Debunking Life in the Union Dorms

Immediately after accepting Harvard’s offer of admission, I spent many hours daydreaming of dorm life in historic Harvard Yard, where freshmen are housed in quaint, red-brick buildings for their first semesters. While my high school friends headed to other colleges were frantic, hoping that they would get into their first-choice dorms, I was at ease, confidently knowing that I would be living in a building in the heart of Harvard, only steps from Annenberg Hall, Widener Library, and the Science Center.

By the time my rooming assignment finally arrived, I was well-versed in the layout of Harvard Yard. I knew the names and locations of all the dorms and had an idea of the amenities in each one. Yet, despite my extensive research, I was still not prepared for the result: Pennypacker, a union dorm located outside of the Yard on Harvard Street.

There was an agonizing month between receiving my fateful rooming assignment and arriving at Harvard to see the cursed building for myself. From the information I could glean from the internet, it did not seem nearly as picturesque as Wigglesworth or as historically relevant as Massachusetts Hall. And I know I was not the only one of my union dorm peers to have these concerns. Looking back, I wish that some former Pennypacker student had a page on the internet that debunked the myth of union dorms.

So, to the next line of Harvard freshmen exiled to Hurlbut, Greenough, and especially Pennypacker, let me tell you sincerely that you are even luckier than the freshmen living in Harvard Yard.

The union dorms are not actually light-years away from civilization: By my calculations, it takes only six minutes and 30 seconds to walk from the front of Pennypacker to Annenberg. To the casual observer, this may seem like a terrible hindrance, but to the seasoned (well, I’ve only been here a month or two) union dorm resident, this walk has many advantages. Easy access to J.P. Licks, Hokkaido Santouka Ramen, and the rest of Harvard Square is ideal. Also, the union dorms are to the Lowell dining hall as Canaday is to the Berg. When you’re in a rush, Harvard University Dining Services is still only a few steps away, and rumor has it that House dining hall food tastes better.

The walk does deter us from leaving Pennypacker when we don’t have to, but this actually works to our benefit. When we become restless in our dorms, we head for the Pennypacker common room on the first floor to talk to each other instead of heading out of the building. The common room is crucial. On Monday night, it’s for comparing problem sets, and on Friday, it’s for sharing pizzas after meandering back in the wee hours of the night. The distance from the Yard forces us to focus our attention on the people in front of us, inevitably creating a sense of community.

Pennypacker is also known for its single, central staircase, which means that all one hundred residents will pass each other multiple times a day. When our problem set buddies can’t be found in the common room, we run up the stairs and knock on doors to hunt them down.

When other freshmen find out that we live in Greenough, Hurlbut, or Pennypacker, they respond with, “Where is that anyway?” or grimace with an, “Oof, that sucks.” The union dorms are the Quad of freshman housing: pitied by the outsiders, but loved by the residents. Many Pennypacker residents would agree that they couldn’t imagine living their freshman year in any other building.

Just this weekend, former residents of Pennypacker flooded back into the building during the Class of 1988’s 30th Reunion. When we emerged from our rooms to investigate, the alumni eagerly pointed out which suites they lived in and told us about the memories and friends that were made within these walls. Although it’s strange to think of the time when the Class of 2018 will be visiting Harvard as alumni, I can already see that we will have many stories to share with the future residents of our union dorm, from our own little world outside the Yard.

I smile when I catch myself saying that I’m heading “home” to Pennypacker. The union dorm I was so disappointed to receive has grown on me quite a bit. Come take a swing by on Harvard Street to see for yourself.

Chloe A. Shawah ’22, a Crimson Editorial comper, lives in Pennypacker Hall.