ALINA PANEK — Four Denison students, Andrew Boyle ’19, Ambar Deleon ’20, Taylor Shook ’20, Kellon Patey ’19 live about fifteen minutes off-campus at 3 Scheffler St., Newark, Ohio — the Hull House — in the effort of helping the local community with volunteer efforts that go beyond service learning.
The idea was sparked last year, and when presented to Housing and DCGA, all agreed that this was a project worth moving forward. They were granted commuter status and funding. They plan to use the funding for when they have larger infrastructure for community programming.
This past semester the four have been living in their new house and have attended 35 community meetings in 13 weeks, and contributed over 450 hours to organizing and service on and off campus.
The Hull House is modeled after its predecessors in Chicago and other cities across the country. The local adaptation of this tradition is to be a stronghold of aid, co-creation, critical thought,
and collaborative action. The residents hope that the Hull House will serve as a meeting space, a hub for service, an office for organizing, and a place of learning for those who strive to leave Licking County more informed, equitable, and prosperous than they found it.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, the Hull House was open to the community. Their community partners were present and prospective students alike were enjoying the hors d’oeuvres displayed in dining room. The residents were offering tours of the house and transportation to and from campus. Each of the residents has their own room, decorated in their own style.
During the open house, it was evident that the Hull House had succeeded in connecting with the Newark community. The living room was crowded with supportive Newark residents who noted that they had worked with the residents by organizing or volunteering. Some of the projects mentioned were the Homeless Outreach program –donations distributed every Saturday — in Newark and an upcoming project of making a newsletter that is similar to the Columbus Free Press but for the local community.
A notable quality about the Hull House is that the residents have an average GPA of 3.62.
“We just wanted to show that you’re able to be part of the Hull House and still be a student,” Patey said.
The Hull House is looking for six to eight residents the upcoming academic year. They are looking to expand and find a new home for the Hull House in Newark.
If interested, residency at the Hull House costs only the rent and all utilities which totals $1750 per semester in addition to being responsible for your own personal expenses such as food and gas. No car is required and access to meal plans, Whisler health and counseling services, and student health insurance are not effected by Hull House commuter status.
For more information, contact any of the residents by their email addresses.