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The Updated Maison Application can be found here. Print the application & follow the directions at the bottom of the form for returning it to us. Please fill your application out neatly and in pen.
Applications for the 2010-2011 adademic year are due Friday, October 9th, and will be accepted thereafter on a rolling basis depending on availability.
An Open House Dinner for interested students will be held on Tuesday, September 29th from 6-7pm.
Interested in living and sharing in Francophile community? Start getting involved now!
Check the Student Life in the French House site for a full listing of events information!
Ongoing Activities
Week to Week at the House
Time to talk! Visit the House for Pause-Café, Wednesdays, 3:00pm - 5:00pm.
Free films! Take a break with Ciné-Club, Thursdays at 8pm. (Check back regularly to confirm times!)
Bon Appetit! Join the residents of the House for Dinner in French, Monday -Thursday at 6 pm. Dinners can be purchased using a a meal plan or Cavalier card.
Special Events: Fall 2009
Ciné-Club On the Big Screen
Talent Show
December 2009 / TBA
Come share your special talent - song, dance, juggling, or handstands - in the comfort of the French House Salon! Piano players: your instrument will be provided. All others, plan to bring your own. Open to all!
For more information about these and other goings-on, be sure to check the Student Life in the French House site!
About the House
HISTORY
OF THE MAISON FRANÇAISE
At a meeting of the Board of Visitors held in Charlottesville on October
7, 1817, Thomas Jefferson, wrote that he desired a French-speaking boarding
facility at the University of Virginia "wherein it is proposed that the
boarders shall be permitted to speak French only, with a view to their
becoming familiarized to conversation in that language". In 1985, his
desire came into fruition. The Maison Française, built in 1896
by Dr. Paul Barringer and located at 1404 Jefferson Park Avenue, is a
prime example of the Queen Anne style architecture. The mansion was renovated
in 1984 and opened its doors to the first generation of French-speaking
students in the Fall of 1985. It is both a residential house and a center
for French cultural life at the University of Virginia. Students, faculty
and members of the community all play an important role in fostering the
unique cultural and educational atmosphere of the Maison Française.
PHILOSOPHY
OF THE MAISON FRANÇAISE
Living in la Maison Française can be both a rewarding and exciting
experience for all the residents. Residents come from many different backgrounds,
but all share an ability and a willingness to commit to communicating
in French at all times in the common rooms of the Maison. Basic ingredients
for a rewarding year at la Maison Française include a positive
attitude about speaking French and a desire to work together as a community
towards the benefit of la Maison. Residents include 27 undergraduate students,
one or two graduate students from France, as well as an undergraduate
or graduate student who serves as resident language advisor.
DINNER
Residents must participate in the meal program on the Maison and attend
evening meals at 6 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, as an essential part
of their French speaking activity. The dining room can accommodate forty-five
persons at a sitting. Residents are welcome to invite faculty members
from the French department and French-speaking visitors once a week. Students
will make their own arrangements concerning meals not covered by the plan,
either by using their Plus Dollars, or by using limited cooking facilities
available to students on weekends.
MAP
OF THE HOUSE
On the first floor, the Maison contains a large living-room, a library,
a seminar room and the dining area: the living room is large and suitable
for conversation groups, lectures, chamber concerts and social functions.
During the year, a regular program of events is offered to residents,
faculty and graduate students of the French Department, and to associate
members and friends of the Maison. Residents are encouraged to organize,
with the help of the resident language advisor and the French visiting
graduate students, activities ranging from a Ciné-Club to cultural
outings. The library: adjacent to the living room is a library, where
students may study. A larger seminar room, in which some French department
courses are taught, is also located on the first floor. In sum, the Maison
Française has become an integral part of the academic and cultural
programs of the French department and the larger university community.
BEDROOMS
There are 17 bedrooms: one triple, eight doubles, and eight singles. These
numbers exclude rooms reserved for resident staff and the French assistant(s).
Rooms are assigned through lottery with preference given to fourth-year
and returning students.
PARKING
As there are not enough parking spaces for all residents' vehicles, the
five parking places located directly behind the Maison are assigned by
lottery each semester. The parking spaces in front of the residence are
reserved for invited officials and professors teaching courses in the
Maison.
SOCIAL
POLICY
The French department sponsors a number of social and academic events
during the year, including the graduation ceremony. The Maison holds traditional
events such as the Halloween party for francophone children, the Thanksgiving
dinner for residents and faculty members of the University, the Holiday
reception for the residents, the French department, and the associate
members of the Maison. Social activities organized by residents of the
Maison must be authorized in advance by the director and are restricted
to two guests per resident. Because the Maison falls under the jurisdiction
concerning the consumption of alcoholic beverages, all of its residents
must comply with the University of Virginia alcohol policy published in
the Undergraduate Record, pp. 32.
ADMISSION
PROCEDURES
Once candidates have returned their written application,
they will be interviewed by the director of the Maison Française
and by members of the administrative Committee overseeing the Maison.
The new application is now available! Click here to apply.
The application deadline for the French House will be fall 2009. Exact dates to be announced soon. Applications recieved after this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis contingent on space availability. For more information please contact Prof. Deborah McGrady, Director of the Maison Française (dlm4z@virginia.edu) or Rachel Geer, Cultural Activities Coordinator (rcg2s@virginia.edu).
Lease signing and commitment to reside
The lease to be signed with University Housing is for nine consecutive
months. It follows that it is the students' responsibility if they plan
to study abroad for a semester (either Spring or Fall) during the academic
year of prospective residence in the Maison to find a replacement (cleared
by the director). At the time students are notified of admission, they
will have an eight day period in which to sign a binding commitment to
reside in the Maison during the following academic year. This commitment
will have the effect of eliminating alternate residential options they
may also have applied for. It is designed to protect alternate candidates
on the waiting list who cannot be asked to wait indefinitely.
Other information/Special features
Two washers and two dryers in the basement of the Maison for residents'
use; every resident is assigned a box for receiving US mail, (messenger
mail needs to be retrieved in the French department); a soda machine located
outside near the basement door; a wall jack for telephone and internet
lines in each bedroom.
Director
Prof. Debroah McGrady
301 New Cabell Hall
dlm4z@virginia.eduCultural Activities Coordinator
Rachel Geer
342 New Cabell Hall
rcg2s@virginia.edu