For students interested in being creative, playing different types of games, or volunteering often, there are theme houses on and off campus that foster a community of people with similar interests.
From September 18-25, many of Union’s theme houses welcomed any student who wanted to learn about life in theme houses. Residents of the houses gave tours of the area, explained the events and activities that residents do at the house and answered questions. This was a great way to introduce new students to the idea of theme houses and encourage them to become members.
There are 13 houses associated with Union, each housing 8-20 upperclassmen throughout the school year. Every house has at least two floors with conveniences such as a kitchen, laundry area, bedrooms for one or two people and a living area to hang out with fellow residents. In each house there is one house manager — a student who serves as the head of the household — who helps plan events with other house managers.
The Serenity House focuses on mindfulness and stress relief and was one of the many houses that held an open house. Current resident of the house, Max Van Dijk ’24, discussed the factors that motivated him to join the house during the viewing.
“I liked the theme of being serene. I thought that it fit who I was and I already knew a couple people last year so it was nice to move in with my friends.”
“It’s nice to have a kitchen where I can come back and make myself dinner,” said Van Dijk.
Emma Phillips ’24, the house manager of the Iris House, which serves as a safe place for people of the LGBTQ+ community, explained that “getting creative liberty to come up with events and collaborate with different people in the house and other houses” is her favorite part of being the house manager.
“You think we would run out of things to do, but we haven’t yet,” said Phillips.
Students who want to get more involved can apply in February to live in one of the theme houses. Students will fill out an application and the house members will organize interviews. Students can apply to as many houses as they desire. Interested students can contact [email protected] to inquire about these opportunities.
