Ever since they were announced on April 1, the new dorm assignments have been on the forefront of every Choate boarder’s mind. As the 2022-2023 school year approaches and students begin contemplating their living situations for the next year, these recent changes have become an obstacle to many who thought they had a clear idea of where they planned to live next year.
I do not like the new dorm assignments; however, as someone who currently lives in Archbold, a dorm that will be for fourth and fifth-form boys next year, it’s important to note my very obvious bias. These changes may be in the best interest of those planning on switching dorms, but this news is far from ideal for those — including my roommate and men— who were planning on remaining in the same dorm. We no longer have priority in a dorm, and we now must completely reconsider our residential situation. Archbold had the perfect location and was the most ideal option for the two of us. Her easy access to the PMAC for musical rehearsals and my — less vital but still extremely important — ability to get coffee at Lanphier Cafe will now be compromised. Along with the picturesque nature of the lower side of campus, I will definitely miss leaving for math class two minutes before it starts and still being on time.
Living in Archbold has spoiled me. As a sophomore, I had one of the last picks for dorm rooms but still managed to be placed in a spacious room with an optimal pondside view, allowing my ears to be graced with the relaxing sounds of the fountain each night. Additionally, Arch bathrooms were recently remodeled, and the kitchenette is stacked with two refrigerators, a freezer, a microwave, and a sink. The common room is full of comfortable chairs and is a popular spot for late-night studying. The best part: each floor has its own kitchenette and common room. A key card is necessary to travel between floors, so each floor essentially feels like its own dorm. Sometimes, it’s nice to have that close-knit feeling of a smaller dorm while also having more people to see on the floor either below or above you.
In addition to the change in Arch, Logan Munroe will now house freshmen boys, Squire Stanley will house fourth and fifth-form girls, and Pratt will be a co-ed dorm for sixth formers. However, for those who have seen the list of new dorm assignments, I am sure the changes to Memorial House are the most shocking. One of Choate’s most notable dorms that, for the past 100 years, has housed all boarding third-form boys, will now be open to fourth and fifth-form boys and — this is the real kicker — GIRLS. Essentially, the dorm notorious for housing who are arguably the School’s most rambunctious students will now adopt the same living arrangements as Hill House. I think Archbold would have been a great option for a new co-ed dorm. After curfew, the key cards only work on the floor to which you’re assigned. If a few similar safety measures were added to make the dorm co-ed inclusive, it would have made perfect sense to make one floor exclusively for girls and the other for boys, similar to the design of Hill. Despite the change, the culture and reputation of Mem have stuck with me, and the possibility of living in a room that’s housed generations of freshman boys is unsettling, to say the least.
While this change is overall pretty negative for me, I imagine it’s had an even greater effect on my fifth-form friends who are planning to prefect next year. Many of them must consider prefecting in a dorm they’ve never even lived in. All they have to work off of while considering their choices for next year is word of mouth and, of course, the reputation that each dorm has developed over the years. For example, Archbold has seemed to foster a studious environment, whereas Memorial House has a reputation for being a loud and trouble-making dorm.
Although it will be a little difficult to adjust to the idea of a male-identifying student walking into my old room, a place that I’ve grown to love, and calling it their home, I’m interested to see how these changes impact Choate’s culture as a whole.
