Campus dorms ooze personality

Jason Lipeles Guest Writer

Which floor in Davison looks like a mental institution but feels like a home? Which floor in Main has the best parties? How did the fourth floor of Lathrop get its reputation? Without taking a step outside, we will explore, from the top of Jewett Tower to the crowded halls of Noyes, delving into the unique social dynamics of Vassar dorms

Aside from the large Pink Floyd poster in the hall, there is little to distinguish the fourth floor of Lathrop from the rest of the dorm. But, if you ask a senior or a Lathrop history buff, he will describe a fourth floor that at one time threw “crazy parties” and was known as “The Swamp” “because beer covered the floor,” said Patrick McIntyre ’07.

The fourth floor of Lathrop has been popular ever since. “People are magnetically pulled to the fourth floor,” said Jesse Holcomb ’08. “People from the second and third floors come up here to visit, but you’ll never find people from the fourth floor below.”

When asked how she got the impression that the fourth floor held parties, third floor resident Allison Bender ’08 says, “Sometimes drunkards from the fourth floor stumble down here...also, they apparantly skateboard in the hallways.”

In contrast, students from the huge halls of Main tend to congregate and throw parties in the center of the dorms. Third floor local Justin Veach ’07 said, “This whole area (three north and three central), from the double doors to the end (of Main building), everyone who lives in this area parties really hard.”

Second floor Main resident Jerald Isseks ’07 believes the third floor is the most popular place to be since, “Most freshman live there and freshman have the biggest parties.” He also explained that there are two lounges in three central.

In Noyes House, the fourth floor, or “The Wet ‘n’ Wild West Fourth Floor” as the sign from the stairs proclaims, is known by many as the social hall. Chelsea Backer ’07 explained that the high number of wellness and quiet corridors in Noyes is partly the reason for their floor’s popularity.

Brooke Adams ’07 lived on the fourth floor her freshman year and often found it loud and sociable. This year, she lives on a quiet corridor on the second floor, and said, “People don’t so much visit here. They go other places... most people don’t leave their door open and on other floors they do.”

Students are not always comfortable with being put on or near a party floor. Second floor native Rhona Cleary ’08 terms the fourth floor of Lathrop, “cliquey” and said, “If you go up to the fourth floor, there is a sense of, ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Why are you here?’”

If the physical architecture of the dorm separates the residents from social floors, at times, they create their own community.

Although the metal-enforced doors and sterile white walls of fifth floor Davison do not look all that friendly, the floor is known for its closeness. Jessica Lindea Swienckoski ’08 explained that its residents are “very closely knit. They are so separated from everyone else that they are like a family.”

While some consider “the Pits,” or the second floor of Main, to be too isolated, Isseks ’07, a Student Fellow, said he likes his location. He only has seven freshmen in his group as opposed to eighteen members of another Main group.

The Jewett Tower has been known to create close relationships among its occupants as well. Fourth floor Jewett resident Diana Schaffer ’06, describes the Jewett tower as, “a whole different social dynamic,” in which the rooms are smaller and there is, “one large common room.”

Miranda Robertson ’08, a native of the ninth floor in the Jewett tower, said, “I think living in the tower is nice because everyone knows each other really well. Everyone just sits out there [in the common area] and socializes.”