Wonnacott

Author: Andrea Gissing

Wonnacott, the commons of Dean Matt Longman and the giant squirrel, splits the dorms on the south side of College St. with Brainerd Commons. Wonnacott's dorms include: Battell (first-center and south), Gifford, 108 South Main St (the Chinese House), 20 Adirondack View (the Japanese House), Starr and Painter. Senior housing includes: Harris Farm House, Homer Harris House, the mods Earhart and Costeau, Jewett House, Sperry House, Turner House and the Voter suites.

If location is high on your list of priorities, Gifford is the Wonnacott dorm to draw into. Located on the south side of Rt. 125 right across from Forrest, it is central to everything on campus: equidistant to Bi-hall, the library and the CFA and the athletics complex, food, (Proctor is right across the way), laundry and McCullough. Accommodations in Gifford are a combination of four and five person suites, doubles and singles. Rooms are on the small side, however, the suites, the size of the dorm itself and the Gamut Room contribute to a social environment.

Residents' opinions of the dorm are mixed, with location being the key seller. The dorm has a lot of lounges and the single bathrooms are appreciated, but there is not much public kitchen space, the furniture is old and it can be on the noisy side because of people coming in and out, especially on the weekends. "Also, the road noise of 125 with trucks sometimes gets unbearable in the morning," said Matt Griswold '07.5.

A much quieter option is to try and draw into Painter or Starr, located on either side of Old Chapel. Rooms in these two buildings are a combination of split-doubles, moderate to huge singles and a few doubles in Starr. Proximity to the new library is a huge plus and the overall location is relatively decent, unless you're a "Bi-hall" frequenter or if you're the type who has little patience for walking to food. The biggest negative for both dorms is the lack of lounge and kitchen areas.

"I love this building," said Anne Nelson '06 of Starr, citing the wood, the tall ceilings on the bottom floors and the stone façade as her reason. For many upperclassmen, the quiet of the two dorms is great for getting work done, but the closed-door atmosphere makes getting to know your neighbor difficult. "It's not very social," said Retta Leaphart '06. "The lack of lounges on each floor may be the reason." The best thing about Painter is definitely the HUGE singles, which will probably go quick.

For incoming first-years placed in the Wonnacott-half of Battell, be prepared: the rooms (mostly doubles) are by far the smallest on campus. "The size of the rooms is too small, I feel squished," said Elyse McNiff '08. But Battell has a central location and the social scene is the most active of the first-year dorms (both in a good and bad way). It makes getting to know members of your class incredibly easy, and for the rest of your time at Middlebury you will all be able to commiserate about your first-year shoebox living experience. If you crave quiet when sleeping, bring earplugs.

Senior housing in Wonnacott, though limited, is some of the best the College has to offer. With the obvious exception of the Voter suites, most of the houses are on the periphery of campus. Instead of being a negative, however, it gives an off-campus feel to on-campus housing. Make sure you get a good group of friends together - you'll share bathrooms, living rooms, possibly a double if you draw the short straw and the kitchen, which is more difficult than one may think. Battles will be fought over who left the dirty dish in the sink for the last five days. The houses all have unique qualities of their own too. For example, "There's definitely a fly problem, no matter how warm or cold it is," said Ryan Dunn-Komeh '05 of the Harris Farm House, "bring a fly swatter." Flies aside, Dunn-Komeh likes living in the house, "It's haggard, but it has character. I have a nice sweet room but the heat's temperamental. The floor and walls sort of slant but we have a kitchen, living room and dining room. It's a sweet house." Harris Farm is split into two apartments, housing a total of eight students.

As for the famed Voter suites, for location, it is the best senior housing on campus. It has the advantages of any senior housing: suites, kitchens, TV and nice common rooms - plus spiral staircases. Few people can score these coveted suites, but as Residential Advisor (RA) Dan Stone '05.5 said, "[the smallness] makes it easy to meet people in the dorm and yet easy enough to have your own space." The downsides of living in Voter include old style furniture and limited options for room arrangements. "The rooms are often in unique designs so that there is really only one way to set up a room. That makes it hard to customize and makes it hard if you have a lot of stuff," said Stone. However, these are small prices to pay to live in Voter.

Students in Wonnacott housing seem to have a favorable impression of being a part of the commons, enjoying the camaraderie and their dean. When asked if he would like to continue in his commons, Griswold said, "Yes, because I think that the buildings have personality and Wonnacott staff can't be beat." Despite the "squished" feel of Battell, McNiff looks forward to Gifford. "I love the people and faculty in my commons. We are all so close, my best friends are in Wonnacott."