Dorm life. Whether you love it or hate it, avoid or envy it, you likely don’t imagine it being very different from what it already is. Los Angeles Times staff writer Conor Friedersdorf proposes an interesting transformation of college dormitories in this July 2017 column.
Read it here: Friedersdorf, "Ban elite college dorms”
- Friedersdorf admits to having enjoyed very much living in a dorm among his classmates and peers when he was a college student at an elite school, but now he is proposing replacing the system. What does he propose to replace it with? Why? Summarize his argument. Does his proposal have merit? Why or why not?
- In his conclusion, Friedersdorf uses an invented term, “E Pluribus Dorm,” and there is some humor in the term if you recognize the phrase that it plays off and what that phrase means. If you don’t already know, do a little investigating. What is the original phrase that “E Pluribus Dorm” plays with? Where can the original phrase be found? (Hint: you may have a copy or two in your pocket.) What does the original mean? What does Friedersdorf’s phrase mean?
- Instead of citing a specific source for his They Say, Friedersdorf simply provides his own explanation of how dorms at elite schools operate, and rather than argue that the dorm system is bad or wrong, he states that the “approach has some validity.” Read (or re-read) Chapter 4 of your text. Which of the templates in that chapter comes closest to Friedersdorf’s statement? Why do you think so? Explain your reasoning.
- You’re a college student—how attractive would Friedersdorf’s proposal be to you? Why? Write an essay in which you imagine that such a living arrangement were available to you at a reasonable price. Under what conditions would you consider moving in? What might you expect to gain or learn from the experience? Why?
They Say I Blog 
College dorming is a great way to gather experiences from other college students who may or may not be going through the same struggles as you. In dorms, you’re exposed to different cultures, ideas, and people that you can learn from and use. Living around people who are in your same major is extremely helpful in studying and helping to pass hard courses, but living around people how are also in different majors helps in understanding different areas of work and how some might even overlap. Living in dorms also teaches us early on how to handle situations with others appropriately, or even how to maturely live and work with people we do not particularly like. We gather many different areas of experience from this alone. Overall, I believe living in dorms is a great opportunity to not only help in our field of major, but also on human communication skills and learning to adapt to different lifestyles and cultures.
LikeLike
I believe that he was aloud to say what he did because he did live in the dorm, therefore he knows what the students need from experience. It is also a good idea to expose students of all different types to each other. If you are only ever exposed to the same people or the same knowledge, then you will never learn. He says that it will bridge the gap between the elites and the people in middle class or poverty and I agree. The elites will be exposed to what it is like to be in the middle class or poverty.
LikeLike
I currently am living in a college dorm and I think his idea of integrating all kinds of people in one dorm is a great idea. I believe that this would give all people the opportunity to meet and interact with people who differ from them whether this be from personality types, different intellectual levels, or different majors. Also, bringing different people into one general area will bring about more conversation and more learning. People will benefit by hearing all different opinions and sides of an argument and this will only improve everyone’s knowledge. I really see few flaws in his argument and more positive will come from this idea than negative.
LikeLike
I for one do not find Friederdorf’s proposal attractive because he makes it more complicated and expensive than it needs to be. There is a difference between students attending prestigious schools versus those attending community college. The maturity and skill level will be different and in living situations it could cause disagreement to getting along. I also believe that allowing those from community colleges to live on campus would take away rooms for those who actually need to live on campus because they are from out of state. Usually those attending surrounding community colleges live nearby so living in a dorm would just cost more and kind of be pointless money wise.
LikeLike
He believes that students who dorm should be exposed to others with different backgrounds, so that way they can learn more about the world and people in general. I believe it does have merit because it’s not a bad idea and there would be some good things coming out of it. I get his idea, however, I believe that there are already students who have a lot of different backgrounds going into college. Most of me and my roommates are very different than me and we all have different backgrounds and I’m perfectly fine with it.
LikeLike
As a college student I don’t like this idea because if I was living on a campus where I wasn’t going to I would feel really weird living there. Also there would only be a few people or none at all that I would be able to ask for help and I need to be able to have people to talk to about my classes. I just don’t see the point in this honestly because living on campus you get to expirence and amerce yourself in the culture of the school and half of the students that actually attend the university wouldn’t be about to expirence that and people that don’t go to school there too.
LikeLike
As a college student, I think that this is a very good proposal. For me personally, I think that living in these conditions would be very beneficial. While having the opportunity to meet you new people and interact with others getting to know more point of views on certain topics. Some conditions I would need to have in order to live here are good living conditions, a “survey” type of system when picking your dorm mate, and also a food plan as well. From this experience, I think I would gain a new outlook on life and new friendships along the way.
LikeLike
Friedersdorf’s proposal to us had a mutual feeling because it could go in either direction. People are people, we see that the effect of someone going to an ivy league school wouldn’t change how they would treat someone coming from a community college. If given the opportunity that Friedersdorf suggests, the price of the school would be the main condition. Another condition to consider would be the meal plan and how the living quarters would be split up. I believe in the beginning like any college with dorms there will be some issues between roommates, but it would not be over the fact that they come from a community college or not. College and dorm life, no matter who you are, creates relationships that might lead you to a career or even a life long friend. It could create more opportunities to be mixed with the future lawyers and congressman of America.
LikeLike
Friedersdorf proposes a good idea, yes people who go to community colleges should get the option to live on campus in dorm room. but should they be able to live in a high school dorm if they don’t attend the school? in my opinion I say no, community colleges could build dorms for their students and that would give those students an opportunity to grow, and mature on their own without their parents constantly telling them what to do. I think living in a dorm is very good and everyone should experience it because you learn a lot about yourself and you grow as an individual. one year in a dorm will teach you a lot. living off campus would give you a good idea of life off campus that some college students don’t know about. but we have those options to live on or off campus attending universities.
LikeLike
The tern E Pluribus Dorm originates from Latin, and was later used by the 13 colonies to symbolize unity. Out of many, one, is what the phrase means, and it can also be found on American currency. When Friederstorf uses this phrase, he means that he wants college dorms to become one, that elite dorms and regular dorms need to be merged to create a wider diversity of students, not just leaders and sheep. I believe that this could definitely work. There is much that students can learn from one another, and maybe this concept of united dorms will one day close the gap between the high-class and the lower classes of people in this country.
LikeLike
He proposes replacing normal dorming systems with the addition of students from community colleges, vocational schools, and certificate programs to be integrated into the 4-year elite school dorm system. He proposes this because he understands that students who graduate from elite University’s commonly go on to be leaders but that there is a disconnect between the leaders of today and the working middle class. Our Country’s leaders today do not well enough yet understand the hardships and the quality of life many poverish or even working middle class families go through. He wants to bridge this gap to make the elite work better for the other 90%. His proposal has merit as he is knowledgeable about this subject as he has lived in elite dorms and he also uses many statistics and facts to back up his idea but I also know his idea is very controversial and many people from elite schools and the other schools he is proposing to bring in may have differing views on this idea
LikeLike
Friedersdorp proposal was quiet appealing for incoming college students because I find that as freshman’s we should be able to be exposed to the ‘college life’. That way we have connections and build friendships with the same people we’re going to be studying the same major with or share the same interests. Obviously, if the dorms are affordable, that would be one of the important conditions to move in to one.
LikeLike
I think allowing community college students to live in the same dorms as regular college students could be beneficial. No matter the situation and no matter who you room with, it is going to take time to adjust, some may take more time than others but you will adapt to your environment, regardless of who your roommates are, whether they are a student at a community college, a student at a university, or if they are even a student at an Ivy League school.
LikeLike
After reading the article and the comments made on it by my fellow peers got me thinking. I would have to agree to disagree it is great to be able to work with other students that are studying the same thing but also to bring new people to interact with and come together. Although it would be bringing people from different colleges it good to be able to have other people there that may know more on a subject than you do, but at the same time I disagree, because what about the other students, I mean if the dorms are for a certain college where are the rest of those students going to go? where they won’t have a place to live if they are from a different state. I think it all depends on the person it could be a positive but also a negative for people who are more individual and is not comfortable with barley getting to know someone and have to start over again with other colleges coming in.
LikeLike
I am currently at a university and living in the dorms. I would not mind this idea because it would allow me to meet more people from different lifestyles and interact with them. It would also give people going to community college, that are not offered dorms, the chance to experience the dorm life and be able to live with other people who are studying the same thing as them. By doing this, the people at universities would be exposed to people who may not be like them. This would give everyone a better learning environment and provide everyone with the opportunity to meet people they never would have without it.
LikeLike
I think it’s a potentially great idea. College housing can be really unattainable for many people just because of financing. A brilliant mind might not have the monetary means to support their education. Living on campus or with other students is always very beneficial to any student because you have direct access to tutoring or academic help just by walking outside. Commuter or community college students don’t have this option and many times, it because they don’t have the means to afford college housing, especially when their tuition rates are already so high. An idea like this could give students with less money greater opportunity to afford housing since they aren’t necessarily paying to be attending a highly ranked university as well. I just think it would provide more students with deserved opportunities.
LikeLike
Friedersdorf utilizes the original phrase “E Pluribus Unum” for his clever play on words “E Pluribus Dorm”. The original phrase can be found on pretty much all of US currency, and it means “one from many” translated from Latin. I think he means that it’s best for college students that live in dorms to commune and get to know each other in the college dorm community so that they might have an idea of what life is like when living on your own when meeting and greeting new people.
LikeLike
As a freshmen at a university, I would have to say that I don’t like this idea. My mom and grandma really wanted me to go to a community college to save money, but I wanted to go to a university so I could get the whole experience. I feel like a huge part of living on campus is so that you have the opportunity to study and work on homework with people who go to the same school as you. It would kind of be pointless to live with people from another college in your dorm because of this reason. I feel like there are better ways to meet people students from other colleges and that Friedersdorf’s idea would be more of a hassle.
LikeLike
I would agree that the replacing system would be effective in Ivy League and/or trade schools. Yet, Friedersforf has to keep in mind about arranging a complete agreement on his proposal. He would need to talk to government officials and the school board about his proposal.
LikeLike
As a college student I do not think that it is a good idea. Half of the students currently living in dorms will get kicked out and have to find somewhere else to live, which can be an issue if you are from out of state. Also, who you get paired with it is very likely not have much in common. I am personally more comfortable living with someone I know and others that go to the same university because there is a better chance that you will have a least one thing in common.
LikeLike
Being a college student who is living in a dorm, I can say that I do not think this would make a huge difference, at least in my case. I rarely see my roommates and after months of living together, I have only had substantial conversations with one of them. None of the other students in my dorm interact with one another very often so if we were doing what Friedersdorf proposed, we would still not be much more aware of other cultures than we already are.
LikeLike
Friedersdorf proposes an idea that, while being outrageous, can help college students open up and learn more about other cultures. The problem with mixing regular student college life with regular student community college goers, is that certain university students would be forced out of their dorms. Where would they go? The interactions and the new things that could be learned about different cultures could be very helpful. But half of the students who lost their dorm to community college students would have to find somewhere to stay. I think being social is something this generation lacks, but this would take too much thinking and too much money. The university would have to create even more dorms, because it cannot kick out current student goers for people who do not attend their school.
LikeLike
He proposes that they create a dorm in which half of the students are from the elite school and the other half come from vocational and community colleges as well as from technical training programs. He proposes this idea so that the future elite can socialize and bond with people. I do believe that his proposal does have merit because he has experienced dorm life before.
LikeLike
Living in a dorm with different people can be good or bad. The diversity within the dorm could make the atmosphere more exiting. However, if people are too different it may be hard to find things in common.
LikeLike
Although the idea sounds attractive in a world where everyone wants to help and benefit each other, in reality we all are spending thousands to receive the best education we can get. For the elite it would not make sense to surround them with kids far below their learning level. We could hope that the more fortunate would donate time and effort to the community around them. Most commuters main focus to to maintain a job and get through school with the least amount of debt possible, it doesn’t seem effective to have them pay to live somewhere they wouldn’t be attending.
LikeLike
The original phrase that “E Pluribus Dorm” plays off of is “E Pluribus Unum”, which means “out of many, one”. The original phrase can be found on the the U.S. currency and is the motto of the U.S.
LikeLike
As a college student, I can see the advantages and disadvantages of the E Pluribus Dorm idea. However, I am not very fond of the idea, mainly because I think people should be in community with those of their own school.
LikeLike
As a current freshman in college I would say dorm living is a very intriguing experience as we meet and interact with people that we have barely know for a long period of time, it helps us interact and learn new things, other people teach about their beliefs and customs, although the dorm living could also be difficult in some instances as individuals would want their privacy and habits to be respected, but been that it is a shared living compromises would have to be made. I believe that living in a charged area would teach you a lot but other would love to be open to new things and know them, but I personally would love to learn new things and opened to diversity would help me in the future.
LikeLike
As a first year student I totally agree with the fact that many dorms in universites should allow dom life with students from around the community. That way there will be a more expandable idea to cultures and influences. The idea will allow the fututre leaders to be exposed to the different ideas that people have that way they can use that as a credible example.
LikeLike
Personally I love being at home with family. I am a commuter and drive 10 minutes to get to school. I have some friends that live close to school and live on campus because they just simply want to get out of their house. They want to have fun more than they want to learn. Why waste more money, and sometimes money that they’re not paying, it is their parents who are paying their careers. From what I have seen that they party more than they study.
LikeLike
I am a college freshman living on a campus that houses its students according to major type or majors of similar interests. After reading Friedersdorf’s behalf on college dorm life, I agree to disagree. Living with other people that have the same major and relatively the same personality is what can make college dorm life a wonderful experience. This experience helps young people like myself learn how to know roommate boundaries, what we can and can’t share, study habits, etc. I personally don’t enjoy the idea of community college students living on campus because 1) housing is super expensive and community colleges don’t have quite enough funding for living areas, 2) students who attend community colleges typically take classes that are labeled as “gen-ed” classes and there isn’t much commitment involved that requires the students to live on campus.
LikeLike
The phrase “E Pluribus Dorm” steamed from the original phrase, “E Pluribus Unum” that when translated, means, “out of many, one”. I believe his take on the mixed phrase was from how dorms nationally come together in the end because people that are our leaders and ground workers, mix in the work field after college. The original phrase was from bringing the 13 colonies together in our nation for the economy.
LikeLike
As a college Friedersdorf’s proposal in some way is slightly attractive to me, as a student not attending an Ivy League school I think it would be beneficial for me to dorm with people in attendance with those schools. I believe not only could I see how they benefit from things but that I can learn from what they are learning. If a place where people with Ivy League and Community College students lived together were possible I think I would move in, as someone who likes learning. I think I would gain a college experience unlike an other, I do not think I would lose any part of myself but gain more knowledge of the world. i am adaptable and I think I would get along with people of all sorts in that type of instance. I do not think that a dorm of this sort would have such an impact as Friedersdorf would like to think. People would tend to separate even though they would be living together, people who are smarter would separate from those they think are not as smart. I think it would become as high school is – those that are in harder classes or school focused tend to hangout together and those that are in easier classes tend to hangout together even though they attend the same school.
LikeLike
Being a new student in college, this idea interests me and also scares me. It makes me realize how far away from diversity many college students’ lives are, especially those at elite schools. I think this is an issue that needs to be addressed considering many of these elite students end up playing large roles of power in our country and world. As much as I love the idea of diversifying elite and Ivy League schools, there comes with this serious difficulties due to the inability for many to afford these types of schools. In order to be willing to do this, Ivy League schools will need to either lower the cost of their tuition, or increase their financial aid greatly. Even past the Ivy League schools, I think this is a present issue in our country. Naturally, people fear or shy away from things they do not understand and this is a great way to erase many misconceptions and to create diverse relationships.
LikeLike
“E Pluribus Dorm” is a humorous play on the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum” which means “out of many, one”. This is an unofficial motto of the United States and is representative of the original thirteen American states. The original phrase is most commonly found on every US coin and on the Great Seal of the United States. In Friedersdorf’s case, he uses this phrase to back up his points in his article that out of many different calibers of institutions, one dorm building will unite them together. In theory, this movement is meant to open students’ eyes to the lives of students that are more or less “elite” than their own in hopes that the students will take something away from the other students’ perspectives.
LikeLike
4.) As a senior, college is on my mind almost 24/7, so thinking about dorm rooms and possible roommates isn’t anything new. I’m personally not the type to branch out from people I’m comfortable with, and I enjoy being around people like myself. Being placed in a dorm with a diverse population doesn’t necessarily grab my attention, and quite frankly, I doubt I’d jump to the idea of it. I would move into a dorm like the one Friedersdorf is imagining only if it meets my living standards completely. My dorm would have to be either a single or double (with the choice of my roommate) and very sanitary. The building would have to be on the newer side with central AC. I realize I’m sounding very high maintenance, but if I were to have to blend with different people, I’d at least want to have a quite space to myself in which reminds me of my home. Living with people from all different backgrounds would most definitely humble me more. I would benefit from this because I could see what other people consider normal and compare it to my own views. Overall, I can see why Friedersdorf thinks this would be a cool idea, but you also have to take into account that not everyone will be comfortable in this situation, and instead of branching out and meeting new people, they would find people similar to themselves and stick to what they know.
LikeLike
He proposes to replace the typical dorming system with a system where even elite students live with normal working class people. It’s a split system. He proposes this idea so that even our elite students are forced to catch a glimpse into how the normal working class people live day-to-day. His argument is basically that our elite students don’t ever create relationships with normal people which is causing a large intrapersonal gap between our elitists and the other 99% of the world. His proposal has merit. It makes sense and would most likely even work. However, the cost of the change is slightly unrealistic and I can’t see any of the elite universities actually taking him up on this proposal.
LikeLike
Even though it would be nice to live with people that are in the same field, it can be hard to see other outlooks and witness other ways of living. No one wants to feel like they are still living under the influence of being confined to a specific given space, we need to be free and interact on a more social scale.
LikeLike
He proposes to replace the typical dorming system with a system where even elite students live with normal working class people. It’s a split system. He proposes this idea so that even our elite students are forced to catch a glimpse into how the normal working class people live day-to-day. His argument is basically that our elite students don’t ever create relationships with normal people which is causing a large intrapersonal gap between our elitists and the other 99% of the world. His proposal has merit. It makes sense and would most likely even work. However, the cost of the change is slightly unrealistic and I can’t see any of the elite universities actually taking him up on this proposal.
LikeLike
I agree with his premise that different societal classes should interact with each other and that it would be beneficial for an understanding of how the other classes live. However, I don’t believe that having college students from other colleges live together. I think that it is good for people to live with others who are similar to them and are going in similar directions in life. But outside of living situation I completely agree that interacting with all types of people is very beneficial.
LikeLike
I personally believe that he wants to have the upper and lower classes in the social classes interact and affiliate with each other to avoid future political and social problems. To make the classes understand each other in social problems. I think his argument is valid because he is not asking for too much, in the end, he explains that there are some elite schools that are considering so if one starts up the fire maybe other schools will add to the flame and keep it going.
LikeLike
the dorm life is frustrating and it is hard to live with someone so close together and for everyday . I do not like it because of the personal space and the privacy part of it. I like to have my own space sometimes and I always feel like I am hanging with friends 24/7. I would like to get away sometimes and the big problem is privacy when you are all living together it feels like there is no privacy or anything.
LikeLike
Friends dorm proposal is for the most part uncomfortable. I say this because we are new to each other and the boundaries have not yet been established. Privacy is a big thing and is something that is hardly given becosue the space us so small
LikeLike
His proposal wasn’t attractive to me because not everyone who has lived on campus, has not experienced living in lower class. I would consider moving in if there were scholarships available to me to live there. If the school on it’s own accepted people from all over the world then there should be enough diversity on campus. With sharing the different stories on how they live, people can get a better understanding of what it is like to live off campus in a different area. The whole idea would trying to have students live on a different campus that they aren’t attending is a horrible idea because it would be harder for them to make friends and see who really goes to their school. Also might be hard for you to meet up with your professors because they aren’t on the same campus as you. Students also wouldn’t want to go to class because they’re too far away from it and some don’t want to walk a long ways.
LikeLike
As far the next part, there’s always someone in your face your can’t get a breath of fresh air.sometimes having a roommate is cool you are someone to talk to about school work or maybe even a personal problem. The good and the bad are apart of growing up. From my understanding it’s cheaper to live with 4 roommates then just two that might be the cheapest thing to do but think about the lack of privicay you get.
LikeLike
It seems reasonable because there are types of lifestyle choices college students can do when they have that independence from their families but they wouldn’t necessarily share the same views as their roommates. They tend to learn more about job opportunities than setting your mind on only one job that will be beneficial to only you and not society because you were put in the same building as people who share your thoughts and views. I honestly wouldn’t consider living on campus because it saves me and my family a lot of money and its easier for me because I have family support which will keep me interested and motivated to keep attending school. What I learned living on my own is that it’s peaceful but I also get lonely because I spend 19 years living with my family and being away from them for four months was hard and I guess that’s why I decided to move back home. As human beings, we need the exposure to different cultural backgrounds and ideas because that is what makes a society and everybody should have a say in the matter.
LikeLike
In my opinion, I agree but also disagree with Friederdorf’s proposal. I agree that as a college student it may be helpful to have a roommate, however at the same time its good to start your college life as an individual and grow as your own. In which when you have a roommate that might be hard to do. There also may be complications when it comes to getting along with your roommate, or roommates. However, I do have to say, in my opinion, since I live with just one other girl I make the most of what I have, even though it might have been difficult at first, I was able to get used to living with someone I barely knew and adapt to my new living arrangements. This may be costly, but I change this experience for the world because it taught me how to grow as an individual.
LikeLike
As a college student Friedesdrf’s proposal does not attract me because he is saying that people who live inside the dorms of high status colleges will not understand what those of lower status have experienced if they were to become leaders. I do not see this as being true because there are many of our leaders that have started out in the lower class and ended up in the higher class due to hard work and determination. Therefore, them going to Yale, Stanford, or Harvard and living in a dorm does not erase their experiences. I would consider moving in if there were co-ed floors, price, pets, and the surrounding area of the college.
LikeLike
Friedersdorf proposal is not attractive to students because as students we go to college to study what we want and should be around other students who have they same or similar majors to help each other and to learn from each other. If students are made to dorm with students with different majors could not gain any experience and knowledge form each other because they have nothing in common with their majors. The only thing they gain is a small friendship if they get along but how can they if they have to focus on their study’s but can study together because they can because of their different majors. The only conditions i would live with someone that has a different major is the price of the living arrangement or if Im already friends with the other person. I do not believe I can gain anything from this according to my studies and academic wise because we can not help each other in any way other than social life.
LikeLike
As a college student I do and I do not think that this is a good idea, I think it would be a good idea in the sense that students would be able to broaden their perspective on different lifestyles other than their own. But I also think that this would be an issue because they wouldn’t be able to relate to each other as much, school wise. Because I know want to talk to someone who has the same classes as me or has had the professor I have that way I could get more in depth with my learning and build relationships around my degree. to consider moving into a dorm style like that they should at least put you with one roomate with the same major that way you guys can always connect there. I think through this experience you would get to learn the way other people live their lives other than just people who are similar to you. you get a change.
LikeLike