Campus Life

Life at Southgate extends well beyond the classroom. The 210-acre wooded campus along the Cascade River offers students hiking trails, a riverside amphitheater, and quiet study spots alongside the energy of a busy student center, athletic facilities, and more than 120 registered student organizations.

From late-night study sessions in Hartwell Library to Friday night concerts on the Great Lawn, Southgate students shape a campus culture that balances serious academic work with genuine community. Nearly 80 percent of undergraduates live on campus, which helps sustain a tight-knit, active residential life.

Housing

Southgate guarantees on-campus housing for all four years for students who wish to remain in university residence halls. First-year students typically live in Whitcombe Hall or Ferris Hall, both traditional-style residence halls organized around close-knit floor communities, while upperclass students often move into Kessler Hall, which offers suite-style living with small kitchens and shared common rooms. All residence halls include 24-hour quiet study lounges and live-in resident assistants.

Dining

Dining at Southgate centers on the Rourke Student Center's main dining hall, the Riverside Commons, which offers all-you-care-to-eat service with dedicated stations for global cuisine, allergen-friendly meals, and made-to-order options. For a quicker bite between classes, students frequent the Griffin Grounds cafe, which serves coffee, sandwiches, and grab-and-go meals using produce from the university's own campus garden.

Student Organizations

A sampling of the 80+ registered organizations (the full list lives in GriffinSync, the student engagement portal):

Organization	What they do
Student Government Association	The elected body representing undergraduate student interests to university administration.
The Cascade Chronicle	Southgate's independent, student-run weekly newspaper, in print and online.
WSGU Campus Radio	A student-operated radio station streaming music, sports coverage, and campus news.
Model United Nations	A competitive team that represents Southgate at regional and national Model UN conferences.
Southgate Players	The university's student theater company, staging two productions each academic year.
Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter	Students who organize local builds and fundraisers with Habitat for Humanity of Averton County.
Black Student Union	A community and advocacy organization celebrating Black culture and student leadership on campus.
International Student Association	A group supporting international students and hosting cultural events open to the whole campus.
Society of Women Engineers, Southgate Chapter	A professional and social network for women pursuing engineering and computing degrees.
Investment & Finance Club	A student-run club that manages a small endowed investment portfolio and hosts finance career workshops.
Environmental Action Coalition	Students organizing campus sustainability projects, river cleanups, and advocacy campaigns.
Griffin Ambassadors	Trained student tour guides and hosts for prospective students and visiting families.