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FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2014
THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMEN ISSUE
Freshmen dorms offer range of locations and amenities B y JOSH KOENIG
The Dartmouth Staff
Congratulations! After four years of hard work, you’ve been accepted to Dartmouth and decided to matriculate. Now that you’ve gotten the big decision out of the way — where you’ll spend your undergraduate years — you’ll find that you’re still faced with a host of smaller options on daily basis. What color sheets to buy? Pens or pencils? FoCo or Collis? And of course, you’ll be faced with one of the biggest questions of all: where exactly on campus will you live for your first year in Hanover? Here at The Dartmouth, we don’t have all the answers. We don’t know how you filled out your firstyear housing survey, how many roommates you want or what time you like to wake up in the morning. But we have assembled a crack team of reporters, students who have taken statistics classes and college trivia experts to break down each of the five first-year clusters — The Choates, East Wheelock, McLaughlin, Russell Sage and The River — as well as provide information on Dartmouth’s newest housing option, living-learning communities. Coming to college can seem like a frightening and mysterious step, so here’s to hoping that this guide can help make the transition a little less scary. The Choates Located behind Webster Ave. and a skip and a jump from affinity housing options including Cutter-Shabazz and the Sustainable Living Center, the Choates are home to sand volleyball courts,
glass walkways and approximately 300 undergraduate students. Host to a number of summer camps and programs — includin g Sum m er Enrichm ent at Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Debate Institute — the Choates may already be familiar to some members of the Class of 2018. Year constructed: 1956-58. Buildings in cluster: Bissell, Brown, Cohen and Little. Room types: One room singles and doubles, arranged in eightstudent suites. Distance from: Baker-Berry Library (0.2 miles), Class of 1953 Commons (0.4 miles), Alumni Gym (0.6 miles). Students say: “One of the cool things about the Choates is that there are a lot of singles. I had my own room, and most other people on my floor had their own rooms, so we were all willing to hang out because we didn’t have roommates.” Kayla Wade ’16, Little 3 “Living in the Choates was probably my best residential experience ... A lot of my best friends I made by walking through Bisco or Brittle [common rooms] and having random conversations.” Kevin Guh ’16, Cohen 1
East Wheelock Located across from Alumni Gym and within sight of the Bema, East Wheelock is known for its focus on community, its faculty-in-residence program and its late-night snack bar, which keeps residents well-stocked with candy, sugary drinks and all manner of dorm-room essentials. While “East Wheezy” is tra-
KASSAUNDRA AMANN THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Fahey-‐McLane Hall is one of the newest and morst popular freshmen dorms.
ditionally associated with the academic intensity of its residents, it is also often home to studentathletes seeking a shorter walk to the gym in the winter months and older residents who choose the dorm for its spacious suites and programming. Brace Commons, an open social space, hosts events throughout the year, and McCulloch International Residence, affinity housing program students arriving on-campus from outside the U.S., are also located in the cluster. Across its buildings, East Wheelock houses approximately 340
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students from all class years. Year constructed: Andres, Morton and Zimmerman (198587), McCulloch (1999-2000), Ledyard Apartments (1921). Buildings in cluster: Andres, McCulloch, Morton, Zimmerman and the Ledyard Apartments. Room types: Singles, one and two room doubles, two to four person suites, upper-class apartments. Distance from: Baker-Berry Library (0.5 miles), Class of 1953 Commons (0.4 miles), Alumni Gym (less than 0.1 miles). Students say: “[East Wheelock] is full of generally motivated and kind people, not necessarily the most ‘ragey.’ Be very purposeful in reaching out to each other, because it might seem a little hard, but it will really pay off.” Xanthe Kraft ’16, Andres 3 “I lived in East Wheelock for two years, and I think the thing I liked the most about it is that there were always people around. I really liked my [freshman year] room because it was a suite, which is really hard for a freshman to get ... Participate in the events that are held in East Wheelock, because they are really cool. You live there, so take advantage of that.” Song Heui Cho ’16, Andres 3 Russell Sage Located on Tuck Drive just by Silsby Hall, home of some social science departments, the Russell Sage cluster boasts residential social spaces including the Cellar and the Hyphen, both recently renovated to better meet the needs of first-year students. This year,
first-year students will live in the cluster’s Butterfield Hall, which has recently hosted transfer and exchange students, because of the Class of 2018’s large size. Butterfield and Russel Sage house approximately 177 students. Year constructed: Russell Sage Hall (1923), Butterfield Hall (1940). Buildings in cluster: Russell Sage and Butterfield. Room types: Singles, tworoom doubles and two-room triples. Distance from: Baker-Berry Library (0.1 miles), Class of 1953 Commons (0.2 miles), Alumni Gym (0.4 miles). Students say: “Living in Butterfield was super nice. It’s very well-situated. Be sure to interact with people on the floor — not a lot of people who live there talk to each other. Take advantage of meeting all the people who live there.” Kwaishon Bell ’16, Butterfield 1 “[Russell Sage] was the best dorm in the best location. It’s close to the library, close to food and close to fraternity row.” Ben Wood ’16, Russell Sage 4 Fahey-McLane While technically a part of the Russell Sage cluster, the modern Fahey-McLane Hall is distinct in both architectural design and inclusion of upperclassmen suites on many floors. Home to around 205 students, Fahey and McLane are connected by a set of open SEE HOUSING PAGE 20