Ross

Author: Katie Flagg

Students in Ross Commons have transcended the proverbial "Life sucks and then you die" with a new optimism - "Life is mediocre and then LaForce!"

"[Ross] is clean and functional," said Taylor Long '07, a resident of Hadley. "It is [also] a lifeless, overbearing, claustrophobic, prison-like, maze in a large sterile box."

Millikin, Hadley, Kelly and Lang are the first-year, sophomore and junior housing options. The halls feature a mix of singles and doubles, and suites of varied sizes with private bathrooms - all linked by narrow hallways with wall lamps that create an atmosphere a bit too reminiscent of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The lack of personality within the Milliken-Hadley-Kelly-Lang sprawl leaves Ross with a less than exciting social scene.

"My hall isn't very social," said Karen Stahlheber '07, who lives in Kelly Hall. She added, "In general Ross is less social than Pearsons. Living in a Ross single can promote a sense of isolation unless you actively counteract it."

Though students were under-whelmed about Ross' social environment, Hadley serves as a partying pocket on the weekends, and the stellar town houses and LaForce rooms make it all worthwhile once residents hit senior year.

Seniors living in LaForce enjoy cozy apartments with their own kitchens, plus common rooms that work well with a TV. "I really enjoyed living in Laforce," said Xan Williams, commons resident advisor and former member of Ross Commons. "That was my main impetus for staying. It was nice to have personal space beyond a single bedroom."

Katy Olson '05, a current resident of LaForce, said Ross senior housing still holds its own against the Atwater's new suites. "I think the suites in LaForce are just the right size - Atwater's are excessively big."

And of course, if the room draw system loves you enough, there's always the Ross townhouses - two story apartment style suite with ample common room space. Erich Blacher '05, townhouse resident, was glad to have "a gigantic room and all of the amenities of an apartment" for his senior year.

But students do not have to wait for senior year for all their perks - as any cold and bundled diner at Ross will point out when watching the local Rossers stroll down in pajama pants and flip flops. Ross students also have the option of rolling out of bed and down the hill to McCardell Bicentennial Hall with only 30 seconds of the winter weather to get in their way.

Though residents of Ross's many suites enjoy their common space, the majority of students say lounges, kitchens and furniture leave something to be desired. "There is no TV in the [lounge], and there are always strangers in it," said John Brimhall '08.

Most Ross students plan to stay in Ross. Some are satisfied with their housing, while others just wait for the LaForce light at the end of the "sterile" tunnel. "The only reason I would [stay] is to get higher quality senior housing in LaForce," said Stahlheber. "However, I feel no special commitment."