Acts of Dorm-i-tude

ANNEX

Stereotype: Bookworms, anti-social, stuck up, low-key freaks, boring, no fun, lames

TESTIMONY- "My name is Jazsmin Watson-Booth and I’m a proud Annex girl! I stayed in the Annex my freshman year and I had an amazing experience def not what the experience people stereotype. I got close with several girls who are like my sisters, I had fun in my suite and the better living was definitely a plus! We enjoyed ourselves but at the same time we had to be more outgoing to meet new people and get involved. I didn’t know everyone on my floor like the QUAD girls do, but I did know the majority. The Annex is usually peaceful and it’s easy to lock yourself in a room and not come out so if you are shy person your experience may be different. The quad is more social with ready made friends which makes it a plus especially for those who aren’t as outgoing but DON’T SLEEP ON THE ANNEX, I mean we are the 2009 Resfest Champs so we are clearly a great dorm! 22 25! I rep with pride :) " - Jazsmin Watson-Booth, sophomore, Public Relations major

BETHUNE ANNEX—This all girl’s dorm is made up of the east and Westside. It’s still on Campus and ideal for School of Communication students, but SUCKS for School of Business. MAN, do yall have a long, hilly walk! (They don’t call Howard the Hilltop for nothing). So if you are living here make sure you bring lots of flat shoes. The rooms are suite style with 2 or 3 rooms a suite depending on the style. The Annex has private bathrooms, air-conditioning, and their own cafeteria so is the more expensive of the two dorms. 22 25!!!

Jamie and Bri (two Annex freshmen 2008)

Annex dance team 2009

Advice: Don’t be lazy. Get out of your comfortable, air conditioned Annex suite and walk to the Café and eat with the rest of the freshmen. Join lots of organizations and rep the Annex to the fullest! You will only become the anti-social stereotype if you choose to be. so no matter what let your personality shine!

QUAD

Stereotype: ghetto, loud, hoes, dirty, party animals, outgoing

Testimony- "It's simple. The dorm makes the person. Yea.. I said it. Howard isn't the real world. But if it was, I would say the student makes the dorm. But it's not. Soooo, it's kind of like the high school cafeteria. You eat with the stuck up rich & popular white girls, you'll be perceived as just that. You sit with the geeky math club and the one fat boy that picks his nose, more than likely, you'll be laughed at. :] The point is that association breeds similarity. And although I'm not saying that every girl in the QUAD was a loud ghetto ass duck (damn), lol, but that is exactly what the QUAD represents. And no matter how pretty or smart, or quiet you MAY be, you won't change that perception. You know how many dumb ugly girls stay in the annex?? you wouldn't believe how many gay boys stayed in drew?! You just have to be careful not to actually make that stereotype become your
reality. Your freshmen year motto should be... "fuck that other shit, let's get it popping!"

lol. ps. take yall asses to class. & buy your pal pack. :]"- Kayla Mutha Fuckin Lindsey, Sophomore, Audio Production major

THE QUAD- The community dorm for Freshman girls composed of 5 buildings with 4 sides. Some with air-conditioning some without. Some are triples, some are doubles, and both are open environments with lounge areas to study and hangout. The more social of the two dorms, the Quad is always full of surprises. Q-U-A-D Aaaahhhhhhh YYeEEEEeAAAAAAAAhhhhhh!!!

Quad Stroll team 2009

Girls from Baldwin Hall in Quad watching a video together

ADVICE: Go to Health and Science library for serious studying because it can be loud and distracting in the QUAD. If you don't want people to think you're a hoe then dont check in 10 boys in the same day. Be yourself and you will be fine!

DREW

Stereotypes: heterosexuals, the cool guys, dogs/male hoes, fun, sweat box

TESTIMONY- “Drrreewwww Halllll.....man for a male freshman it’s the dorm to be in. Now granted it aint the nicest dorm......and you will get visitation snatched a bunch of times but you will get to meet mad people. People don't sleep. All in all when you’re a freshmen drew hall is the dorm you want to be in. It’s an experience”- Nicholas Jones, sophomore, Business Finance major

DREW HALL- The all male dormitory for incoming freshmen. Five floors, community bathrooms, and two side doors to sneak girls in, Drew Hall YOuUUUUUU knoOoooooWWWW, looks like the projects. It gets HOT up in here, especially on Sunday poetry nights. But it is also home to many intelligent and driven young men.

Drew Hall step team 2009

G.O.D.- Gentlemen of Drew members at a party

Advice: Get involved in outside organizations so people know that you are about something! Black men need to step it up at Howard and become leaders in organizations on campus. You can sleep with as many girls as you want, but remember you came for an education. Don't lose focus!

CARVER

Stereotype: Gay, bi-sexual, on the down low, losers

TESTIMONY- “It's the students who make the dorm. My personal testimony is my own freshmen year in Carver Hall. The stereotypes for an average Carver Hall resident was that he was gay and lame and no one wanted to hang with him. When I learned this information I distanced myself from the dorm and the people who lived there. I spent my freshman year like most normal students I went to parties talk to a few females and everything went well and the only time my dorm came up was when females came over. The dorm doesn’t make a person I lived in Carver for an entire year and I am not the stereotype Carver male. I like girls and I gotta say I am one of the more well known students on campus. So don’t worry about where you live worry about where she live and if she got visitation.lol Don’t worry about dorms it aint shit.”- The Coolest Nnamdi Jones, Sophomore, Marketing major

CARVER HALL- Carver is the Annex’s brother dorm and has a reputation as “the gay dorm.” Carver is located off of Elm Street (off campus) with a shuttle bus that stops right out-front. Carver has air-conditioning but is a pain to walk too if you’re out late and miss the last shuttle bus.

Advice: If you are out late make sure you check the times the shuttle runs so you dont have to walk home. If you do, find a friend to walk with cuz' this aint Kansas no mo'! If you're gay that is YOUR business, no one elses unless you chose to let it be. Just don't think because you live somewhere that everyone else you live with is exactly like you because everyone is an individual.

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No matter WHICH dorm you stay in, it's up to YOU to make your experience. I have friends from EVERY dorm and they all enjoyed themselves. Everyone has some rough times in their dorms, especially when it comes to visitation, but now you have a place, and people, to help you get through it.

What do you think? Comment and let me know if you feel that your dorm assignment will affect you as a person, or will you defy the stereotype?

Can you handle the weight?

-Alyssa