Just because sophomore Brett Amiotte and junior Jenna Van Oort live in the same dorm doesn’t mean they have to get along.
“Last year when we discovered Heemstra was going to be torn down, we all decided to make t-shirts to voice our opinions,” states Brett “Danger” Amiotte. “I happened to write, ‘I’m moving to Steggy!’ on my shirt and what do you know? Here I am.” Amiotte is a resident of men’s annex wing, “Westenga,” “Swesty,” or “West Wing” – has it been given an official name yet? He continues, “The guys say it was a prophecy.”
Prophecy? Maybe. Reality? Yes. Steggy has officially completed its transition from being an all girls dorm to the first dorm in Northwestern’s history to house both men and women. The boys on this new wing had a few concerns coming into the school year. Mostly, they were excited, but they also worried about separation. Freshman Jordan Starkenburg notes, “I was concerned that there would be a separation with West, kind of like an emotional break. But so far, there hasn’t been. But I don’t really feel like I’m living in a ‘girl’ dorm.”
Many of the guys in The West Wing (the name the residents have bestowed upon it) share the same opinion. Sophomore Bryan Duffey has a different spin on things. “It used to be that guys would only come over to girl’s dorms if they wanted to see their girlfriend or something. Guys didn’t come over just to chill. I think Northwestern needed a girl/guy dormbecause it’s really going to help us in our sense of community. It’s a lot different than it was last year already.” It seems as though the guys in The West Wing are alright with the fact that they live in a dorm where they are highly outnumbered. But what do the girls think?
“It’s not that different than I thought it would be,” freshman Gretchen Sutherland discloses. “But I honestly forget that we have boys in our dorm and that can be embarrassing sometimes. Especially when you walk out in your towel and make a mad dash for your room…” It seems as though many girls in Steggy have had a similar “towel” experience.
A first north freshman shares her insight on the situation, “it’s fun living here, but it’s weird not being able to go to that side of the hallway. In the first week of school I walked down that hall and it was super weird… I wasn’t expecting to see so many half naked guys!” The boys in The West Wing definitely do admit to the “half naked” part. “I try not to stand in front of my window in my underwear with my blinds open anymore,” Amiotte laughs, “There are way too many girls around. But hey, sometimes I forget, I’m a guy!”
After we get past all the half naked guys and towel scares, it seems as if this new living situation is a turn for the better. After all, why shouldn’t there be more community between girls and guys? And if nothing else, a co-ed dorm might be exactly what Northwestern needs. It’s not like people get married around here or anything.