Anyone check out the Student editorial last week?  The Executive Board is calling for experimentation with alternative housing:

While there are certainly advantages to the current system of a single dining hall and kitchenless residences, many students would enjoy having the option of experimenting with living more self-sufficiently. Since this type of exploration will be beneficial to adjusting to life outside our little bubble, facilitating it might be a particularly salutary move on Amherst’s part.

Last March, the Student called for the abolition of certain theme houses:

However, we believe the College should abandon those of its practices that promote further self-segregation within the student body and that advance division on campus. Institutions such as ethnically and racially based theme housing reinforce the de facto segregation of portions of campus life without providing cultural experiences for the larger community.

Last year’s piece advocates fewer options in student housing; this week’s asks for more.  But they’re not contradictory, and I think the Student makes good points in both pieces.

With the housing discussion in mind, I took a field trip Thursday evening for dinner at the Zü.  The Zü is located in Humphries House, the former residence of the Theta Xi fraternity.

Humphries House exists as a co-operative environment for community-oriented individuals.  Members work together responsibly to maintain the house, to provide meals, order foods, organize campus and house events collectively.

The first thing one notices when visiting the Zü is how incredibly far away it is.  Sure, I’m coming from Stone, so it’s a bit deceiving.  But it’s far.  Imagine, for a second, that Humphries wasn’t an alternative co-op.  Would anyone live there?  I don’t think so.  It’d be on the bottom of room draw, right after Tyler and before the dumpster outside Val.

Just kidding.  But seriously, the fact that people are lining up to walk halfway to Williams to live in the Zü is a testament to the second thing one notices when visiting the Zü – the unique but overwhelming sense of community.  This community is not formed by choice.  Because they must cook, eat, clean, and socialize together, it is imperative for the residents to also trust one another.

5:30
I arrive at the Zü to assist in preparations for dinner.  While this is not required nor expected for guests, the true Zü experience necessitates this step.  Tonight’s chefs are already hard at work.  Zü residents break into teams of 2 or 3.  They prepare dinner every two weeks and assist in clean-up weekly.  Tonight’s menu is Mexican-themed.  It will also be vegetarian.  I’m handed 3 onions to begin cutting, which reminds me what an ambitious project it must be to cook for 22 hungry students and their guests.

6:00
A few more people have arrived to help out.  Tonight’s dinner is ambitious, so we’re happy to have it.  The conversation is lively but measured because we are approaching the 6:30 dinnertime but running slightly behind schedule.  I notice that in addition to tacos, we’re also preparing guacamole and snickerdoodles.  My eyes, watering from the onions, get a break as I move to mincing garlic.

6:15
Crunch time!  We’re mixing, cooking, flipping, and heating at an increased pace.  The kitchen moves to the rhythm of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti emanating from the stereo in the corner.   Residents are returning to the house from various activities that include dance rehearsal, Ultimate practice, geology labs, or just hanging out upstairs.  The buzz from outside the kitchen is tangible as residents and guests mill around.  Should we heat the tortillas?  The decision is made in the affirmative.

6:30
We are positively running around now trying to finish preparations.  I fill up a pitcher with ice water and help set up the serving table.  The smells are tantalizing.  The buzz has transformed into a low roar.  Residents are not simply making small talk; they have a real interest in finding out about one another’s day.  I take a trip with RC Monty into the basement where they keep food stores.  We grab some chips – the last component for the meal – and head back upstairs.

6:40
Finished at last!  Residents and guests line up to make their own tacos.  They then sit down at one of three tables arranged to best accommodate space as well as discussion.  Lively chatter accompanies the devouring of tacos and guacamole.  I am painfully aware that no one is ever nearly as excited to eat at Val – that is, unless salmon with teriyaki fusion sauce is on the menu.  I bite into my vegetarian taco and am stunned how good it tastes.  I’ll be heading back for seconds in a few minutes.

7:20
Aside from a few stragglers, most people have finished up and bussed their own dishes.  The chefs and their corresponding clean-up team have begun the massive task of washing every cooking utensil involved in the meal.  I am stuffed from my tacos, guacamole, and one too many snickerdoodles.  I help bus a few serving dishes back.  Despite the sense of community that had pervaded the dining room, people have quickly dissipated to begin homework or head back to campus for lectures and club meetings.  Even within the community, residents retain their own space and schedules.

7:30
I say my goodbyes to new and old friends.  My field trip to the Zü has come to an end.  I begin the long and treacherous walk back to Stone.

Zü residents are often criticized for putting themselves in a self-segregating situation.  And I think that for the most part, the residents themselves might agree that their living situation does create a tangible break from the rest of campus.  But I’d like to ask other students at Amherst a few questions.  Do you spend most of your free time with your closest friends?  Do you eat dinner with the people you live with?  Do you tend to socialize primarily with members of your extra-curricular activities?

My guess is that most people on campus would answer yes to one or more of these questions.  In that sense, life at the Zü isn’t so different.  They just have to walk further to do it.  And they make the effort to invite everybody on campus to come over once a month for Full Moon Parties featuring some of the best musical talent in the Pioneer Valley.

Ultimately, when we talk about alternative, theme, and cooperative housing, I think we have to look at how happy residents are to be there.  We want to make Amherst students as comfortable as possible.  Housing should reflect that ideal.  The situation at the Zü hits it on the nose.  While it’s not for everyone, it certainly makes the residents happier than they could otherwise be.  And you can bet that the next time the moon waxes full, I’ll be making the long and arduous trek to the Zü for another taste of real community at Amherst.