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Comparable Schools'
Campus Housing Grades:
Quick StatsUndergrads Living on Campus
81 %
Best Dorms
- Charline Hamblin McCombs Residential Center
- Dorothy Manning Lord Residential Center
- Grogen and Betty Lord Residential Center
Number of Campus Owned Apartments
3
Worst Dorms
- Martin Ruter Residence Hall
College Prowler Take
All of the dorms at Southwestern have their own unique atmosphere. Ruter and Kurth are the spirited, underdog dorms, while Herman Brown and Brown-Cody are a little snootier and aloof. Out of the sophomore dorms, Mabee is the quiet dorm, and the home of many music, theater, and art students (due to its close proximity to the FAB) while Moody-Shearn is the place for partiers (as it is just a hop from frat row). McCombs and Lord Centers are both very nice and private—the Holy Grails of on-campus housing. All of the dorms provide everything students need to live comfortably (except for Lord Centers, which you furnish yourself), and they tend to be bigger than your average dorm room. Where students are happiest tends to depend upon their personalities and interaction in the different residence halls. On-campus housing is a very popular choice at Southwestern, even for upperclassmen, because it keeps students involved in the close-knit SU community. While the choices for sophomores may be slim, most people form strong emotional bonds with their dorms, and can look past any superficial flaws it may have (such as the community bathrooms in Ruter). Each dorm has a unique sense of pride and spirit, and each person believes their dorm is the best. Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
Anonymous says:  |
The freshman girls’ dorms are very...
The freshman girls’ dorms are very nice, and so are the upperclassman apartments. I can’t say the same about freshman boys’ dorms or sophomore dorms. |
Anonymous says: |
Most dorms are pretty nice; I...
Most dorms are pretty nice; I think the first-year men’s dorm Ruter should be avoided because of rats and community baths, but other than that, I haven’t heard any complaints. |
Anonymous says: |
I don’t know why people think that...
I don’t know why people think that Mabee is so bad—I really love it here. The rooms are bigger than Moody-Shearn rooms, and it’s not as loud. Also, the Moody-Shearn stairs are outside, and that sucks when it rains. Mabee is cleaner, too. Our quad even has a slogan: ‘In Quad We Trust.’ |
Anonymous says: |
Ruter and Kurth are older, but...
Ruter and Kurth are older, but still nice, and they have the most spirit. Mabee is the quiet dorm for sophomores, and Moody-Shearn is the party one, since it’s a one-minute walk from the nearest frat house. We have unbelievably nice upperclassman apartment housing, but don’t try to get in until you’ve been here for at least three years. No matter how many hours you have, there’s no way. |
Anonymous says: |
McCombs is the best; it’s a...
McCombs is the best; it’s a furnished apartment-style dorm. Mabee is okay, but it’s kind of cramped. |
FactsWhat You Get
- Rooms in Brown Cody come with: two extra long, bunkable, twin beds which are raised for extra space; two desks with built-in bookshelves; two desk chairs; two dressers; a nightstand; two closets
- Rooms in Herman Brown come with: two standard twin beds with two storage drawers built into the base; two built-in desks with chairs; a dresser; a walk-in closet; a nightstand; a set of bookshelves
- Rooms in Kurth come with: two standard twin beds; two built-in desks and chairs; bookshelves above the desk and above the bed; a closet with storage space
- Rooms in Mabee come with: two standard twin beds with two storage drawers built into the base; two desks with chairs; two wardrobes
- Rooms in Moody-Sheam come with: two standard twin beds with two storage drawers built into the base; two built-in desks with chairs; a dresser; a walk-in closet; a nightstand; a set of bookshelves
- Rooms in Ruter come with: two standard, bunkable twin beds; two desks and desk chairs; a set of bookshelves; two dressers; closet with storage space above
- Rooms in the DLC and McCombs apartments are fully furnished with closet, bed, desk, dresser, nightstand, and desk chair. Common areas have coffee table and couch. McCombs kitchenettes have a microfridge and sink; DLC kitchens are full size, similar to LC.
- Rooms in the Lord Center apartments are completely unfurnished but do have a closet. The full kitchen comes with a refrigerator, dishwasher, and sink with disposal.
Room Types
- Double and single occupancy dorms are available in each of the underclassman dorms, but plan for double occupancy. HB and Moody-Shearn both offer double occupancy while the apartments all offer single occupancy rooms.
Bed Types
- Brown Cody and the McCombs Apartments offer extra long twin size beds while a standard twin size bed comes with rooms in HB, Kurth, Mabee, and Moody-Shearn. The beds in Mabee and HB come with two storage drawers built into the base.
Also Available
- There is fraternity housing, as well as a hall in Moody Shearn called the “Green Hall,” which focuses on being environmentally-friendly.
Cleaning Service
Cleaning services visit lowerclassmen dorms on a daily basis during the week to change trash bags and clean the bathrooms. Upperclassmen dorms and apartments are serviced about twice a week.
Dormitories
Brown-Cody Hall (BC)
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 127
Bathrooms: Suite-style
Coed: No, women only
Residents: First-years
Room Types: Suites
Kitchen and laundry room on first floor, as well as ice and vending machines, lounge with a color TV/VCR. Located on the second and third floors are study lounges and balcony access. BC is the newest and nicest women’s dorm. However, it feels rather sterile, like a hospital. If having a pretty bathroom is the most important aspect of your dorm, live in BC.
Herman Brown Hall (HB)
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 94
Bathrooms: Suite-style
Coed: No, men only
Residents: First-years
Room Types: Suites with common rooms
Laundry facilities and a study lounge on first floor, open, apartment- style format, exterior stairs (which are death traps during heavy rains), brother dorm to Moody Shearn; HB is the quieter guys’ dorm. Still, it’s easier to get away with drinking or smoking in HB than in Ruter.
Kurth Hall
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 92
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: No, women only
Residents: First-years
Room Types: Suites
Large closets, extra storage space, divided study and living spaces. Hall amenities include washing machines and dryers on the first and second floors. Vending machines are located on the first floor near the eastern exit. A color TV is located in the lounge on the first floor of the building. Kurth is known for having a strong sense of community. Each floor is one long hallway where most people keep their doors open. There is a partition between the beds and the desks, which is nice when one woman wants to stay up chatting on AIM and the other wants to get to bed.
Mabee Hall
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 176
Bathrooms: Suite-style
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Quads and suites with common rooms
Laundry facilities, TV lounge, and vending machines on the second floor. The first floor is home to the Brent Atrium, a comfortable lounge with a piano. Mabee doesn’t have much of a sense of community as a whole, but quads and suites usually develop their own sense of unity. Mabee is also home to the pilot Living-Learning Community program, which houses FYS classes in their own halls. This is SU’s first foray into coed freshman housing!
Martin Ruter Hall
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 98
Bathrooms: Community
Coed: No, men only
Residents: First-years
Room Types: Smalls and larges. Smalls, although designed to house one person, usually end up housing two.
Laundry facilities and a lounge with a color TV on the first floor. Community bathrooms. Ruter is known for being rowdy and close-knit. Often, guys will play “hall golf” or “hall football” in the long hallway that comprises each floor. Ruter is the only residence hall on campus with community bathrooms, however, the guys who live there claim that it isn’t a big deal or much of an inconvenience. Each floor is one long hallway where most people keep their doors open.
Moody-Shearn Hall
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 100
Bathrooms: Suite-style
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Suites with common rooms
Laundry facilities and a study lounge on the first floor. Has an open, apartment-style format. Exterior stairs become death traps during heavy rains. Sister dorm to Herman Brown. Moody Shearn is a popular choice for many sophomore girls who want to get away from the east side of campus (BC, Kurth, and Mabee) and the first-year stigma it has. It’s also a popular choice for sophomores who want to live right next to frat row or the Commons.
Campus Owned Apartments
Dorothy Lord Residential Center
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclass
Room Types: Dorothy Lord houses 60 students, each get a private bedroom and bathroom and share a common living area with a rommate.
The rooms come furnished and have full kitchens, also included are a TV, VCR, refrigerator, sink, and meeting/study area.
Lord Residential Center
Floors: 2
Number of Units: 193
Bathrooms: Private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Apartments with full kitchens
Kitchens include refrigerator, dishwasher, and a sink with garbage disposal. The Sharon Lord Caskey Community Building is located in the Lord Center. It contains a color TV, VCR, refrigerator, sink, and a meeting/study area. The Community Building is also home to the chapter rooms of the four national sororities. Lord Center is popular among those students that still want to live on campus, but want to be as independent as possible. Its full kitchens are a huge asset. The Lord Center would also be filed under the “nice and new” category of on-campus housing.
McCombs Residential Center
Floors: 3
Number of Units: 94
Bathrooms: Private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Apartments with kitchenettes
Comes with a MicroFridge and couch. Only upperclassmen are allowed to live in the McCombs Center. Don’t let the nomenclature fool you—the McCombs Residential Center is not part or parcel of the McCombs Student Center, it’s a different building altogether. The McCombs Residential Center is nice and new, and very popular among upperclassmen that don’t have the time, the energy, or the money to furnish their own Lord Center apartment.
Did You Know?Rumor has it that a generous donor would only give a large grant to the University under the condition that the sororities did not have houses!
Res Life doesn’t like referring to campus housing as “dormitories” because it is derived from the Latin word “dormir,” which means “to sleep,” and they want residence halls to be more than just a place to sleep.
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