Hendrickson House has a special place in the heart of Art Onwumere ’24. “A lot of my transition as an individual and with my identity has been because of the people who lived in this house,” he says. Hendrickson, which is also called QTBIPOC, is a themed cultural house geared toward providing a home for LGBTIA+ students of color. After living at Hendrickson house since his first year, Art is now a resident advisor. He appreciates seeing “many of his peers grow from being very introverted to at least a bit extroverted.”
For Amber Lozoya ’23, her Carleton home La Casa Del Sol provides “a space for people of similar identities,” she says. “In a place where I constantly feel like I do not fit in, CASA is a place where I do feel a sense of belonging since we are able to share food, our language, and music.” Amber says she enjoys being able “to provide a safe space for other Hispanic students on campus to feel safe and prideful of their culture.”
Casa Del Sol, QTBIPOC, and many of Carleton’s other cultural houses, located mainly around Union Street, were built decades ago according to the architectural precedent of a nuclear family unit. Nowadays, these homes are unable to accommodate the needs of multiple students, especially those who wish to live individually. Carleton’s comprehensive Student Life and Housing Plan, unveiled in October 2021, details new homes across campus with up-to-date appliances, increased bed space, and environmentally friendly processes. The college, with hopes to meet passive house energy standards, plans to implement zero-carbon facilities within many of these communities.
Art says he is excited to simply have more space. “The biggest positive to me is that many more people can live in these spaces. Hendrickson House can only fit comfortably around six people. We’ve always had a lot of applicants or people who later in the term are like, oh, is there space? Is there space?”
Although the increased sleeping spaces and washing machines are alluring, the biggest benefit seems to be the implementation of the cultural spaces. The Union Street townhouses will specifically have multi-entrance spaces that accommodate both living and programming.
“Oftentimes, the townhouse side of campus is slightly separated and not in the campus bubble, whereas the other dorms always have something near them,” Art says. “The inclusion of the Black center and the multicultural center is going to increase access for a lot of these houses. I hope it’ll add a side of Carleton where there’s something attached to these communities.” Amber adds that the new cultural centers will “help the cultural houses be more of an emotional connection rather than a physical space. This physical relocation is also creating awareness around campus on cultural life and students of color.”
