Et tu, Orchard Hill?

Let’s just go through the run down real quick: a new recreation center, the best Grab-n-Go in Berkshire, z-rooms and the nicest looking beach in all of western Massachusetts provide the scenery for the one of the best atmospheres on campus in the Southwest Residential Living Area. With over 5,500 students living here, it is impossible to not see someone new everyday. While the campus as a whole is not very diverse, there are more people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations and majors down here. And we have a skyline.

I am not going to talk about the other living areas, because, quite frankly, the residence halls have more similarities than differences. We just have a larger home base down here.

The generalization of Southwest residents goes something along the lines of us being drunks, immature party animals, jocks, inconsiderate noise-mongers and slacker students.

That’s debatable.

Every dorm has “that guy” at parties. Every dorm has obnoxious residents who blast really bad music too loud. Every dorm has those students who don’t go to class.
And, surprise to even those residents, people up in Central play drinking games (don’t ask how I know). But Southwest still has that edge that dominates the rest.

            For my fellow city lovers, Southwest is the closest housing center in farmland we have to being in a city. I like an urban environment, and Southwest fits that need.

Personally, I cannot sit still for five minutes let alone live in a mostly quiet area. I like to know that people are around me; that no matter what, there is always something going on like in Southwest. Sure, there are nights where I want to yell out my window on the 14th floor of John Adams tower and tell some people to shut it, but I’ve felt that everywhere on campus. But this part of campus feels like it’s alive. I think of Southwest as similar to the Learning Commons in the DuBois Library: it is relatively noisy, but with enough resources and space to feel comfortable to get things done.

I have friends in Orchard Hill and Central who say they could not focus over here. With thousands of students living here I would not be surprised to know that at least one person does not like Southwest. Let me then make this clear: there is no problem with not liking Southwest. There is a problem, however, with saying other areas are better.

Down here we’re close to the fields, a healthy walk from our classes, and have the best DC on campus: Berkshire (Franklin isn’t that bad, either, so I’ll give them that).

Something else I love about Southwest is the impeccable timing of construction work. Five weeks left of school until over two months of summer vacation and most of Southwest South gets sealed off for rebuilding. People also sound sarcastic down here, which can be funny. Sometimes.

Say what you want, but I love Southwest. Besides, do you really expect to ever live in place that fits your desires 100 percent? Sure you do! Just come down to Southwest and we’ll give you a fun time of meeting new people, having a nice view in a tower, getting your degree, eating well, and living life on the south side.

See you at the bottom of the hill.

Roy Ribitzky is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].