The first-year dorm guide
Keeney Basement and First Floor (0th floor for Mead and Jameson. 1st floor for Poland, Archibald, Bronson and Everett 101-115 and 122-130.)
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The gym is outside the door, the laundry room is down the hall and the trash room is much closer to basement dwellers than to anyone else. Unlike your third-floor counterparts, you’ll never have to lug an overflowing laundry basket or two trashcans down multiple flights of stairs.
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It’s Keeney, so it will smell terrible. You may occasionally find beer or vomit on the floor. And on nights when you want to crash early, 2 a.m. dance parties may serve as a less-than-welcome distraction.
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The “Keeney experience” has its downsides — the dorm is overheated, definitely not the cleanest and more than a little loud come nightfall. But the location is great, the doubles are luxurious and the experience of living with so many other first-years helps you make friends quickly. And though the basement may not be the best-lit part of the building, it is definitely a cozy and convenient place to live. — Shefali Luthra
Keeney Second Floor
(1st floor for Mead, Jameson and Everett 117-121 and 132-134. 2nd floor for Poland, Archibald, Bronson, Everett 201-216 and 222-230. Includes gym and Arnold Lounge.)
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Since the doors to enter are on your level, you never have to climb up stairs (which is extra helpful on move-in day), you can meet tons of people without even trying (because everyone goes through your hallway), you have great access to the gym and you can go directly onto the quad to relax on a warm day. Depending on what side of the hall you live on, you might have bars on your window. As the most convenient floor in the largest dorm, this is one of the best places for first-years to live. And for better or worse, you get the “Keeney experience” — living with about 30 percent of the firstyear class, having lots of parties nearby, living in good-sized rooms (but with old furniture), sharing bathrooms and seeing broken exit signs every Friday and Saturday night without fail.
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— Greg Jordan-Detamore and Sahil Luthra
Keeney Third Floor
(2nd floor for Mead, Jameson and Everett 217-221 and 232-234. 3rd floor for Poland, Archibald, Bronson and Everett 301-316 and 322-330.)
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You’re either on the ground level or one level above it (which is helpful in a building with no elevators), and you’re right above Keeney’s gym, close enough to make it a tempting study break for even the laziest Brunonians. Think of going to the V-Dub as “eating out.” The few single-use bathrooms — there’s one on the second floor of Poland — can serve as makeshift accommodations if you can’t eject your roommate when your significant other is visiting. But you didn’t read that here.
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The toilets in some areas don’t really flush properly — be sure to put some work orders in with Facilities Management as soon as possible if you find plumbing problems. And don’t count on all the kitchens and lounges near you being open because ResLife commonly turns them into makeshift bedrooms without updating the floorplans. It can be a bit noisy near ground level (especially if your room is near entryways) on weekend nights, Thirsty Thursdays, etc. — but being near the heart of the action can have its perks too.
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The rooms in Keeney are bigger than many that sophomores get, so take advantage of that. You’ll have lots of structured and informal opportunities to make friends with first-years on your hall, and you can maintain those friendships for the rest of your stay here. Overall, Keeney’s a very comfortable and exciting place to live freshman year.
— Alex Bell