Brennan Ford, Sports Editor
As a resident of Schaff House, my living space is shared with members of the Delta Chi fraternity. Upon hearing this, most people grimace, assuming I’ve landed in the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel housing situation at Denison. They are regularly surprised to hear that it might actually be my favorite living arrangement in my three years here.
Despite being home to several fraternity houses, North Loop is surprisingly quaint and quiet. Many of its residential buildings, including Schaff, are smaller as they consist of only single rooms. My floor has only nine residents – a stark contrast to the 30 or 40 people on my floor in previous years. With fewer people sharing the space, it feels far more private and stays noticeably cleaner.
Having a single room offered a luxury I didn’t fully appreciate until I experienced it. While I miss having roommates, living on my own has forced me to be more intentional about making time for my friends. That additional effort has helped deepen those friendships and made my overall college experience much more enjoyable.
The morning commute is another unexpected perk. Nestled in a quieter, often ignored, corner of campus, the walk allows me to appreciate the serenity of campus while avoiding the dense herds of students streaming from East Quad and the grueling stair climb from South Quad. It’s a five- to seven-minute walk to A-Quad which I find is just enough time to clear my head before starting the day.
Naturally, the biggest question people ask is how I deal with weekend social events. It does get loud when speakers blast music and an influx of visitors stream down the hall toward the restrooms. The aftermath isn’t pristine either, with paper towels and empty cans commonly lining countertops and hallway floors.
Denison’s quiet hours policy keeps things manageable, with parties having a strict cutoff time of 1 a.m. I personally don’t mind enduring a few hours of substantial noise every other weekend. Plus, a BSA will come the following morning and clean the common space which is a perk exclusive to living in a frat house.
My situation certainly isn’t for everyone. But despite the reputation, living in a fraternity house isn’t the absolute nightmare some people imagine. For anyone seeking privacy, personal space, and a quietness, it might be one of Denison’s best-kept housing secrets.
Brennan Ford ‘28 is a health, exercise and sports studies and journalism double major from East Lansing, Michigan.