Beyond the Dorm Door, Inside Look to Cal Poly Dorm Life

All the shoes were annoying, Caleb Thompson admitted. 

“My roommate likes to leave his shoes all over the floor, so I’ve had to talk to him about that,” Thompson said. 

Luckily, Thompson gets along with his roommates, and they are able to resolve the shoe dilemma. But for freshmen living in the Cal Poly dorms, living with someone else is something new, and a big part of dorm living. 

Many Cal Poly freshmen experience their first taste of true independence when living in dorms. Living on campus is a special experience with its own advantages and disadvantages, from negotiating shared restrooms to figuring out how to get along with a roommate. But what is the reality of living in a dorm? 

Cal Poly provides a range of residence halls that are intended to give first-year students a friendly and community-oriented living environment. 

Students studying in the yakʔitʸutʸu common room. (Photo/ Rachel Welch)

The more contemporary Yosemite and Sierra Madre towers, the lively South Mountain Halls, and the classic North Mountain Halls are the university's accommodation alternatives. 

The most recent addition, yakʔitʸutʸu, was named after the Central Coast native Northern Chumash tribe and opened in 2018. Cal Poly's dedication to respecting the land's indigenous past is reflected in the name yakʔitʸutʸu, which translates to "our community" in the Yak Titʸu Titʸu Yak Tiłhini language. In acknowledgment of the Chumash people's strong cultural and historical ties to the area, each structure in yakʔitʸutʸu is named after a different Chumash village. 

Upon arriving at his Cal Poly dorm, forestry student Caleb Thompson, was confronted by a plain, small room, roommates who were total strangers, and the abrupt realization that this would be his home for the next nine months. 

“I was excited but also really nervous,” he admits. “I thought the dorms were not gonna be very social or active, but it turned out to be a lot more active and social,” Thompson said. 

Like thousands of other freshmen, Thompson is learning the highs and lows of dorm life, where friendships are made in shared hallways, but personal space is often a distant memory. 

Week of Welcome was the most enjoyable, Thompson said, since students were fresh to the dorms and wanted to meet new people. As a result, students had an open mind and were often hanging out in the dorms and dancing, playing music, and just enjoying themselves. 

Caleb Thompson showing his personality in his dorm room in Nipumuʔ. (Photo/Rachel Welch)

Although living in a dorm provides convenience and a sense of friendship, there are drawbacks as well. 

A drawback for Thompson is the communal floor bathrooms, “I have to get up, climb out of my bed, and having to get all my toiletries out of a locker has probably been the most challenging part,” Thompson said. 

Compared to other freshman dorms at Cal Poly, Thompson compares his residency hall, Nipumuʔ, to others. “Nipumuʔ definitely rules in the luxury and comfortability factor,” Thompson said. As it stands out for its newer and up to date tech and structure. 

As his final piece of advice Thompson shares to incoming freshmen, “Live in the dorms that align with your major, because you will meet people in there that are your major, and you will have study groups and stuff like that.” 

The dorm experience is greatly affected by resident advisors, who assist students in adjusting to school life and overcoming the difficulties associated with living in a shared residence hall. 

In order to help students avoid feeling lost like she did, Amanda Beteta, a current RA at Nipumuʔ, explains how her unusual circumstance of having no RA during her freshman year motivated her to become one. 

Student studying during midterm season in yakʔitʸutʸu study room. (Photo/Rachel Welch)

Beteta said she wants to be a mentor for students who come from different backgrounds so they can adjust to academics, personal life, and anything they’re struggling with. 

Having handled some roommate conflicts, Beteta knows how quickly tensions can rise. 

“I've gotten a few so far,” she said, “Most of them just have to do with roommates just being completely polar opposite of each other. I have one roommate who is super loud and fun and the other one is super shy and quiet. So when you put those two together, it can be a little difficult to live with.”  

You don’t have to be best friends with your roommates, according to Beteta, as long as you can be cordial and safe living with each other. 

Despite their crucial role in maintaining dorm life, RAs often face a stigma as being strict enforcers rather than supportive leaders.

Caleb Thompson showing off his hung up surfboards on his dorm. (Photo/Rachel Welch)

“I honestly thought that people associated an RA as being like “Oh, the person that tattletales on everyone and, you know, monitors our every move,” she said. “But honestly meeting you guys (students) and forming these connections, I feel like you guys (students) have been so amazing to me,” Beteta said. 

“I told myself I could help one person being an RA in this role, then I would feel like I fulfilled my duty as an RA, and I definitely feel like I've helped so many people,” Beteta said.

Work Cited:

Amanda Beteta: apbeteta@calpoly.edu 

Caleb Thompson: cthomp77@calpoy.edu