Today I spent the afternoon observing Scottish Rite Dormitory (SRD). Sitting in the ballroom of SRD I was overwhelmed by a friendly, joyful and bubbly atmosphere. SRD is an all girls, private dormitory. The external appearance of SRD is extravagant and beautiful, almost intimidating. Inside SRD the architecture is intricate, with wood floors, flower arrangements and chandeliers. The dining hall is on the bottom floor of SRD, and it is well known as a place of socializing and having “real” conversations. SRD always has fancy food, such as shrimp and chicken fried steak. Through the different observations it was very evident that SRD had its own type of subculture. The residents of SRD are almost all white upper-class girls that are either involved in sororities, spirit groups, campus crusade or YoungLife. The joke on campus is that SRD is for the “Spoiled Rotten Daughters”. The dominant values in this dorm are Christianity, social life and finding community. The norms of SRD include hanging out in the ballroom together almost always, studying as a group, eating as a group, and taking lots of pictures. If a resident of another dorm were to walk into SRD they would feel intimated and out of place.
In an interview with an SRD resident the following statements were made:
Q: What is one statement you have about SRD?
A: "SRD is the best place on Earth, why would you not want to live here?"
Q: What is your favorite part about SRD?
A: "I like all the girls because its like one big slumber party."
Q: What is your least favorite part about SRD?
A: "They turn the froyo off on Friday at like 3..is that a joke."
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