Allen Hall

Allen Hall, located on the east side of campus, is known for Unit One, a Living-Learning program on campus. It is designed for students to participate in programs, activities and classes inside the hall. This provides a small community feeling within a large school.

In spite of this, the students who reside in Allen Hall are known for “being artsy and weird,” said Jessica Johnson, a freshman in LAS, who disagrees with this stereotype.

“Sure, there are some people who fit into that, but there are a lot of people who don’t,” Johnson said.

Johnson also acknowledged how the residents see each other at Allen Hall.

“I want people to see me as myself, as an individual,” she said. “People think of the dorm as one group, but it’s obviously not, it’s a group of individuals.”

Johnson recently moved to Allen Hall from the Six-Pack and noted the obvious distinctions between the two.

“I think that people (at Allen Hall) are more mature and responsible. I feel like I’m being treated like I’m in college,” she said. “I felt like the Six-Pack was an extension of high school.”

PROS: comfortable atmosphere, many programs (Unit One)

CONS: stereotype, the stairs

Illinois Street Residence (ISR)

Students congregate in the ISR dining hall, especially for lunch. Its proximity to the Quad is appealing to hungry students. ISR is on the northeast side of campus and is a popular choice for returning students, but there is a lot more to ISR than what meets the eye. Stacey Bailey, freshman in LAS, lives in ISR and described the environment as “very quiet.”

“ISR is different from the Six-Pack. You can’t make much noise, people just seem to do crazy studying for hours and hours,” said Bailey. “People shush you.”

Bailey weighed the pros and cons of living in ISR. She said she appreciates the studious environment especially when she needs to study or work, but when it comes to going out, she thinks otherwise.

“If you’re not a social person, it’s hard to make friends here,” she said. “You need to put so much effort (into) talking to people.”

Bailey plans to live in ISR again next year mainly because it’s close to the Quad and all her friends have chosen to remain at ISR.

“The reason to stay here is that you don’t have to take the bus,” Bailey concluded.

PROS: air-conditioned, dining hall, proximity, diversity

CONS: not social, too quiet

Florida Avenue Residence (FAR) and Pennsylvania Avenue Residence (PAR)

FAR and PAR are the furthest away from the main Quad, being located on the southeast side of campus.

The residents of these two halls know how to have a good time, said Julie Ip, freshman in LAS. Students who live there follow the “work hard, play hard” mindset, she said. People who live in FAR are generally friendly and sociable, she added.

“It’s easy to make friends here,” Ip said. “It is kind of further away from everyone else, but people here are pretty close.”

Even though the food is known to be the worst compared to other dining halls, Ip said everything else is decent. FAR has the newest dorm furniture and its lounge has just been renovated, complete with newly painted walls and more furniture.

Ip plans to reside in FAR again.

“I like it here,” she said. “All my friends are staying here, and there’s air conditioning.”

PROS: air-conditioned (FAR), new furniture, transportation

CONS: dining hall service, distance, no air-conditioning (PAR)

The Six-Pack

Peabody Drive Residence Halls and Gregory Drive Residence Halls form six almost identical halls on the west side of campus, appropriately called the “Six Pack.”

The Six-Pack is stereotypically known to be the home of people who like to party.

“There are a lot of downs to the Six-Pack, like people are really rude about the quiet hours,” Diamond Williams, freshman in LAS, said. “But other than that, you actually meet people.”

PROS: meeting people, programs, laid-back, friendly atmosphere

CONS: noise