No matter where they live, students from the Class of 2004 are breathing, sleeping and eating Green.
By and large, they love it.
"I'm never going back home," said one freshman interviewed by The Dartmouth.
They are also big fans of the College's freshman housing experiment, which, for the first time, has designated French and Hinman Halls in the River Cluster as all-freshman quarters.
In order to monitor how this experiment is faring, The Dartmouth randomly chose representatives of each of the two housing types and compiled two focus groups of students.
The results of these focus groups will be featured in upcoming articles in a periodic series examining the success of the housing experiment as the term progresses.
Approximately 20 percent of the Class of 2004 are living in all-freshman housing this year.
"We're all in the same boat together," explained Melana '04, a resident of Hinman, who notes she gets along better with students her own age.
Melana said she is more confident discussing her confusion about College policies, academic procedures or the locations of buildings, with fellow '04s, since she feels upperclassmen on campus can be "condescending" toward younger students.
"With '04s, you don't get that 'been there, done that,' attitude," she said.
Freshmen living with upperclassmen on their floors agreed with Melana and struggle to find the benefits to mixed-class housing.
"The upperclassmen are totally unhelpful," said Beth '04, a freshman living in Wheeler.
"I don't really know any upperclassmen," David '04 said.
Undergraduate advisors tend to be "a great resource," according to Beth, though she noted organized events "are a burden" and can be strained.
Of course, Beth concedes, her own UGA "does make great cookies."
UGAs, however, don't tend to become close companions of the freshmen on their floors, participants noted, and there are few opportunities for '04s to become friends with upperclassmen.
"It's not like we go out with them or anything," Beth said.
Freshmen are "a lot more fun" than upperclass students at the College, agreed all the participants in The Dartmouth's focus groups.
"They're always studying when I walk by," David said of the older students.
"Mine play Nintendo 24/7," Owen '04 said.
"They have a lot more responsibilities," noted Beth.
When applying for housing over the summer, '04s had the option to choose all-freshman housing. Many students who checked the mixed-housing box, however, were placed in French and Hinman residences despite their wishes.
"I wanted mixed housing, but I didn't get it," said French resident Hannah '04. "I don't regret it though; I really like it."
In fact, Hannah said, as a group, the freshmen on her floor have bonded so strongly that they have contributed their own unique tradition to the already long College list.
"Every Sunday night, we do this little ritual -- we spit into the trash can at the bottom of the stairs, from the top of the stairs," Hannah said, sheepishly.
The group counts off by room numbers until every freshman has "chipped in."
Over 200 freshmen applied for substance-free housing this year, a record number, according to Director of Housing Services Lynn Rosenblum.
To accommodate those requests, the College designated French and Hinman Halls substance-free, as well as certain floors in various dorms on campus.
According to focus group participants, however, the College's move has not altered their exposure to alcohol or other drugs.Ripley Hall, for example, is a smoke-free dormitory, but resident freshman David said while no one in his hall smokes cigarettes, "everyone's drunk all the time."
A definite separation between upperclassmen and freshmen exists, agreed participants from both groups, but it may have less to do with residential restrictions than social ones.
"The rule that '04s can't get into frats really limits you -- you can't party with the upperclassmen," David said.
Hostility is especially apparent between upperclass women and '04 women, said Elizabeth '04, a resident of Richardson.
Elizabeth has been to fraternity parties during which she says male students tend to scrutinize freshmen women attending the same parties.
"I don't ask for it, it just happens," she said, noting she thinks upperclass women resent younger female students for the amount of attention bestowed upon them.
More social events should be targeted toward freshmen, Carl '04 said.
The general consensus of the participants is that there are fewer members of the Class of 2004 interested in the Greek system than older classes.
"The Greek system was not my reason for coming to Dartmouth," Beth said. Participants in the all-freshman group had more negative views toward the Greek system than those in the mixed-housing group.
"This place is smoky, smelly and alcohol is being served here," were Hinman resident ChienWen's '04 thoughts upon first entering the basement of a fraternity earlier this term.
"I have not liked what I've seen so far," ChienWen said of the Greek system at Dartmouth.
"That sort of behavior is very alien to me," the Singapore citizen added.
