Because students' living arrangements are such an important part of the college experience, Union works to make academics and residential living fit hand in hand. To that end, the College offers an array of living arrangements with the hope that each student will find a place to be comfortable-a place to call “home.”
First year students are assigned roommates and rooms. After that, however, a Union student has several housing choices. What follows is a look at some of those choices.
On the front porch of Wells House the table is set for twenty-five. The smell of lasagna mixes with the sounds of jazz floating through the warm spring air. Students who have gathered for an end-ofthe-year dinner talk, make jokes, and laugh a lot. They say goodbye to those who are leaving and welcome those who will be living in the house next year. The atmosphere is more like a large family dinner than a group of students eating together in a “dorm.”
Welcome to Wells House, one of a growing number of “theme houses” on campus. Theme or special interest housing is becoming a popular choice at Unionabout 200 students live in theme
houses each year-and at other colleges. At Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., for example, there are four theme houses-an international house, a French house, an arts house, and a co-op. Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, is opening its first theme house in the fall-a Spanish house, where students will speak only Spanish and will be immersed in Spanish culture.
If you're asking yourself what is a theme house and how does it work, here's the answer….
Theme houses are student initiated, student-run living areas that often occupy a wing or a floor of a residence hall. Theme housing involves small groups of students (the largest house has fewer than forty students) who share common interests and who work toward a common goal.
Fred Alford, dean of students, says that it's usually a group of friends that comes up with an idea for a house. Sometimes the students will “retrofit” the theme to their interests, and other times the students have a definite goal in mind for their house-promoting diversity,
doing community service, or providing the community with social alternatives.
If space is available for a theme house, the interested students present a proposal to the Student Affairs Council (SAC), which looks at what kind of contributions the house will make to the Union community and how the house will enhance the cultural and intellectual life on campus.
“We basically ask ourselves `Is this a good idea?' ” Alford says. The SAC also tries to get a sense of student interest level and if the group of students will be able to fill the allotted space. Once a group is granted space, it is renewed for one, two, or three years at a time based on contributions and continued interest.
The students in a theme house are responsible for running, maintaining, and filling the house. A student house manager (usually chosen by the residents of the theme house) acts as a liaison with the Office of Residence Life and works with the residents to keep the house running smoothly.
“In a way, theme houses stand apart from the authority structure and have more autonomy,” Alford says. “They are responsible for dealing with issues and
working out things like quiet hours. They cannot meet with a problem and rely on the College to solve it. The upside is that they learn to deal effectively with challenges.”
Trish Williams, director of residence life and associate dean of students, adds, “The success of a given house is dependent on the integrity of the students who live in the house.”
This is usually not a problem, according to the house managers of Union's theme houses. Students in theme houses are there
because they want to be there.
Here's a brief look at each of Union's theme houses.
The dinner at Wells House described at the start of this story is fairly typical of life here. There is very much a feel of family among the residents – twenty-two students, sixty percent female and forty percent male, a variety of majors and class years. The residents share living space, including kitchen facilities and bathrooms. “It's just like having brothers,” explain some of the women.
The residents of Wells share a common interest in community
service, and the house strives toward community involvement, both off and on campus.
Off campus, for example, Wells House has established a program called One-on-One with Zoller Elementary School in Schenectady. One-on-One pairs a Zoller student with a resident of Wells House, similar to the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters program but slightly less structured.
On campus, Wells residents provide service to the College through activities such as serving on College committees (such as the Bicentennial committee) and working at or ushering for College events. Individually, Wells students are involved in numerous clubs and organizations, and many club presidents are Wells residents.
Mike Ferguson '97, who served as Wells House manager for two years (and leads the College crew team) says that Wells provides a lot of “latitude” for residents to participate, get involved in an activity, or hold an event.
Founded in 1994 and hailed as “little, yellow, different,”
Smith House is interested in “providing greater social alternatives, service to the community, and communal meals.”
As a way of “providing greater social alternatives,” Smith opens its doors for student organizations to hold meetings and events.
Smith has held poetry readings, concerts, art shows, and the annual “Gender Bender” party. This spring, Smith held an open outdoor jazz concert and picnic.
Service to the community comes in many forms for the fifteen or so members of Smith. Some residents have volunteered at the New Hope (Pa.) Soup Kitchen, while others participate in We-Care-About-U-Schenectady, Meals on Wheels, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Communal meals play a big role in Smith's theme and contribute to the overall atmosphere. Each week, one night is set aside for a house dinner, which is open to both residents and non-residents. The tasks of shopping, cooking, and cleaning up are undertaken by the residents. It is a relaxed, fun event that brings together many members of the Union community, including an occasional professor or member of the administration.
“People in the house are very active,” says Alan Kennel '97, Smith's house manager for 199596. “There is a general atmosphere of a strong community of students. With that atmosphere, we get a lot accomplished.”
“Bridging the gap between faculty and students, and between the arts and sciences” is the theme of Ludlow House, located on the top floor of Webster House.
A main component of Ludlow House is a weekly faculty dinner. Prepared by the residents, who share chores, the dinners bring in faculty from all disciplines. Sometimes there will be a formal discussion topic, but more often an issue will arise spontaneously and the students and faculty will linger over dinner for discussions and (occasionally heated) debates.
Chris Jones '97, house manager of Ludlow, says that discussion is an important element of the dynamics of the house. “Ludlow has a really friendly atmosphere. It is made up of students who
are willing to `hang out.' The major events in our house just seem to happen. Issues arise and we share our knowledge and make contributions to the overall discussion.”
That's not to imply that the house is not without its less serious “intellectual” pursuits. Jones remembers an all-out water war that erupted one day in the lounge and spilled out onto the lawn.
Carrying out the theme of Bronner House-The Cultural Unity Center has high importance to its residents. “We are very dedicated to promoting cultural awareness,” says Tameeka Best '96, the 1995-96 house manager.
One of the smaller theme houses, Bronner had twelve residents-eight men and four women-during the 1995-96 academic year. Many residents are associated with the student organization African/Latino Alliance of Students (ALAS), although residents are not exclusively ALAS members.
Bronner House, located in North College, provides a comfortable, family-like atmosphere. “There is a communal base coming into the house, which is very important,” Best says.
In addition to serving as the meeting place for the ALAS executive board and informal meetings, Bronner House is also a place where all Union students can find a variety of cultural, educational, and social programs. One recent program was an eating gathering called “A Taste of the Tropics,” featuring food and entertainment from many backgrounds. The lounge of Bronner is also, on occasion, turned into an art gallery to display student work.
Two new houses will join the Union family of theme houses for the 1996-97 academic year.
Thurston House, located in Davidson South, will work toward bridging the gap between faculty members and students who have
an interest in Asian cultures, and it will support students who are looking to enhance their own cultures.
The eighteen members of Thurston will seek to stimulate the College community through various programs that combine intellectual excitement and social curiosity.
The largest of the theme houses, The Society, is a group of about thirty-five men and women who want to blend the cultural,
social, intellectual, and residential aspects of college life.
Living in Raymond North, the members of The Society plans to enhance music appreciation and love of arts and culture while providing an environment conducive to intellectual pursuits.
Andy Gray '99 and Brian Goldberg '99, who helped found the house and will serve as
co-presidents, say their theme house wants to provide a “service” to all Union students. They plan to have a coffee house with live entertainment and are trying to set up a recording studio that could be used by the many musicians and bands at the College.
OPTIONS
There are a number of on-campus housing choices, from fraternity and sorority houses to residence halls that offer single rooms, double rooms, and suites. Other options include:
Block Housing, which gives students the opportunity to select rooms next to each other.
Lifestyle Options, which are created to provide students with specialized living environments. The first, second, and third floors of the south side of Fox, the first floors of Richmond and South, and the second floor of West are all designated Smoke-Free. Residents who choose to live here sign an agreement not to smoke in their rooms.
The Twenty-Four Hour Quiet lifestyle is located on the fourth floor of North College in 1996-97. Here, students agree to uphold
twenty-four hour quiet hours for intense study.
Students who choose to live in Substance-Free (the lower level and first floor of Webster House) agree to keep alcohol and tobacco out of their living area.
Apartment Housing gives groups of two, three, or four students the chance to live in the Wade Lupe Townhouses, located across Union Street from the southwest corner of the campus. The apartments are considered on-campus housing, and there will resident managers.
THE LOTTERY
The selection and assignment of rooms is known as the Union lottery.
Students who want to live in any of the housing options (theme housing, block housing, Greek housing, lifestyle options, and apartments) apply and go through a mini-lottery system. Students wishing to live in regular residence halls go through the general lottery.
All students are assigned a random, computer-generated lottery number. The lower the number, the better the chance of getting the hall or room of choice. Each spring, the Office of Residence Life provides students with complete instructions and answers all questions regarding the lottery.