Brooker, Palmer remain super blocks

Author: Cloe Shasha

Brooker House and Palmer House, Middlebury's two "super block" houses, will continue to be used to house students united by a common interest in the fall of 2009. This year Brooker is themed as an outdoor interest house and Palmer houses students interested in arts and architecture.

The College is considering adding Fletcher House to the list of super block options for the fall of 2009.

"If an appropriate group can be identified for Fletcher House - in light of its location in a residential neighborhood - there is the potential that it will be used as a super block," said Residential Systems Coordinator Karin Hall-Kolts.

Hall-Kolts said that Brooker and Palmer successfully met programming, management and leadership expectations throughout the fall and winter term, warranting their continued use as super blocks next year. The current super block groups can reapply for next year and Hall-Kolts hopes that more groups will gather forces and submit applications.

Current Brooker House residents Chester Harvey '09 and Jon Moen '10 have been happy with their living situation this year.

"Brooker is not only residential," Harvey said. "It is a social place where we host welcome events. The Mountain Club is a lifestyle, not an academic experience, and it's been helpful for the club to have the house."

Moen believes that Brooker has facilitated the preservation of the Mountain Club's atmosphere.

"The Mountain Club is thought of as less of a gear rental center now," Moen said. "It is seen as a group of people, which makes it more informal."

Harvey thinks the system could improve, however, if the college allowed students to personalize the public spaces within the super block houses. Moen agreed that having this freedom in the way that Language Houses and suites do would create a more intimate atmosphere.

"Brooker has small common spaces that are geographically dispersed throughout the house, and each one could be more unique and personal if we were allowed to hang things up on the walls," Harvey explained.

Moen plans on reapplying to live in Brooker House with the Outdoor Interest super block for next fall.

A group of sophomores is also considering forming a super block under a different theme: music.

"There are not enough people on campus who play music together regularly," said Michaela O'Connor '11. "But there are so many talented musicians. I think it would be so awesome if we could have a big group of people who could go home together and play music."

Other students are drawn to the super block houses for more social reasons.

"It's a chance to have a community within a community at college," said Emma Drucker '11. "It would be nice to live near the woods."

"It would be an amazing opportunity to be able to go home and have my home be filled with people I want to spend time with," said Moriel Rothman '11.

But not all students can apply to live in a super block - some restrictions come along with the territory.

"The introduction of the 4/2 plan does not directly affect the super block process other than to limit the membership for the fall term to junior and senior students," Hall-Kolts said. "Second-term sophomores may join a block in the spring term."

Like Hall-Kolts, Acting Dean of the College Gus Jordan is also satisfied with the way the super block system has worked this year.

"Student groups currently in the houses may reapply, but will be considered along with all other applications," Jordan said. "All interested groups will need to generate a compelling application for the houses, expanding on the ways their proposals will benefit the College community."