Residence Life
Theme Dorms
2010-2011 Theme Dorm Proposal Application (PDF)
Each year the residence life office offers students the opportunity to create a living environment centered on a specific area of study or interest. The theme dorms for the 2009-2010 academic year are listed below. Applications are online through each student's IRIS account, click on Residence Life to fill out an application. Students accepted to a theme dorm are not eligible for the general housing lottery. Please refer to the Housing Lottery Guide for more info.
Theme dorms are living/learning communities centered around an academic or extracurricular interest that the residents share. Along with the House Advisor, Activity Coordinator, and Theme Dorm Organizer, dormies work together to plan events each semester that reflect their theme and are open to the entire campus. These activities are often social, educational, or both, and sometimes involve faculty members from related departments, or staff members with related interests. This requires more time and participation from residents than a non-theme dorm, but theme dorm residents often cite a more close-knit and involved community as a great benefit.
The organizer of the theme dorm along with a member of the Residence Life Committee will be reviewing applications and making final decisions. Decisions to live in the theme dorm will be based on your answers to this application.
These applications are for Returning students ONLY. First year students will have a separate application mailed to them in May.
2010-2011 Theme Dorms
2010 - 2011 Theme Dorms
Ancient Civilizations (Woodbridge)
Open House: 25th of February, Woodbridge
When in Ancient Civ do as the ancient civilization did. This doesn’t mean conquering the next dorm over and claiming their women. It does mean eating dormice, artfully wearing your bed-linens to class and reveling in your love of the pre-Dark Ages history and culture. The Roman Emperor Caligula made his horse a Consul. In Ancient Civ you can make your dormies horses and jeer them on as they drag your chariot to victory in our annual Funeral Games. Of all the ancient civilizations, which are you? Persian? Greek? Chinese? You decide. (Huns welcome, please check your hordes at the border)
Tír na nÓg - Land of the Young (Griffin & McKinley)
Open House: Friday, February 19th 2010
5:30-6:30 @ McGriffley Main Common Room
One Dorm to rule them all, One Dorm to find them,
One Dorm to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the land of Tír na nÓg where the shadows lie.
One does not simply walk into Mordor, but one can walk into Tír na nÓg. However, we can't guarantee that you'll ever want to leave. Here there be dragons, science fiction, fantasy, and a friendly community of nerd folk. This dorm is about imagining, sharing, experiencing and telling tales from the distant future and far off realms. Come share your story with us. Welcome home.
The Co-Op (Garden House)
Open House: February 17-March 1; Monday, Wednesday & Thursday at 7:30
and Tuesdays at 6:15 for house dinner at Garden House
The kitchen forms the heart of the Co-op. We share meals and midnight snacks, making our own bread and granola while valiantly struggling to keep up with our own dishes. The Co-op is formed of ten returning students who have chosen to make a commitment to intentional community, consensus-based decision-making, respect and responsibility for the Honor Principle, awareness of environmental impact and ethics, and sharing a lot of really good food. We’re a family, and there may be no better feeling than coming home to the dinner bell and friends gathered at the table. Come join us!
Mad Science (Foster II & III)
Open House: Sunday the 28th of February from noon to 7 pm in Foster 2 commonroom
Mad Science welcomes those who love science and who wish to live among others that share similar interests and the desire to explore them. Our close-knit community is friendly, diverse, and inclusive, and we participate in a wide variety of activities ranging from making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, to weekend science fiction viewings. If you are interested in joining this group of spontaneous, engaging, and generally awesome people but want to know more than 100 words of blurb, come to our open house.
Japanese Culture (Scholz III)
Open House: Friday Feburary 26th from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. in common room.
The Japanese Culture Dorm, affectionately known as J-Dorm, is a place where Reedies come together to enjoy and learn about some of the finer points of Japanese culture. We love both the nuances of Japan’s traditional culture (read: the movie Samurai Fiction or proper nigri preparation) in addition to its pop-culture (read: study breaks at 2 in the morning playing Final Fantasy or watching a Kitamura film). The aim of J-Dorm is to promote and educate others about the awesomeness that is Japan and it’s culture, and to provide a friendly support for Reedies interested in Japan and its rich historical and modern cultural legacy.
Outhaüs (Naito I)
Open House: Sunday Feburary 28th, from 2-4pm in Naito Lounge or the Naito I common room.
The Outhaüs is more than a dorm. It is a family of Reedies interested in having fun in the great outdoors. It is a place where climbers, backpackers, cyclists, snow enthusiasts, kayakers, and anyone else with a passion for the outdoors can live together and get outside as often as they like.
Arabic Culture Dorm (Sullivan I - Southside)
Open House: No open house
Students interested in the language and cultures of the Arabic-speaking world are invited to join this interest dorm which will be located in Sullivan 1 (south). Students will live with a young Fulbright scholar selected by the Institute of International Education to study at Reed College and enhance Reed community understanding of Middle Eastern cultures and the Arabic language. Students with background in Arabic language who wish to continue their study are particularly encouraged to join this community although all students regardless of language background are encouraged to apply.
Substance Free (Sullivan II - Northside & Sullivan III)
Open House: Saturday the 27th from 1pm to 3pm in the Sullivan common room on the South Side on the Third floor
Are you looking for the perfect dorm environment? Do you want a dorm full of fun, creative, accepting members? Love the weekend parties, but prefer to live in a quieter, substance-free space? Never fear! The Sub-Free Dorm is here! As a sub-free community, this dorm agrees to leave tobacco, alcohol, and other substances at the door. Full of wonderful people, a warm atmosphere, and lots of fun, Sub-Free might be your ideal dorm.
Women’s Floor(Bragdon III)
Open House: No open house
The women’s floor is a living option and not a theme dorm. We are still collecting applications so that people who desire to live in a small close community of women can have a place to live. Any spaces that are not filled by applications will become available in the lottery.