“E Pluribus Dorm”: Conor Friedersdorf on dorm life at elite schools

Dorm life. Whether you love it or hate it, avoid or envy it, you likely don’t imagine it being very different from what it already is. Los Angeles Times staff writer Conor Friedersdorf proposes an interesting transformation of college dormitories in this July 2017 column.

Read it here: Friedersdorf, "Ban elite college dorms”

 

1. Friedersdorf admits to having enjoyed very much living in a dorm among his classmates and peers when he was a college student at an elite school, but now he is proposing replacing the system. What does he propose to replace it with? Why? Summarize his argument. Does his proposal have merit? Why or why not?
2. In his conclusion, Friedersdorf uses an invented term, “E Pluribus Dorm,” and there is some humor in the term if you recognize the phrase that it plays off and what that phrase means. If you don’t already know, do a little investigating. What is the original phrase that “E Pluribus Dorm” plays with? Where can the original phrase be found? (Hint: you may have a copy or two in your pocket.) What does the original mean? What does Friedersdorf’s phrase mean?
3. Instead of citing a specific source for his They Say, Friedersdorf simply provides his own explanation of how dorms at elite schools operate, and rather than argue that the dorm system is bad or wrong, he states that the “approach has some validity.” Read (or re-read) Chapter 4 of your text. Which of the templates in that chapter comes closest to Friedersdorf’s statement? Why do you think so? Explain your reasoning.
4. You’re a college student—how attractive would Friedersdorf’s proposal be to you? Why? Write an essay in which you imagine that such a living arrangement were available to you at a reasonable price. Under what conditions would you consider moving in? What might you expect to gain or learn from the experience? Why?

Comments

[Chris Blankenship]

I have my agreements and disagreements about this interesting idea. I too was a college student living in a dorm and I did not associate my fellow living mates with what they were there to learn. If some of my roommates were from other schools or were learning completely different trades, I think the housing would be perfectly acceptable. My part of disagreement would land in the field of segregation. With the way of the world, it is possible that more feuds would arise as so many differences in people are brought to light. As much as I myself would prefer a world of diversity and understanding, I feel that we are not ready for such a radical redefining of dorm life especially for people who are just starting their journey into the world as young adults and may have no understanding yet. E Pluribus Dorm is clever and possibly the future but I don't think the college students of elite or other are ready.

[Forrest W]

1) Friederdorf talks about his time living in a dorm and how he enjoyed it but he claims that we should tweak or abandon the current on campus housing situation. He believes that it would benefit the students if they were exposed to students that come from different backgrounds or socioeconomic status. He claims that if these students are going to be future leaders then they need to share experiences with all kinds of students and not just students that share the same background and upbringing. I think this proposal has merit but would be hard to implement because there are many students who wouldn't be able to afford off campus housing and if they tried to implement this into the current dorm system they would find it hard because most of the people attending the elite schools share a similar upbringing.

[Holly Anderson]

As a first year college student, I really like this idea. I am attending a community college, and I love the idea of a dorm, but also hate it. Not everyone has the opportunity to live in a dorm, or they cannot afford it like myself. If we combined college dorms, and integrated them with all kinds of people, there would be a lot more room for learning. Mostly all people that I went to high school with went to a university and live in the dorms on campus. By choosing to go to community college, I feel so lucky to have met all kinds of unique people from so many different backgrounds. I would love for people I knew it high school to be exposed to people other than the ones who attend universities like themselves.

[riley]

I believe that campus housing is a great resource if you learn/study outside of the class room when surrounded with like minded individuals. BUT when living in a basic student housing building with many different people sometimes it is hard to stay focused. I personally don't like being around other and living in a dorm wouldn't change that, I most likely wouldn't even talk to my roommate unless I had to. So in short- I think the basic dorm housing is un nessicary but the housing at the larger schools that have the option of being in a "math major only" dorm etc is very helpful.

[Christopher Reed]

I just finished reading this blog about how kids learn in kindergarten, and how it is different from how the leaned 20 years ago. they say the teacher teach on a first grade level. which can be a good thing or a bad thing. personally i think if the child can handle the work then its no problem. but they should defiantly have a program for kids that need help.

[Lane]

I agree that colleges should update their dorms because this is going to be the house of the student for the next 2 to 4 years. But I disagree about the separation of the students who are more gifted than others because I believe that in order to learn new things you have to be surrounded by new environments and how can you learn new things if you're surrounded by people who are only as gifted as you are. And it can also help more because what if one person is good at math and their friend is good at English. They can help each other out when they need it, and also it doesn't make one of the people less gifted than the other.

[Diamond Mitchell]

I would enjoy living in a dorm because that means meeting new people from different backgrounds and when you meet new people you learn new things. I do support the argument to group people up with roommates from different backgrounds because that could be a journey of new friendship especially since you'll see each other everyday and live with one another. I honestly can't wait to transfer into a university and decorate a door, create bonds with new people. Im a very outgoing person so that kind of explains why I agree with the Friederdorf about exposing student to different kinds of students that possibly share the same interests.

[kenshanna goodwin]

I would have to agree with replacing the dorms. Not because there is anything wrong with it but simply because i am a very private person. It is quite odd sharing with a stranger whom you know anything about. Although some people become very close with their dorm mates it isn't always the case. I don't necessarily agree that the idea of dorms should be separated among groups of different people. Anyone of any educational or racial background could turn out to one day be the best of friends. I do think that maybe the dorms should be altered but for many other reasons.

[Kiya]

As a first year college student, at a community college, I love the idea of dorms. Living in a dorm gives you amazing opportunities to meet new people and experience more generations like living with someone in your future. Sure your first year living with someone might not turn out all you might hope for but it teaches you great values and helps you find new likes and dislikes. Or on the other hand it turns out something great and exciting and you meet new friends along the way. I don't necessarily agree that dorms such be separated based along different people. Dorms might not exactly be what everyone hopes for, but there is always a place to start.

[Angela]

I go to community college at the moment and I completely agree with the idea of dorms. I think it’s necessary for all freshman to have the experience of being around other people that are studying too and are working for their future careers. In the other hand I also believe that the students who are persuing the same career should live together, that way they can work together and have a better understanding of what it is they need to be learning and be on top of it. For some students it might be easy to live on their own but for others it may not because they’ve been pampered their whole lives. If it’s like that, this would also be a great opertunity for those with no experience of leaving home learn to be on their own and have a taste of the real world.

[Annette Avanessian]

I feel the idea of dorms is completely nessasary for hard working college students. It exposes you to many different situations you might have not ever experienced till this point in your life. It also exposed you to all kinds of different people. It is a whole learning experience and it allows you to get a taste of independence.

[Aquilah West]

As a current college student, I can agree and disagree with this idea. I’m enrolled in a university college, and I hate my current situation with dorms. I feel like if we combined dorms it would be better for meeting new people, networking and getting help with subjects you aren’t too sure on. Then I think about living in a place that you don’t know anybody besides the people that you meet. This can make you uncomfortable. In today’s world you are never too sure of who to trust, I can deal with having a common area that college kids meet up at but I wouldn’t like that there is a chance of getting roomed with somebody you have no connection with whether it is similarities in major or religion. You still should have some sort of connection with the person you live with, at least it would make me feel better.

[Regina George, PhD^4, MD, MBA, JD]

@Aquilah West

As a college professor of almost 20 years, 4 PhDs, and the benefactress of a world-renowned university dormitory, I have to disagree with your argument about discomfort in dormitory living. Once you graduate college, you will see that there will be many situations in which you are uncomfortable. Having read TSIS multiple times and leading many seminars on this particular article, your exact point has come up in a myriad of comments. Life after college requires the experience of interactions with many individuals of different backgrounds, interests, religions, etc. Last year, I took it upon myself to travel the world to about a dozen different universities and visited their dorms to see many differences. In Western Switzerland, I did notice that the students who exclusively roomed with those who attended their school, were more close-minded and had more social issues. To sum up my point, Aquilah, you will see that your college years the best years to experiment socially and learn to interact better with others.

[ariiiiiia]

2. The phrase "E Pluribus Unum" is one of the United States' mottos (it is often written on coins), and it means "out of many, one". In that context, it refers to how a country rose up out of many states, but it also applies to the E Pluribus Dorm. It combines students of many different backgrounds, creating a whole out of what was previously divided. "E Pluribus Unum" encapsulates the purpose of the dorm: to bring together different students instead of separating them.

[Andra]

I am a college student and I can agree with this idea because living in a school dorm is sometimes hard with students at my school. I agree that creating dorms with other colleges would benefit students because it would exposed them to a greater variety of backgrounds. At elite colleges, there are many smart students that are antisocial. If antisocial college students and other college students lived together it would help students learn from eachother and force them to interact. Each year, there is a larger gap between more and less educated adults because they do not interact with eachother often. I agree that students should the choice to live with college students from their own college or other colleges.

[Chase]

As a college student, I don't think this theory is very appealing. I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to stay in a dorm with other students from a different university. I feel that I would want to become more familiar with people in my community as opposed to another school's community. It is more important to be involved with people in your own community for social reasons and educational reasons. In the social aspect, you can go to different social gatherings and have people to hang out with and in the educational aspect, you can work with each other going through the same problems to solve them.

[Katherine]

Friederdorf argues that it would beneficial for "elite" students to be exposed to those enrolled in community college despite their socioeconomic and collegian statuses. He states that in order to ensure a future that entails leadership and acceptance, it is imperative that colleges implement this theory of a E Pluribus Dorm into universities in order to expand experiences and ideologies outside of those that already share similar backgrounds and statuses. While I agree with the merit of this argument, I have to point out that implementing this would be controversial in that it could create a financial division, and that many students enrolled in elite schools would be unwilling or uncomfortable with this new notion. It is important to understand though, that being enrolled in a community college does not dictate that status of intelligence, as college choice has various factors besides that of just academic rigor. It could prove to be beneficial to mold similar ideas despite where the students are enrolled, because it expands the students' abilities to connect and relate with differing backgrounds and educational statuses.

[Hannah Bizick]

Although I am a high school student who has not yet even visited a college, I grant that it would be a great idea to create “E Pluribus Dorm” for college students. I think that Friedersdorf's idea is very valid and has merit because it provides an alternative to just offering elite dorms and crappy dorms. Friedersdorf makes the case that an "E Pluribus Dorm" would make a dorm that is free to any type of students whether they be from a community college, elite schools, or state schools. The purpose is to get a variety of students to be living in the same space, creating more diversity in schools. With this said, I do think that elite dorms should still be allowed for people with enough money and would like to utilize them.

[Chloe]

Aquilah, I completely agree with your viewpoints. There are definite advantages and disadvantages to this scenario. On the plus side, it would create an environment where meeting new people, some of which you would not usually interact with, would be easier. On the contrary, nowadays it is hard to trust people, so by placing students from different colleges and universities together, you have more likely chance of being in the same dorm with someone whose interests are very different to yours. The only way I feel this system could work was if students are paired together based on similar interests.

[abby]

As a current college student, I understand both the pros and cons to the ongoing debate as to whether or not an "E Plurbis Dorm" would be beneficial. In the minds of some, an "E Plurbis Dorm" would be very beneficial to both the students attending selective universities and students attending community colleges. Those same people argue that the socializing between both the selective university students and the community college students will result in greater empathy. Allowing the students to familiarize themselves with alternative methods prepares them better for future challenges. Not to mention, the interaction between both groups will allow students to develop advantageous social skills.

[Libby]

I really like Friedersdorf’s proposal. I think that it would be a good idea to allow people from community colleges be in the dorms. I wouldn’t mind sharing my dorm with them. What I am getting form his article is that people from elite colleges can come off kind of snooty. There are people who deserve to go to a top school but simply cannot afford it. If I went to one of the top schools, I would not mind sharing a room with someone from a lower school or perhaps giving up my space. Not quite sure if I would give up my space, but I’m not totally against to the idea.

[Juan A]

. Friedersdorf proposal attracts me by the background information he provides within the article provides, because it shows me that he knows what he is talking about by adding the facts he uses. Some conditions that would make me consider moving in would have to be fun activities to do on campus some other things would be that it would make me get to my first class faster instead of driving 30 minutes from home and possibly being late, so I would say that living on campus would be convenient for people who don’t really live that close to campus. The experience I would gain from living on campus would have to be learning on how to live on my own away from my parents and learn how to do things on my own without them, so it improves my responsibility as freshman college student.

[delaney]

As a current college student, I am very happy with my dorm situation and I believe it is because I am with people from all different walks of life. The interaction that we are able to receive with people who may be of a lower class than us. I think it's important to understand that your way of life is not the only way and that there are others who live differently but just as well. It would be beneficial for the students to be exposed to people who are of a different standing because you get a whole new view on life, but they way that Friedersdorf proposes it does not make much sense. At an ivy league school you are there because you earned it and you dorm there because you earned it, asking others, who most likely chose community college because it was the cheapest option, to pay room and board at an elite school makes no sense. The students at this ivy league school wouldn't go out and meet people from a lower class than they are on their own. So why this idea could potentially be beneficial to students and their growth, it doesn't logically make much sense.

[marly maxwell]

As a college student, I can see pros and cons of this "E Pluribus Dorm" idea. It is great in the sense we all would gain massive exposure to different kinds of people, we could grow, find new interests, and possibly gain new opportunities by all socializing together rather than staying with the group we are comfortable in. We would view the world differently, gain social skills, and develop wider perspectives. A con of this is that there may be multiple instances where we as students, lack the ability to understand each other's struggles and differences with school and society. Another con would be the tuition for room and board. Would we get discounts by participating in this living arrangement?

[Katie Webb]

Friedersdorf proposes to replace half of the dorm life with students from other places like community colleges or trade schools. I'm not really fond of this idea because that's honestly going to take a lot of people to agree with him to actually make a change and I really don’t think that a lot of people would really agree. You can’t really force anyone to interact with each other and it would take a long time to filter out half of the population to bring in the people he wants to bring in. It doesn’t really make sense for a community college student or a tech school student to live on another college campus that is farther away from their actual school just to have a more diverse atmosphere. As a college student, I want to be able to live with students that are attending the same place as me, not that I'm being selfish by not want to open my eyes to different diversities, it's just that I am able to relate better to people that are attending the same classes and maybe even professors like me.