Editorial Board

At issue:The residence halls have established stereotypes.

Our view:What we call a hall stereotype is really the hall’s celebrated legend.

Hicks in Hansen Hall and jocks in Young Hall? It seems the stereotypes are right, more often than not. Each on-campus housing location has a reputation for the kind of students that live in it each year. And it never seems to go away.

But don’t blame an evil genius at Residential Life. Odds are the long-time profiling of residential hall dwellers is due to the choices made by generation after generation of students. Families of hicks and families of jocks who choose the halls of their own kind.

In the meantime, Binnewies parties on, and the freaks end up in Waneta Hall. OK, maybe not always. That’s just the way it seems to us who have been around campus a few years.

But if Mike Kervin, the director of Residential Life, thinks each hall room is identical, he’s wrong. Yes, they all offer the same things. But years of student life and alumni memories mean each room, each hall, has a grand saga to which each new resident adds another tale.

In truth, what we call a hall stereotype is really the hall’s legend. It’s why new students, when given a choice, choose the halls they do. They know they’ll feel comfortable among others with similar interests. They’ll feel like they can add another tale to the hick life of Hansen. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The legends each hall hold are something to celebrate, even though we might poke fun at them.

Those in the halls should remember one key thing: This is their chance to mix it up. That doesn’t mean get in fights. That means get involved with others – people who aren’t just like you. People who have different interests, different tales to tell.

It isn’t always easy. It might be the first time you live among so many people. That can be a blessing or a curse. A hall room can be a prison. You might have a bad roommate, or maybe the idiots upstairs pound your ears with Dance Dance Revolution until 6 a.m.

But as much as some might complain about on-campus living, SDSU is a special place to be. And living in close quarters to others gives you a great gold mine of friends and opportunities. Good or bad, it shapes your lives.

So take advantage of your residence hall experience. Whether you be a hick, a jock, a partier or a freak.

It’s what college life is all about.