|
|||
 |
|||
|
|
Community-Building Flourishes on For Immediate Release: RICHMOND, Ind. —There's something about the basement floor of Barrett Hall that immediately sets it apart from other residence hall floors on campus. 
Co-op Hall residents Toby Tane, Laurence Critchell, Martin Tinkerhess, Anne Marie Roderick and Daniel Vidos ready for a hall cleaning party. Maybe it's the coloring book pages and a near life-sized construction paper mosaic of prehistoric scenes that adorn the walls, or maybe it's Gwendolyn, the floor's unofficial mascot. Or perhaps it's the fake fireplace fashioned from a cardboard box that's flanked by faux three-dimensional windows with views that change with the seasons. All of these dramatic embellishments grace the "Garden Level" of Barrett, the home of Earlham's Co-op Hall. Residents choose to follow the lifestyle of environmentally sound living with the sense of communal responsibility. Students on the floor rely on each other for the general upkeep of the floor, some meals and other duties. Residents compost and use only environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. "We have a very strong sense of community," says Resident Assistant Anne Marie Roderick. "I think many people are craving that, especially the first-years who may be away from home for the first time." "We do our own chores," continues Roderick, "and that gives us more autonomy than other halls. It gives us a sense of ownership for the space." First-year student Daniel Vidos from Hungary says he wanted to live on
Co-op Hall to help him transition to life in a new country. Vidos, who helped fashion the fantasy fireplace, says the hall is friendly and inviting and lacks the institutional feel that other less-collegial floors may have. Doors here, he says, are always open. "We are always hanging out together — studying, cooking, watching movies or just talking together," says Jessette Meyers, Co-op Hall convener. "You just don't find that on other halls." Sarah Burks, a second-year who lives in a triple on the hall, says residents make more of an effort to create community. "I feel that I have a larger group of friends, thanks to living here," she says. "It's like I have a 30-person support group." While most other common areas have furniture pulled around a television, the couches and chairs in Barrett's basement are gathered near the fake fireplace and windows. "At first we thought we would miss having a TV, but it's kind of nice without it," says second-year Toby Tane, who admits visiting Co-op Hall last year and being envious of the friendliness and the abundance of food found on the hall when the program was housed in Earlham Hall. "I wanted to be a part of that." A Popular Place "We have the reputation of being a fun place to live and hang out," Roderick says. "A lot of people hang out here who don't live on the hall." In fact, the hall is so popular that last semester the selection process, which is done by consensus, involved three two-hour meetings. "We were asked to explain why we wanted to be on the hall and to describe our commitment and dedication to the ideas behind Co-op Hall," Burks says. Thirty residents of the floor have embarked on the academic year with a sense of community and responsibility for the hall. Cleaning, food preparation, outreach and activity committees have been formed to carry out the needs of Co-op Hall. The cleaning committee divides most of the chores on a weekly basis. Despite the lack of housekeeping services found in other halls, residents agree that cleaning is not a big issue. "There are some jobs that are divided into smaller jobs — like cleaning the bathrooms," says junior Martin Tinkerhess. "One person does the mirrors, another mops the floors; we solved it intellectually." Perhaps surprisingly, Meyers says that the cleaning of the hall toilets "isn't too bad." She thinks residents respect the space more since they all have to share in keeping it clean. Roderick admits that the hall may be a bit messier than other halls. Residents do more deep cleaning than daily light housekeeping, but they probably clean a little less often. "Trash is probably the least favorite chore simply because of the process involved in taking it out," Meyers says. "There are multiple trash cans around the hall, so we have to take out several bags at a time. We usually try to have access to a shopping cart to help carry out the bags, but still, the process of getting the bags from the can to the cart and then into the dumpster can involve some nastiness, especially if the bag has a hole in it." A Creative Group "Residents tend to be students who are creative, students who are involved in campus activities, students who are alternative, and students who are interested in social justice issues," Roderick says. "Those are pretty common traits that I see in the students living on Co-op Hall. We are a group of people with a lot of energy who have creative and constructive ways of letting that energy out." Indeed the creativity is evident throughout the hall. Amid the coloring book pages and mosaic, colorful fliers advertising various activities are found throughout the hall. Already this year, the floor has planned a bike ride, a volunteer day with Habitat for Humanity, a formal dinner, a political tea party, pancake breakfasts, an open mic night at Jazzman's, a back campus cleanup and the hall cleaning parties. Residents also prepare and eat at least one meal together each week and gather for games every Wednesday. In addition to the activities flyers are notes that reveal clues to the mysterious comings and goings of their mascot Gwendolyn, a squash adorned with stringed hair, raisins and a knitted sweater. Roderick says that other RAs go out of their way to build community on their halls, but it doesn't take a lot of work for her to get to know Co-op Hall residents. "I've also been told that themed halls really help with retention, especially when the themes are student initiated, or student-run," she says. "As you can tell, students here are very excited about living on Co-op Hall." — EC — Contact:
|
|
|
|||
Earlham
College · 801 National Road West · Richmond,
Indiana 47374-4095 |