Communities Come in Many Forms

Residence Life and Housing at DePauw University aims to provide a variety of comfortable living environments and continues to create more optimal spaces for our resident students. Additionally, we try to provide our students with a variety of living choices. Each of these different living environments demands a distinctive approach to community living.

Juniors and seniors can choose from our UOAH, theme communities and our North Quad Residence Halls. Sophomores can choose from any of our North Quad Residence Halls, theme communities, and our no event registration neighborhood. First-year students have the opportunity to live in any of our five South Quad Residence Halls or Lucy and Mason Halls in the North Quad.

The following is a brief guide to living in various types of environments and provides ideas and questions to consider as you prepare to move into your new home. 

 Traditional Residence Hall Living

Living in a traditional residence hall means living in a community with approximately 100 other students, many of whom you initially may not know. Additionally, you may have a roommate with whom you would share your private room. Living in a residence hall does not mean just living in your room on a floor where other people live in their own room. It means sharing the positive and challenging aspects of living together. The ideal, all-inclusive residence hall environment is one in which diversity is cherished, all community members feel safe and respected, and conflict is handled through open communication and compromise.  

You have the choice to become as involved in your community as you wish – you might become Hall Council president, or you might choose to spend more time alone or outside of the hall. However involved you choose to become in your residence hall or floor community, you are always a member of that community and have a responsibility to live in a way that is respectful and considerate of those around you. You may find that the road toward the ideal residence hall community is rocky, or you may find that you and your fellow residents bond immediately. Regardless, it is important to remember that living in a traditional residence hall means living in community with a diverse group of other students and demands responsibility and work but provides for fun and laughter.

Suite Living

DePauw provides students with two different types of suite-style housing. Hogate Hall houses first-year students in suites with two double rooms and two single rooms, while Rector Village suites house 5 or 8 upperclass students in mostly single rooms. Suite-style living provides many of the same opportunities as a traditional hall with a few added benefits and extra challenges. Living in suites provides a unique opportunity to experience aspects of both traditional residence hall living and apartment living. Suites offer the opportunity to form multiple communities in a small space. Roommates, suitemates, floor-mates, and building-mates will form relationships. While our two suite style living options offer different combinations of these relationships, they can present similar challenges and rewards.

Residents have a diverse group of individuals with whom to interact and a variety of spaces in which to do so. Suite common areas are ideal for hanging out and getting to know your suitemates, yet having a separate bedroom allows residents to still close their doors when they desire privacy to study or sleep.  On the other hand, being a member of such multiple communities can also create challenges. You and your roommate will likely have one set of expectations for one another, and it is likely that you and your suitemates will have a slightly different set of expectations of each other as well. It is advisable to have a suite meeting at the beginning of the semester in order to agree upon these expectations. It is important to be clear about what you expect from your fellow residents and to be willing to be flexible and respectful of others’ needs. 

Suites are considered a shared space, not a common (to all residents) space. This means that everyone in a suite is responsible for the condition of the shared space. This is one of many reasons it is important to establish clear expectations and strong communication among suitemates. In addition to enriching the residential experience, it establishes a safe and healthy living space in both the private (rooms) and shared (suite areas) spaces of a suite.

Substance Free Living

Substance free living is an environment in which all residents agree to lead a lifestyle in their community free from tobacco, alcohol, or drug use. Substance free living means different things to different people. For some residents, this entails completely abstaining from the use of these variety of substances, and for others, it means not using them in the living unit. It is the responsibility of each resident to  determine what exactly this means to them - with respect to the minimum expectation that they will be substance free in their living community - and to communicate their beliefs and their standards to other residents while still respecting the choices that other residents may make outside of the living unit. 

Substance free communities are vibrant communities that provide students an environment especially supportive of their choice not to use alcohol or tobacco. Programming in our substance free communities focuses on providing alternatives to alcohol-centered social events.

 Apartment and House Living

Living in a University-owned apartment and house is completely different from living in a residence hall. You will share your space with significantly fewer people, but it is important to remember that you are still sharing your space. Some housemates find that they quickly grow to feel like family. Others find that they leave at the end of the year and hope to never have to live together again. Somewhere, there is a happy medium, and it is achievable through communication and clear boundary setting. 

Apartment living can be filled with fun, and it is a great learning experience. Living in a smaller environment takes both awareness and balance. It is easy to feel isolated at times, so make sure that you are communicating with friends outside of your house or apartment. Also make certain that you and your housemates do not fall into the all-too-simple trap of merely living together but not really talking. Discuss early on who is going to be responsible for what household chores or set up a rotation schedule. Let your housemates know what things really drive you crazy (like leaving towels on the floor or dishes in the sink), and be flexible about how to run the household. Living in a house or an apartment with someone else means being willing to work through conflicts together and sometimes cleaning up or just being extra quiet when they are totally swamped with work. It is a good practice for future everyday living. Enjoy it and make sure you keep those lines of communication open!