Photo Via stlawu.edu
What does it mean to live in a theme house? For me, it is waking up to the sound of dear friends gearing up for a day of hard work or play. It is recounting the week-end’s usually unusual antics over a cozy Sunday meal. It is the smell of garlic and onions simmering and adding an extra degree of warmth to the place I now call home. It might seem corny and cliché to say that the friends and memories I have made in the Greenhouse define and make my St. Lawrence University experience what it is today, but perhaps that blanket statement is untrue. My theme house experience lives outside of the walls of 70 Park Street just, as much as it lives inside.
My housemates know this too, and whether they are running their little tushes off training for the Boston marathon, teaching yoga, organizing Environmental Action on campus, farming down the road, perfecting their vocals, creating juicy rap beats, or just being generally awesome in every sense of the word, their positive energy creates an environment that challenges me to be a better person each and every day. Yes, there are days where energy runs low. But by sitting down and cracking open a pint of Ben and Jerry’s while curled up on the sofa, you are bound to attract some other poor soul who will happily procrastinate with you for the next 10 episodes of Broad City. No one can argue this opportunity is not a beautiful thing.
Being in a theme house means being included in something larger than yourself. It means sharing a common interest with a group of people who will have your back in times of sickness, anxiety, and crisis. It means laughter. It means family. But I am worried. I am worried that despite our best intentions, the theme house community remains an exclusive St. Lawrence institution. Looking around at the faces I see on a regular basis, I am a little disheartened to see how homogeneous our little groups have become.
So here is my plan. Apply! Apply to live in the OC, La Casa, The LIGHT house, BSU, the Guild, Java, the HUB, the Dub, Commons, the Greenhouse, the Arts Annex, or H.O.P.E.! We cannot promise you a spot (it took me three interviews to get where I am now), but even so, we all value people who are willing to put the time into sharing a bit of them-selves in the application process. And if you are lucky enough to get an interview, well, you’ll see ;D
So please, whether you are an athlete, a book worm, an activist, a couch potato, or a happy combination of the four, go to a theme house, take a look at the application, and answer some entertaining and thought provoking questions. We as a theme house community need you to hold us to a high standard, and we welcome any and all thoughts and ideas you might bring through our front door. And who knows, you might just get a cookie while you’re at it!