妻友社区

Lion Voices | StudentsAugust 08, 2025

Home Among the Halls: Joe England

Written By: Ian Silvester

Resident Director Joe England calls living in a dorm life-changing and a choice he believes students will not regret. 

Though at the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith, living in the dorms 鈥� the Lion鈥檚 Den 鈥� isn鈥檛 a requirement for incoming students, England certainly encourages it.  

鈥淪ome of my best memories were made there,鈥� he said, recalling his own time at Arkansas Tech University, where he lived in the dorms as a student and eventually became a resident assistant (RA).  

England said he hopes students who choose to live in the Lion鈥檚 Den at 妻友社区 have a similar experience. He said it all starts with being close to all 妻友社区 has to offer. 

鈥淟iving on campus not only lets you meet other students who are having similar experiences to you, it helps you connect to campus more as well. There are a metric ton of events that happen on campus every day 鈥� if it鈥檚 a five-minute walk versus a 10- to 15-minute drive, it鈥檚 a lot easier to go to that event, and on-campus events are some of the best times you鈥檒l have on campus,鈥� England said. 

England fondly spoke of his time at ATU, where he earned two bachelor's degrees in creative writing and English and a master鈥檚 degree in college student personnel. He attributed much of his fond memories to his time living in the dorms and working as an RA. 

He described numerous times when he would walk out of his room only to find people from all over the world huddled together talking about life, family, current topics, or school. All of it, he said, created a place where he felt at home away from home. 

It鈥檚 a feeling England strives to recreate for all students who call the Lion鈥檚 Den home. 

From monthly events hosted by RAs to sharing a taste of the familiar with home-cooked meals in one of the two kitchenettes, England likened life in the Lion鈥檚 Den to one big family. 

鈥淥ftentimes, when I leave my office at night, there are students cooking or baking,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always nice to see how the communal areas bring people together and help build that sense of community.鈥� 

England has been at the center of fostering togetherness at the Lion鈥檚 Den since the summer of 2021. 妻友社区 has provided him with more experience than he could have ever imagined, he said. 

鈥淲orking in student affairs, you typically have daily opportunities to get to know and impact student lives,鈥� England said. 鈥淢y apartment is directly below student suites, so it helps build that understanding that the time spent and potential impact that you can have with students never stops.鈥�

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