across all genres—from cult classics and indie gems to blockbuster hits and international cinema.
Each week’s screening is selected and hosted by committee members, often featuring themed nights, casual discussions, and opportunities to explore the art of filmmaking in a fun, low-pressure environment.
Whether you’re a film fanatic or just love a good movie night with friends, this committee offers a space to build community through storytelling, shared experiences, and popcorn-worthy conversations.
This student-led committee is all about documenting the heartbeat of Ashby—its people, events, and unforgettable moments. Members of the committee help capture and compile photos and memories throughout the year, playing a key role in creating Ashby’s very own yearbook that highlights everything from major traditions to quiet moments of community.
In addition to the yearbook, this committee helps produce monthly and special edition e-newsletters exclusively for Ashby residents with the Honors College Communications Coordinator. These digitized newsletters are filled with event recaps, fun facts, upcoming opportunities, student spotlights, and creative contributions from the Ashby community.
Whether you love photography, graphic design, writing, or storytelling, this is a perfect space to contribute your voice and creativity while preserving Ashby’s legacy in a meaningful and artistic way.
Featured Courses
MAC Oral Communication (MOC)
Instructor: Frances Bottenberg
Across cultures and histories, making and sharing art help define what it means to be human. Why is that? What is art’s power? More broadly, what makes aesthetic experience so special in the flow of our lives? These are some of the philosophical questions we will explore together in this course, alongside hands-on experiences with artistic creativity and attendance at arts events on and off campus. As a MAC Oral Communication course, we will pay special attention to how verbal and nonverbal expression are used to create and share artistic and aesthetic meaning. As we discuss intriguing questions in the philosophy of art, we will also practice communicative strategies that can be applied to a variety of contexts.
MAC Critical Thinking in the Humanities and Fine Arts (MHFA)
Instructor: Angela Bolte
Not every movie is a popcorn flick aimed at dazzling you with the latest in special effects and wowing you with the biggest Hollywood stars of the moment. Some films are true works of art, exploring abstract philosophical questions and setting the stage for both long-lived debates and contemporary questions. And, interestingly, some movies can be both, mixing popcorn and philosophy. The goal of this class will be to utilize film as an accessible and entertaining way of asking some of life’s most difficult, and important, questions. Questions like: What is real and how do we know? Who am I? What does it mean to have a mind? Do I have free will or are all of my actions predetermined? Why should I be a moral person? Do I have an obligation to obey society’s laws? These movies will provide a set of examples which we, as a class, will use to frame our discussions of these important questions. Thus, students are required, first and foremost, to see these films as philosophical texts in themselves and not solely as entertainment.
MAC CritThink Hum and Fine Art (MHFA)
Instructor: Matthew Reese
The prima donna is considered the cornerstone for an exquisite operatic cast. With mellifluous tones, soaring high notes, total vocal control and dramatic flair, there is a reason why this type of singer is revered by composers and adored by audiences. In this course we will explore the accomplishments and contributions of black women in the opera field that are often overlooked. Additionally, we will discuss the core themes of the critical black feminist thought and the parallelism that occasionally appears through the casting of black women in particular operatic roles.
This course will initially start with an introduction of different types of classical vocal genres (opera, oratorio, art song), performance etiquette, and identification of the various vocal classifications through the German fach system. Additionally, this course will travel through the decades to recognize some of the major singing talents that will be presented as singer profile projects by students. Through visual analyzation and thorough discussion of the divas’ performances, students will be able to identify major character roles in the repertoire such as: Tosca, Dalila, Carmen, Aïda, and Bess. Students will also be able to critically comprehend the concept of an opera synopsis along with character identification to understand what is being communicated through notable arias and other classical vocal works. It is important for students to come to the course engaged and respectful to the opinions of others as they will learn how to orally communicate fundamentals of the classical vocal arts effectively through presentation and civil discussion.