When I was a freshman, I lived in Umrath. Lucky for me, both of my parents are Wash. U. alums, so the moment I received my housing assignment, I was briefed on everything one could possibly need to know about the building. They told me exactly where Umrath was, what it was near, and even who lived there in the ’70s.
But chances are, you’re not as lucky as I am. You’ve probably received your housing assignment by now, but know little-to-nothing more than the name of the building and room number you’ve been assigned. Maybe you’ve found your way to ResLife’s website, but even the information listed there won’t tell you how far you’ll have to walk to get to class, or where your building is relative to all the important spots on the South 40.
But never fear, my new-to-Wash.-U. friends. Listed below you’ll find each freshman dorm, and the bare necessities for each that they won’t tell you in the official literature.
Danforth: Constructed in 1998, Danforth is one of the newer dorms on the South 40. It houses 180 residents-all freshmen-on its four floors. Danforth is a member of the William Greenleaf Eliot residential college, along with neighboring, upperclassman dorms Shepley and Wheeler. The three dorms are among the farthest from Wohl Center (the student center/post office/eatery) and from campus, so get those calf muscles stretched and ready before the school year begins. All floors in the building are carpeted, there’s a computer lab on the first floor, refrigerators on each floor, and there’s even an elevator.
The obvious perk of living in Danforth is that, because it’s a new dorm, every two rooms are connected by a bathroom. This forms a sort of “suite” of four people, and let’s face it: private bathrooms are a luxury in college. Danforth’s second floor is substance free and generally quiet, but that’s balanced out by the notorious fourth floor, “D-4,” which-for as long as I’ve been around-has had a reputation for liking to party.
Umrath: Umrath is one of the oldest dorms left standing on the 40-it’s got a lot of history behind it. Built in 1958 to help aid rising student enrollment and need for on-campus housing, it’s seen a lot of wear and tear. It’s centrally located, one of the closest dorms to main campus, and a brief walk away from Wohl Center. Each floor has two male and two female bathrooms shared by forty-or-so residents-and be sure to beware of the low shower heads and occasionally dubious water pressure.
The building has three residential floors, and the first floor houses the Social Justice center, a pool table, big-screen TV and a kitchen. Umrath is paired with Rubelmann, another freshman dorm, to form the Rubelmann-Umrath residential college. Oh, and if you’ve been assigned Umrath 216, say hi to the old room for me!
Rubelmann: “Ruby” is Umrath’s sister dorm, also one of the oldest dorms remaining on the South 40. It’s practically identical to Umrath in every way imaginable-same three floors, similar set up and size, shared bathrooms, and it’s located right next door. The third floor is often labeled as substance free, but that depends on the number of you guys who signed up for sub-free dorms.
Rubelmann was originally created to house only female students, but men have called it home, too, since the 70’s. The biggest difference between Ruby and Umrath is the “tunnel-like” above-ground connection between it and neighboring freshman dorm Beaumont. I wish I could explain it to you better than that, and offer you insight into its original purpose, but quite frankly, I have no idea. I do, however, know that it’s a handy way to stay partially dry when traveling to Danforth in stormy weather…
Beaumont: I spent a lot of time in Beaumont my freshman year, and not just because I was dating a guy that lived there. The people in this entirely substance-free dorm have a reputation for being quirky. Case in point: one Beaumont-resident friend of mine was mailed a gallon of pickles by his grandfather for no apparent reason, and ate all of them. Beaumont’s partner dorm is Lee, and the two face each other from across a small patch of grass. Beaumont, according to my mother, was one of the first-if not the first-dormitories in the country to go co-ed. As such, it’s obviously been around awhile.
Beaumont, nicknamed “Beau,” is built similarly to Umrath and Ruby, with three floors, shared bathrooms, and a common room/study room/TV on the first floor. It’s located sort of in the “heart” of the South 40, with one side facing the Swamp and the other facing neighboring dorms Lee, Ruby and Umrath. It is, however, a slightly longer walk from campus-and an uphill one, at that. And, like all the other older dorms, only has one refrigerator, located on the first floor.
Liggett: Liggett is the oldest dorm remaining, and is the next one slated to be imploded as part of the university’s continual overhauling of the residential area. Its partner dorm, Koenig, was the most recent dorm to be taken down, and the newest addition to the 40 will take its place. Again, it’s from the same period as Umrath, Beaumont, Lee, and Ruby, so its mechanics are pretty similar-all the stuff that goes for them goes for Liggett, too. It has one kitchen, located on the first floor.
It’s located on the far side of Wohl center, but is still quite close. The walk to campus and to all the important areas on the 40 isn’t bad, and the people I’ve known who have called Liggett home thoroughly enjoyed their stays. Although, to be honest, I’ve heard something about the stairwells smelling pretty gross.
Lien: Lien is a newish freshman-only dorm that’s set up similarly to Danforth, in that it has that two-rooms-to-a-bathroom plan, and both carpeting and an elevator. It’s location basically couldn’t be better-it’s the closest freshman dorm to campus, not far from Wohl (on its north side), and located right on top of Ursa’s, the South 40’s sort of coffee shop-like location that frequently has live music, and always has big comfy chairs and board games available to use. Lien is partnered with Gregg, an upperclassmen dorm that I called home last year, and has a computer lab inside.
My freshman year, the floors in Lien were really tight, and dorm room doors were always open. I couldn’t tell you what each of the last two years’ have been like, but it does seem that everyone looks back with fondness on their stay, and recollections are often about floor-wide parties.
Forsyth: Along with upperclassman dorm Nemerov, it forms the Wayman Crow Residential College. I will be honest, and tell you I’ve never actually been inside the building, but I’ve heard from last year’s residents that-while it may not have been completely finished at the time of their move-in-they enjoyed their experience and found the dorm to be clean, comfortable, and modern.
Its location, however, could be better. Forsyth House is located where the South Forty’s two towers, Shepley and Elliot, used to stand, which is all the way down almost alongside Big Bend Boulevard. This is an advantage if you’re walking to Schnucks to get groceries or to the Esquire to see a movie, but you’ll likely have to leave for class a few minutes earlier than will your classmates who call Umrath or Lien home.
Eliot: Eliot House is pretty unique, because-right now, at least-it’s the only dormitory on campus that houses both freshmen and upperclassmen. Freshmen all live in rooms set up exactly like those in Danforth, and each floor is home to up to a few suites that house (usually) sophomores. There’s a small kitchen on each floor, but only one oven, on the first floor. The downstairs common room in Eliot is pretty nice, complete with attractive hard wood floors and staircases and a big screen TV. It often houses free events, like workshops, offered to any interested students, and has a pretty good location.
While it’s not the closest dorm to campus or to popular off-campus locales, it’s barely steps away from Wohl. This makes the journey to get food in the winter oh-so-much easier than for those who live on other parts of the Forty.
Lee: Lee has balconies! Lee is Beaumont’s sister dorm, and together they form the Lee-Beaumont (“Lee-Beau”) Residential College. Unlike Beaumont, Lee is not sub-free, but like its neighbor it has been around a while, and has seen its fair share of use. Many people love old dorms like Lee because they find them much more social and friendly than their new-dorm counterparts, but it is true that the floors in rooms aren’t carpeted, and there are shared bathrooms (two for each gender) on each of three floors. Lee’s location is pretty central, as far as freshman dorms go. On its east side are Eliott, Umrath, Ruby, Liggett, and the new dorm, and on its west are Danforth and Forsyth. Its walks to class and to Wohl are both average, not extremely short, nor irritatingly long.
With the exception of last year’s “events” on Lee 3 (if you don’t know, don’t ask), Lee has a great reputation and its residents have been very close.
Koenig: You’re alone on this one: at the time this article was written, ResLife wouldn’t even verify its name!
Dan Daranciang
Dan Daranciang
Dan Daranciang