House Activities

Our house, Henderson, does everything en-masse. From dinner on Friday and Saturday nights in an around Hyde Park to trips downtown to shop and see shows, we travel in big groups. Official house activities have included games of capture the flag at midnight on the quads, trips downtown to see comedy shows, and a trip downtown to see the winter lights parade. Unofficially we have taken many trips to the Point which is a grassy area on the shore of the lake. There are biking and walking paths and places to sit and relax. There are also almost weekly games of ultimate Frisbee and basketball as well.

We have also been a part of some activities with the entire dorm (Pierce). These have included a trip to Six Flags, additional trips to comedy shows, and a night at a blues club. The resident masters have also taken groups apple and pumpkin picking. They've had ice cream study breaks and holiday parties for Halloween and winter holidays.

Quotes on house life:

"Throughout the first three months of life here in Pierce we have become very close. It's hard to believe that we didn't even know each other two months ago."

"I've found that you become really close to the people in your house within a few days of arriving, and so far, it seems to pretty much stay that way. These are the people you live with, who you see every day, go on trips with, bake with, do homework with. It's like having 50 or 60 friends or extended family members almost as soon as you get here. Everyone hangs out in the lounge or in each others' rooms all the time; you can just kind of wander around and always see people you know."

"Your house is what comes closest to your family. This is your home, complete with its share of melodrama, study breaks, intramural sports and water fights. You may even have a roommate, whom Housing chose for you based on a tiny little slip you fill out, and, more often than not, is an amazing match. What makes the house so close knit are the amazing mix of people there. It's your next door neighbor, who can help you with your Calculus homework while blasting Iron Maiden. It's the late night conversations you have with a few people in your house---something about Hilary Duff, Stalin, and worms that are high in Vitamin D. It's your roommate who has a thing for singing "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" in falsetto. It's your RH's who give solid relationship advice. The people you meet in the house your first year--the people you are randomly assigned with--tend to become some of the closest friends you will have for your time here and beyond."

"What is cool about the house system is that sometimes you just start having these long conversations with people you don't normally talk to. It isn't very cliquey within the house; sure people each have people they are friends with more than others, but everyone talks to each other. Just make sure to make friends out of the house or it can get to be a little much."

See some house websites, with pictures, inside jokes, movies, and house meeting minutes:

• Henderson House
• Shorey House - not updated since September 2004, but still incredibly informative with lots of pictures and typical activities