Their house is home

Cody Simons took a phone call from someone who wanted to tour a residence hall. Not an uncommon request, but this wasn't a prospective or transfer student or even a current student looking to upgrade accommodations.

"It was a woman who had a group of friends who graduated in the '80s who lived in Helser Hall, and she said they would love to come back and see it," said the coordinator of residence life for student engagement and academic excellence. "It really spoke to the stronger sense of community and identity within the house system here."

The house system began in the 1950s by grouping student rooms into a "house" of 45-55 students. Houses might be wings of a residence hall, a floor or multiple floors, depending on the layout of the building. Students share a resident assistant (RA) and common spaces, like communal restrooms, kitchenettes, dens or lounges. It's ISU's way of making residence halls with 300 to 1,100-plus students feel more like home.

While some alumni want to visit their former rooms, many former Cyclones donate the house shirts they fondly held on to. Several photo albums also have been discovered or donated from a time when tradition dictated each house took pictures. 

The house system is a built-in club or organization that you are automatically a member of with an innate push to then become a cabinet member." 

-- Cody Simons, residence life coordinator for student engagement and academic excellence

Friley Hall director Michael Isaza said students often identify with their house -- each named after notable alumni or individuals we're proud to call Iowa Staters -- before mentioning the building they live in. A few houses are reserved -- for example for Honors program students or learning communities. 

"There is a strong culture related to the house model at Iowa State," he said. "Many students don’t feel like they are one of 1,100 Friley residents, it really brings a sense of home and place because of the house system. Their community shrinks a little bit and they feel more connected to it."

Traditions, like floor shirts, reinforce one's "team." Friley Hall hosts a resident dodgeball tournament with a traveling trophy for the house winner.

Isaza said that in his six years, more than a handful of students have stayed in the same room their entire time at Iowa State.

"They are very proud of that," he said.

Appreciative families

Hall directors and staff host open houses in each residence hall during summer campus visits and orientation and take time to talk to students and their parents.

"We talk about expectations for the house, ask if they know their room assignment so they can learn about their RA," Isaza said. "You can see them take a deep breath and take it in during a time that can be very overwhelming."

Simons said parents often mention how their anxiety lessens when they learn about the house system and realize their student will be part of a smaller community -- with people looking after them.

Small acts with big results

For some students their residence hall may be bigger than the town they grew up in. To help Cyclones adjust and thrive, RAs work hard to make everyone in their house feel welcome. 

"RAs are expected to intentionally reach out to each student in a house during the first few weeks of a semester," Simons said.

Junior Madison Morgan, an aerospace engineering major, is an RA in Martin Hall this year after holding the same position in Helser a year ago. The Idaho native came from a graduating class of 350 and credited the RA in Friley her first year for making the transition smoother.

"I have always lived in WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) dorms and it is nice to see people around campus that are familiar," she said. "Being an out-of-state student, I was worried about making friends or finding help, but those learning community houses were very helpful to me.

"I was really connected to the RA and a big reason I wanted to become one is to help younger students adjust. During one of the events my RA hosted freshman year, I met the person who is still my best friend today."

Whether it was a Galentines party or just providing a treat during a study session, Morgan said small gestures can make a big impact. As an RA, making new students feel connected within the first two weeks of a semester can be a big factor to whether they remain enrolled, Morgan said.

Opportunities from day one

Each house has a cabinet with various elected roles -- for example, president, vice president and treasurer -- for local self-government. Houses may add positions if they like. For example, a "birthday chair" might recognize residents on their birthdays if a house decides on it. The intent, Isaza said, is a clear path for outreach and student connection. And each house sends a representative to a weekly meeting of all the houses in that residence hall.

Each house also is a registered student organization, with a budget allocated by its size, and often is the first group students belong to on campus. Through self-governance the house decides how it will improve the house and use the funds.

For many students, it's a launching pad to involvement across campus.

"Some students come in knowing they want to be involved," Simons said. "The house system is a built-in club or organization you're automatically a member of, with an innate push to then become a cabinet member."

Morgan said being voted president of her house the first year helped her develop soft skills and prepare for more responsibilities.

"My family is a little introverted by nature, but by being in leadership positions and having to talk to people really helped me get over any social awkwardness," she said. "Now as an RA, I want to be that resource for people when they need it."

Simons said students who start in their house council may move up into the hall council and then the student-led government for residence halls (Inter-Residence Hall Association) before becoming an RA.