i remember freshman fall, when I first got to campus my parents said “daughter, don’t move to EC, they built a roller coaster (and it doesn’t look safe so don’t go on it), they die their hair and some people didn’t have clothes on, let alone shoes. it’s weird and i think they’re allowed to have cats and even smoke in their rooms *gasp*”. as an agreeable kid who was content with my assigned dorm, i obeyed.
during my first semester, i became friends with one haus resident… and soon, half of my friend group lived someplace on the east side. i loved my floor on west campus and wouldn’t trade that experience for anything but senior haus and East Campus were definitely my second homes.
after attending my first 5E party, i realized my parents were right. everyone was weird and i LOVED it. then i attended my first roast… and fell in love again, press repeat until my last roast this spring. i would go to east campus and stay late chatting with people i never met, making new friends and before i realized, every single time, we would see the sunrise. i never had to worry about what i was wearing to east campus or how my hair looked or if my socks matched. if i wanted a beer, i just had to ask and if i wanted to smoke, someone was there with a pack.
the murals on the walls were fantastic, the sense of pride in where people lived was incredible and the openness of the entire two dorms was incredible.
i don’t have much to say other than that East Campus and Senior Haus shaped my MIT experience for the better. the people that i met, the experiences i had and their strong sense of culture, creativity, self-exploration and support could not be replaced by anything, and i know so many people feel the same way.
if i ever make enough money to donate towards keeping these residences alive and growing, all of it is going to you all.