Image: Students in Stokes House drinking coffee and eating chocolate-covered strawberries during their weekly house Coffee Hour.

The things that Bennington students love about their houses are as varied as the students themselves. Housing is personal at Bennington—students live not in massive dorms, but in houses of about 30 people each, a mixture of single and double rooms, with kitchens and comfy common areas. Dwelling in these communities is the kind of experience that’s easier to show than describe, and House Stories offers a few thumbnail portraits of Bennington students, their rooms, their roommates, their houses—and how they made themselves at home.

Be sure to read Part One for the essentials of what it’s like to live in a Bennington house, and Part Two for descriptions of the quirks and perks of each house, along with fun community events that various houses organize.

Roommates Trevor Wilson ’09 and Asher Woodworth ’09

If you’re wondering about the roommate experience…

All first-year students are guaranteed a roommate (singles are available to juniors, seniors, and sometimes sophomores), and lot of thought and care goes into matching first-year students with their roommates and houses. Dean of Students Eva Chatterjee-Sutton sorts out every roommate pair herself, referring to the students’ housing preference forms, which ask them about everything from noise and smoking preferences to whether they’re neat or messy. “We want to help you find the most comfortable place for you,” Eva says.

Once you’re matched with a roommate (during the summer, before you arrive at Bennington), the Student Life office gives you his/her contact information so that you can begin to get to know each other. Some roommates hit it off and discover they’ve found a confidante before they ever meet in person. “I called Mary and awkwardly yelled at her about my life,” Rebecca Bass ’10 laughs, describing her first encounter with her roommate Mary Dwan ’10 before they arrived at Bennington. “We were nicely paired roommates.”

"I wasn’t looking forward to having a roommate when I first came here, but now if I’m home and she’s not, I’m like, ‘I wish Courtney would get home so we can play Chinese checkers.’”

Even if you and your roommate discover that you’re not meant for each other, you’re free to switch. Brynn Champney ’10 was looking for a new roommate and found one in her new friend Courtney—almost immediately after meeting her, in fact. “We talked for ten minutes and then moved in together, and it’s worked out so well. I wasn’t looking forward to having a roommate when I first came here, but now if I’m home and she’s not, I’m like, ‘I wish Courtney would get home so we can play Chinese checkers.’” The relaxed vibe of their room invites even more company. “Tonight we’re having a movie night. People love hanging out in here.”

The living room of Noyes House, one of the Barnes ("70s") houses

If you like a laid-back atmosphere…

Most houses fall somewhere in between loud and quiet—either tending to the noisy side but with a general courtesy rule, or moderately quiet, with agreed-upon nighttime quiet hours. Joel Coburn-Neddo ’07 lives in Bingham, and says, “I like that we have quiet hours, but it’s not stringently enforced. People are doing things at night and you just have to be respectful, and I think Bingham is a house that encourages respect.”

Joel moved into Bingham as a senior, and found that “the community here is pretty tight-knit, but it’s easy to move into if you want to.” Bingham isn’t alone in this respect—house communities tend to be open and friendly enough and have enough movement from year to year that they don’t become cliquish. “I think they encourage it—it’s pretty laid-back. If you want to be part of things, you can; if you want to do your own thing, you can.”

Hanging out after Coffee Hour in Stokes House, one of the colonial houses

If you like a glorious racket…

You like to rock out in your garage, you say? Deejay the street from your bedroom window? If you heard an outburst of laughter in the hall at 2 am, you’d be more likely to go out and join it than cover your head with your pillow? You’re not the only one.

You’ll feel right at home in one of the “loud houses”—houses with no set quiet hours. Jesselyn Dreeszen Bowman ’09 and Elaine Allen ’09 live in one such house, Fels. Both Jesselyn and Elaine have singles there, and in Jesselyn’s words, “We like to say we have the best community on campus. People are always in the common room and always doing things together. It’s fun. We decorate the common room, and we have arts and crafts in there a lot.” And then there’s the Fels Olympics, which, according to Jesselyn, includes “a long jump and broom wrestling.”

Fels is right next door to the new Student Center, and Elaine likes “being able to watch the Student Center. If I open my window, I can usually hear if the band’s worth going and seeing.”

Trevor and Asher's room in Franklin, the 24-hour quiet house

If you like peaceful tranquility…

Then there’s Franklin, the only 24-hour quiet house on campus. Although it’s best known for its silence—perfect for people who want guaranteed peace for studying, mid-afternoon naps, or a simple respite from activity—Franklin also has especially breathtaking views of the mountains.

Trevor Wilson ’09 and Asher Woodworth ’09 both moved into their Franklin double after stints in several other houses. The roommates say they “get good light almost all day long.” They brought in plants to further liven up the room, but as Trevor says, “It’s not like you need it too much when you have a lilac bush right outside your window.”

“That’s actually more common than I thought,” Asher says. “I’ve looked around and several people have these beautiful flowering trees right outside their windows, which is really nice. When they bloom, you can smell lilacs all throughout the room.”

"Several people have these beautiful flowering trees right outside their windows..."

Despite the quiet hours, “We like to have little gatherings,” Asher says. “It’s nice because it’s not your typical gathering. Five or six people will be in the living room in different places, drinking tea, conversing—it’s just a nice atmosphere.” When asked how they manage that without bucking the noise restriction, Asher says, “We just give ourselves a constant reminder,” and points to the picture of a person holding her finger to her mouth in a silent hushing motion. If their guests begin to get out of hand, they just point at the picture. “People are really responsive and considerate,” says Trevor.

For a quiet house, Asher says that their Coffee Hours “have been thriving. This term we have crazy Coffee Hours.” “Yeah, we do,” Trevor agrees. “Very active. Because everybody knows they can be loud at that moment.”

Check in next week for the fourth and final installment in this series, when we’ll look at Welling Town House, Bennington’s co-op house—a haven for organic community living, where students share the cooking and enjoy a backyard herb-and-vegetable garden.

More housing stories:

• Housing Stories, Part 1: The Essentials
• Housing Stories, Part 2: Perks and Quirks, Fun Community Events
• Housing Stories, Part 3: The Roommate Experience, The Atmosphere
• Housing Stories, Part 4: Organic Living at the Co-Op House

More about life on campus:

• Living at Bennington
• Food at Bennington
• List of campus organizations
• Bodies in Motion: Athletics, fitness, and the great outdoors at Bennington
• Stealing Away: The secret (and not-so-secret) hideaways of the Bennington campus

Click here to read more stories about Bennington.