Residence halls at Rutgers have changed dramatically since 1890, the year that students got their first dormitory, Winants Hall. Today, students can choose from more than 40 residence halls on the New Brunswick Campus alone. Winants Hall has been renovated to serve as an administrative building, housing the Rutgers University Alumni Association, Rutgers University Foundation, and the Office of University Counsel.
Dorm life is an evolutionary life, where students can learn from one another and grow in a supportive community. Residence life is changing with the world around us, now saturated with newer technologies, amenities, and resources that are revolutionizing the way we learn and interact. And starting this fall, Rutgers' New Brunswick and Newark campuses will launch a pilot program that will allow male and female students to live together in the same dormitory room.
But even in change, there is a heart at Rutgers that remains; that same sense of belonging and pride that was present more than a century ago will continue to resonate in the halls of RU for generations to come.
Students proudly displayed their college pride and adorned their walls with personality in this 1950s dorm room.
Throw a computer on each desk and this scene isn’t much different than one you might find today in Rutgers’ dorms—a place for students to study and relax with a community of peers.
As one of the largest organizations on campus, Rutgers University Student Life is a liaison between undergraduates and the administration. Their “Get Involved” tagline encourages students to step outside their dorm room and pursue opportunity.
Personality overflows off the walls of Rutgers’ dorms.
Residence halls are not merely a name and a location for students, but rather a community in which they actively participate. These co-ed dorms are where men and women not only develop lifelong friendships but also enhance each other’s education. They are a way of life—student life.
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by Vanessa Salazar, Rutgers Senior