I really enjoyed this Rose Cafe, because I finally got to sit down with Dr. Hill and discuss his ideas for a developing a better sense of community on west campus housing systems. Students had different ideas that were raised to have a better sense of belonging and unique culture in each house.
One interesting idea was to encourage interhouse sportsmanship. The competitive nature of sports and students at this school would encourage a camaraderie between residents on a team. Another interesting idea was for each of the 5 west campus dorms to “adopt” a dorm on north campus. This way freshman will already know which dorm they will be a part of as sophomores, and maybe juniors or seniors at Cornell.
Sitting with Dr. Hill and discussing these unique ideas was a very fulfilling experience. I felt that he really took our ideas into consideration and genuinely wanted to encourage more brotherhood between residents of each of the main houses.
I find the idea of adopting a house on North Campus to be very interesting. I think that this concept would increase the sense of belonging that students have to their prospective houses as well as encourage students to take a more active role in the house communities. Sometimes West campus can feel somewhat isolated so I think that branching out could also improve this.
I think the idea of interhouse sporting events is promising. That would be a lot of fun and could help bring West campus houses together.
“Adopting a north campus house” is interesting but not quite practical as there isn’t even enough west campus housing to accommodate all the rising sophomores.
However it’s really great that there’s discussion going on about increasing west campus “brotherhood”–as sophomores or upperclassmen we are less inclined to socialize with our hall mates or dormmates for sure.
I find incorporating sports and athletics as an important point.
Often times sports are used as an unifying force, for nations and organizations alike. It creates spirit, a sense of pride, and above all a sense of belonging. I wonder if this argument is enough to win over the hearts of those who believe that athletics in Cornell should not be viewed as important.
However, I also want to shed light on the fact that it is not only sports that can have the same effect. Why not do board game competitions, art shows, and other activities that would allow houses to bond too?