Birds of a Feather

A brief tour of Dartmouth’s 13 affinity programs.

Chinese Language House
Founded: 1984
Residents: 8
Mission: Established for students interested in Chinese language and culture, this was the first affinity house to require fluency in a language.
Membership Rewards: “Just beyond Baker Library and en route to Occom Pond you’ll find a retreat from campus, where faculty is family and language is a beacon. You’ll find my Dartmouth home,” says Caen Contee ’08.

Foley House
Founded: 1966
Residents: 10
Mission: Foley is a coopera-tive in which all residents share household chores, a bank account, a phone line and a television. They take turns cooking dinner for each other and guests, including friends and faculty members.
Membership Rewards: “I chose to live in Foley because I thought it’d be fun to eat communal dinners and cook,” says Emily Fiocco ’10.

French and Italian Program
Founded: 1994 (French), 2003 (Italian)
Residents: 11
Mission: Students speak French or Italian and host events including art exhibitions, film screenings and weekly conversations.
Membership Rewards: “The Italian affinity house offers a wide variety of activities, from cooking lessons to Italian opera or cinema, which together compose a package that every student needs to become fully conversant and enjoy the process of learning this beautiful language,” says Arvis Sulovari ’10.

Hillel Apartments
Founded: 1990
Residents: 8
Mission: For Jewish students—and those interested in Judaism—to explore the religious, cultural and spiritual aspects of the Jewish faith and its traditions.
Membership Rewards: “As someone who keeps kosher, it was a big deal to be living with people who understood what that meant and were willing to go out of their way to respect my observance, even if it wasn’t part of their lives,” says Saul Zebovitz ’11.

Inter-faith Living and Learning Community
Founded: 2008
Residents: 11
Mission: Students from diverse religious and moral traditions learn from each other by living together and participating in weekly discussions.
Membership Rewards: “It is a way to challenge my thoughts in order to build a stronger foundation for my own beliefs,” says Ahmad Nazeri ’11.

International Residence
Founded: 1994
Residents: 26
Mission: Both American and international students who desire a greater understanding of the world live together to celebrate and appreciate cultural diversity on campus.
Membership Rewards: “The international house was a great place to live my sophomore year as I was transitioning out of having a close-knit freshman floor,” says Soo Hyun Roh ’10. “It truly was a community experience.”

Kade German Center
Founded: 1982
Residents: 20
Mission: Those interested in German culture improve their language skills and participate in lectures, film series and parties hosted by the German Club.
Membership Rewards: “The cultural exchange in the affinity house keeps me constantly updated in my learning experience,” says Ryan Mei ’12.

La Casa
Founded: 1992
Residents: 10
Mission: To provide an academic, cultural and social immersion for students interested in studying Spanish cultures and languages. The official languages of the house are Spanish and Portuguese.
Membership Rewards: “I chose to live there with the idea that it would help my Spanish-speaking abilities for my own sake, but my interactions with students, faculty and visitors, notably flamenco dancers from Spain, helped me to realize that learning foreign languages opens so doors and gives so many unique opportunities to go far beyond myself and my own purposes,” says Jessica Krug ’11.

Latin American, Latino & Caribbean House
Founded: 1999
Residents: 14
Mission: Residents explore the traditional and contemporary aspects of Latin American intellectual, cultural and social life while facilitating communication between various parts of the Latino community.
Membership Rewards: “One of my fondest memories is having dinner with the rest of the residents every Sunday,” says Vicki Javier ’10. “Food has an interesting way of bringing people together.”

Native American House
Founded: 1972
Residents: 16
Mission: Students enhance their understanding of Native American culture in a true gathering and community place for all members of the Dartmouth family—in balance, harmony, fellowship, healing, knowledge and strength.
Membership Rewards: “Living there was by far the best opportunity to connect with members of my class on several levels,” says Terra Branson ’10. “We cooked dinners, hosted meetings and held social activities that allowed individuals to visit our space as well as get to know others. I connected with people who have become some of my best friends at Dartmouth.”

Russian Program
Founded: 1982
Residents: 8
Mission: Residents speak Russian and participate in activities including dinners, film screenings and events hosted by the Russian Club.
Membership Rewards: “Ukrainian by origin, I chose to live in the Russian house to meet other students who traveled to Russia and Eastern Europe and to be intellectually challenged by them,” says Anya Bobyk ’11.

Shabazz Center for Intellectual Inquiry
Founded: 1972
Residents: 26
Mission: Shabazz incorporates academic discourse about the historical and contemporary experience of Africans and African Americans in a residential setting through discussions and events with faculty members.
Membership Rewards: “One of my favorite things about living there was the Sunday dinners we had together that everyone was responsible for making when it was their turn to cook,” says Jude Chiy ’10.

Sustainable Living Center
Founded: 2008
Residents: 19
Mission: In an eco-conscious community, residents learn to reduce their environmental impact by minimizing energy use and waste output and through participating in communal dinners, workshops and discussions.
Membership Rewards: “By the time we moved in last fall, all of us had been working so hard for so long to get the space, the money and the student involvement. When we finally had everyone sitting around our own dinner table eating food we had cooked for ourselves using ingredients we had bought with our money and prepared in our own kitchen, we felt like we had changed campus for the better,” says Sam Welch ’10.

Karen Iorio is a DAM intern.

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