First-Year Launch
Admitted Students

This course provides an experiential introduction to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an evidence-based approach developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn that integrates mindfulness meditation, body awareness, and gentle movement to support stress management, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.

Learn how to move through your first year with clarity, intention, and meaningful action. Through small group experiences, guided visualization, and practical tools for reflection and planning, you’ll begin to uncover your path and build the skills to consistently show up for it. This isn’t about having everything figured out; it’s about learning to trust yourself and take meaningful steps toward a life that feels aligned with who you are. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of direction, a supportive community, and the tools to follow through on what matters to you.

This class is designed to help you adjust to college life and feel more confident in your first year. In this course, you’ll learn about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how things like feeling safe, supported, and connected can affect your success in school. We will explore a variety of realistic self-care and social connection strategies, healthy relationships with our self and others, on- and off-campus resources available to support you during your academic journey, and more! We will get real and dig deep to help you find balance in an overwhelming world.

This Launch course invites you to slow down, go outside, and make art. Through time spent in the landscapes around Fort Lewis, you’ll develop creative work grounded in observation, attention, and experimentation. Weekly exercises and small projects help you build artistic habits and lead to a final piece you can share. No art background necessary; you’ll earn credit through curiosity and a willingness to try new things.

FYL Course LAC Linked

The FLC Concert Band is open to any student with wind, percussion, or string bass experience who wants to continue making music in college! First-year students are part of the regular ensemble, and perform with a community of passionate music makers. You must be able to read music to be successful.

The FLC Concert Choir is open to any student with singing experience who wants to continue making music in college! First-year students are part of the regular ensemble, performing with a community of passionate music makers. Ideally you already have choir experience and/or can read music for maximum success.

The FLC Orchestra is open to any student with string experience (violin, viola, cello, bass) who wants to continue making music in college! First-year students are part of the regular ensemble, performing with a community of passionate music makers. You must be able to read music to be successful. – Specific meeting time: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 – 4:05 pm.

Sport is a powerful social, cultural, political, and economic force in the United States. In this course, we’ll use sport as a fun and familiar way to explore big questions about our society. Why is sport so deeply embedded in high schools and colleges? Why do fans feel such strong connections to the teams they follow—so strong that they say “we won” when they didn’t play the game? What do inequities in sport reveal about inequity in society more broadly?

Through class discussions and interactive learning activities, we’ll explore these questions together while building community with fellow athletes, sport fans, or both!

This course invites students to explore the world of board and card games as a way to build community, practice collaboration, and have fun together. Through hands-on gameplay, reflection, and discussion, students will learn a wide variety of modern and classic games while developing skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and creative thinking.

You don’t succeed alone—this class helps you get connected and "hooked up" by discovering the people, places, and resources that support success at Fort Lewis College. Using an escape room inspired format, students explore campus, solve challenges, and reflect on how to build a successful and balanced college experience. This course turns the first 8-weeks into an engaging adventure focused on connection, curiosity, and growth.