Tea Time: Communal Dorms

Those who know me, know I love a good cup of morning tea. I’m not talking about the tea from Starbucks. No, I am referring to that special brew of tea that can only be produced from a closet gossip: Truth Tea™ .  This week I have decided to brew and spill some tea about Fairview, Resco, the New Schwitzer, and every other non-communal dorm.

I would be amiss if I didn’t give a blanket disclaimer before starting this article. I am a Ross Hall RA. Ross Hall, for those who don’t know, is the only remaining communal dorm at Butler University. I love Ross, so much in fact, that if I don’t get the ACA (i.e. apartment RA position), I have chosen to return to Ross, instead of requesting a move to a newer building. Now that those biases have been discussed, I will inform you all on why communal dorms are amazing, and why future Butler will be missing out if they tear down Ross and don’t replace it with another communal style dorm.

There is a reason why Ross Love exists, and it is the same reason why Schwitzer is severely missed. Communal dorms build community. It’s that simple. Ross is the only remaining building that has doors that will remain open by themselves. Ross is the only remaining building where residents have to share a bathroom with their unit mates. Ross is the only remaining building where community isn’t a challenge to build, but rather, a challenge to avoid.

I feel bad for first – year students that will never get the chance to experience communal style living. However, I feel even worse, for students that will never even get the option. If Butler replaces Ross with another Resco or, even worse, another Fairview, they will be prioritizing face value appearances over the overall wellbeing and development of future Butler students.

Furthermore, even if communal dorms didn’t build more community than suite/pod style, (which they totally do) they would still be important to have on campus due to pure costs. According to Butler University’s website, to live in a double,  Ross Hall costs $2,775 a semester, ResCo costs $3,100 a semester, and Fairview costs $3,600 a semester. If we eliminate all communal dorms then we also take away the opportunity for a less pricey living option.

Ninety percent* of the people in this school that hate on Ross Hall have never lived in Ross. Nine percent lived there, wouldn’t go back, but also enjoyed their experience.Then there is the last one percent are total haters.

Ross Hall is like Nanny McPhee. Not the building first- year students want, but the building they need.

This concludes your weekly  Tea Time ™ , freshly brewed by yours truly. And always remember the Golden Rule: When one is thirsty for truth, the tea will brew itself.

*Disclaimer: this statistic is based off of my personal opinion, and is statistically arbitrary, no actual research was conducted

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