Written by Arun Sundaresan
Each of the dorms clustered on the cozy residential campus known as the South 40 has its own distinctive flavor and atmosphere. These particularities often produce fierce loyalties and rivalries between the students who live there—especially between the residents of the old dorms and new dorms. Proponents of the old dorms hold that the social interaction, sense of floor unity, and genuine gritty college experience they find in their halls cannot be matched by the posh-but-sterile new towers nearby. The new dorms have what seem like material benefits, like semi-private bathrooms, elevators, and floor kitchens, but sharing a common bathroom in the old dorms means two kids can strike up a conversation while brushing their teeth. The narrow halls and low lighting of the old dorms give a conspiratorial aura to floor life, a sort of "we're all in this together" vibe that contrasts starkly with the "we're all just paying rent here" vibe of the new dorms.
For first-year students in particular, the old dorms (especially Liggett, Umrath, and Rubelmann) foster a terrific atmosphere for meeting people and becoming acclimated to a new environment. The only downside to the old dorms is the lack of amenities. It's next to impossible to do any kind of cooking in the old buildings, and none of the old freshman dorms have piano practice rooms or pleasant study lounges like the new dorms do. After freshman year, the old dorms still remain a good option, though. The sophomore suites (Hurd, Hitzeman, Myers, Rutledge, Shanedling, and Dauten), which are equipped with balconies, furniture, and a huge common room, must have been designed with college parties in mind.