Theme Corner: I-House Has a House

This past summer, the I-House relocated out of Sykes Residential Building and into a permanent and independent house residence. Prior to the move, the I-House was the only theme house on campus to not have an independent facility. “I feel like being in a residence building kind of had a lot of little things that came with it,” says I-House coordinator Anja Simic. “For example, we have our weekly teatime, which also turns into having other events. Sometimes they go on until later in the evening. If you have the door open then people can just come in. But when you’re in a residential building, at a certain point, like at 11:00 PM, the freshman can’t even scan in, so they have to know somebody in the I-House already to call for them to be let in. It’s a very small thing, but it makes it feel kind of less inclusive for everyone because you can’t just decide to open the door to Sykes.”  

“I feel like it was very confusing for everyone last year to hear that the I-House is not a house, but it’s inside of a residence building,” Simic Continues. “As an international student, you already feel kind of separated and then you hear that the I-House is quite literally the only theme house that doesn’t have a permanent house. It felt even more separating in a sense.”  

Although long overdue, the move has already begun to show so many positive signs of influence in the Laurentian community! “I feel like one thing that immediately happened once it was decided to move, everybody was so much more excited about living in the house, visiting the house, going to events at the house, and feeling more like they have their own space that they can go to,” Simic explains. Additionally, having an independent residence allows the I-House to sponsor and host more events on campus. “A lot of people come to both of us, asking, ‘oh, when are you having teatime?’” says I-House coordinator Tenzin Zomkey, “people want to come and they really want to collaborate with us. Now that we have a house, we can have actual events with other clubs like the ASIA club or Soccer club.” 

There is no doubt that this new chapter is long overdue for the I-House, and there are several ways to show your support. “The one event that’s always constant, is our weekly teatime. Every Wednesday at 09:00 p.m. It’s always a different theme, so that is something that you can always expect. And then in terms of collaborations with other people. It’s still a bit early in the semester, but off the top of my head, we always have karaoke at some point in the semester!” says Simic. 

“With the Soccer Club, we are deciding to host the FIFA World Cup because we have a projector. And with the Common Ground Connection Club (CGC).” Zomkey adds, “CGC goes to nearby elementary schools where they go and teach students how to dance or write, and they tell tons of stories. With a collaboration, St. Lawrence can show that we’re very diverse and we have a lot of international students. Mostly, I think representing the school as an international student, with the kids, will bring more awareness about the global citizen. And I think that’s a really good thing.” 

So what’s the outlook on the future? “I am excited, happy, but also nervous,” says Simic. “This is a transition that we want, and there’s no doubt about this being a good decision, that’s certain. But at the same time, it is a big transition. So this is the first time we are living in a house, so everything is different. And we want to make the I-House inviting to everyone, especially international students, because we are the International House and usually internationals struggle to find their place on campus. But we also want to build stronger connections with domestic students, both for them and for us. We feel like this is a new beginning. And however this year goes will influence the I-House for years to come. So we are definitely trying to do our best. 

“Just knowing that we have an actual house now makes me feel very motivated and very determined to initiate more events!” Zomkey adds, “And we both have a lot of plans and how we’re going to start. Very motivated. And I also feel kind of nervous because it’s like our first time doing the job, like as a coordinator. So we might have some crashes or maybe we might miss something, or we might have some problems in tackling some issues, and problems can arise any time.”  

“I feel like international students coming here, especially up until this point, would often feel very powerless,” Simic adds, “Like we’re in this situation, we don’t feel fully embraced, we don’t feel fully welcomed sometimes. And it was always like, ‘yeah, I feel that way, but it is what it is.’ And now I feel like since we are living in a house, even though it might seem like a little thing, I feel like finally the international community is getting a new sense of control. Now we have more resources, we feel like a more serious establishment. So now we can address more things that are problems with the international community.” 

With a new chapter beginning it is critical that we recognize success within the Laurentian community, and the I-House is creating a difference for the entire campus. Be sure to stay up to date on events and support their positively fabulous impact by showing up and celebrating a milestone that will ensure a new sense of belonging and trust for current and future Laurentians.