An aerial view of the Smith residence hall, an all-male residence hall known for being one of the oldest buildings on Elon’s campus.
CHRISTIANGALVANOIELONNEWSNM I
Breaking down the stereotypes,
residents and traditions of
Smith residence hall
Christian GaWano
Elon News Network I @chrisgalvano
Though many call it gross, some
call it the best place to live on Elon
University’s campus.
Nestled between the Duke
building and Carolina residence
hall, Smith Hall is the Historic
Neighborhood dormitory that has a
unique characteristic.
It’s the only place on campus
where only males can live.
The residence hall has a histo
ry of broken water fountains and
costly vandalism but is attractive to
incoming freshmen that want the
all-male experience. A 2012 You
Tube video entitled “Elon Univer
sity Dorms: Freshman Residence
Life” included interviews of fresh
men talking about what they think
of Smith Hall and got over 45,000
views.
Not much has changed about the
dormitory since then.
“One word to define Smith is
sketchy,” said Caro
lina resident Reese
Karras. “You go in
there, it smells kind
of funky. There’s
been a lot of van
dalism issues like
the urinal and the
water fountains.
There’s always cops
walking through
there, and you don’t
see that in Caroli
na.”
Freshman Julia
Reed, a friend of
Karras, said, “But
our best friends live
in there.”
This is widely understood about
Smith Hall on campus. Though the
hall is seemingly known for contro
versial vandalism, there is an aura
of brotherhood and a sense of pride
to live in the only all-male residence
hall.
“I just like the community in
Smith,” said freshman resident .Jack
ii
ITS ALWAYS AN
ADVENTURE TO WALK
OUT OE MY DOOR
AND SEE WHAT'S NEW
BENJAMIN WATERS
FRESHMAN, SECOND FLOOR
RESIDENT
Gormley. “I went to an all-guys high
school, and this is an all-guys dorm
so it kind of reminds me of that.”
The dorm has been under heavy
scrutiny from Residence Life fol
lowing the recent 2017 fall semes
ter incident in which a urinal was
ripped out of the wall on the first-
floor bathroom. Elon News Net
work published a story reporting a
total of 23 students displaced be
cause of the incident, which exceed
ed $100,000 in damages.
The residence hall also carries
a certain stereotype, one that ev
ery male who lives there is thought
to embody. Freshman and sec
ond-floor resident Jack Martinides
hates the stigma that Smith kids
receive.
“When things happen in Car
olina or HBB or Sloan or Virginia,
they always blame Smith, and we
don’t really leave here that often.
Whenever exit signs go down in
other buildings, they just assume it’s
a Smith kid,” he said.
Residents don’t let the alleged
stereotype dictate how they really
are as individuals.
“I think I am a little different than
most of the guys who live in Smith.”
said sophomore Alex Mock-Rossi.
“I don’t think it de
fines me.”
When it comes
to damage, some
residents think
the incentive to
destroy university
property comes
from an idea to
“continue the tra
dition” of Smith
vandalism.
This tradition
is not a new one.
Elon alumnus Tom
Bass ’67 recalled
an act of vandal
ism when he lived
in Smith.
“A fellow — we called him Goose
— took the doors off his closet, on
the third floor, turned them side
ways, put them inside shower,
and put towels between them, and
turned the water on. and made a
four-foot deep swimming pool.”
Bass said. “Until they broke. A tidal
wave came down the stairwell.” i ^ ;
The laundry room irt Smith residertce hall also furrctioirs as the huilding's trash r
MAGGIE BRowNireums a*
“There was a football player who
shall remain nameless, who was in
our class, who came in one night,
late — he needed to go, and he
didn’t make it to the bathroom, he
just went in the laundry room and
went right there in the sink.” Bass
said. “I didn’t do my laundry there
the rest of the year.”
To combat vandalism, security
cameras were installed to ensure
whoever acts against the university
would be held responsible.
“[Smith] not only has the repu
tation of producing kids that essen
tially join fraternities but also pro
ducing damage and being reckless,”
Mock-Rossi said. 'People want to
live up to this reputation.”
Jon Dooley, vice president of
Student Life, called Smith residents
together last fall to call attention to
the vandalism, but nobody claimed
responsibility. Since the meeting,
students questioned if the universi-’
ty will take action by turning Smith
into a coed dorm.
Residents and students living in
Historic Neighborhood don’t like
this idea at all.
I want it to stay the way it is”
Martinides said. “Whenever yoL
hear of someone that lived in Smith,
you always have that bond.”
The community Smith Hall res
onates, is tooistrong.not only in the
residence hall itself but especially
with its sister dorm: Carolina Hall.
What would Carolina be with
out Smith?” Reed said.
“It’s like asking, ‘What would
Jack be without JUl?’ It’s a tradi
tion. 'They can’t break the tradition.
There s Carolina, and then there’s
Smith,” Karras said.
In an April 14 email to Elon
News Network, Dooley said the
university has no plans to turn
^^Flh into a co-ed dorm as of now.
It is not actively under consid
eration at this time,” Dooley wrote.
The all-male residence hall is
teown for being run-down and
dirty. Residents know the dorm is
like that, but it’s just another aspect
that adds to Smith’s charm.
“It’s always an adventure to walk
out of my door and see what’s new,”
said second-floor resident Benia
min Warters. “Really noisy, really
hard to get anything done, it’s al
ways hot and humid in there.”
“It’s reaUy disgusting. The bath
rooms are disgusting, the hallways
are disgusting, but you get this sense
of brotherhood.” Mock-Rossi said.
Despite the obvious history of
vandalism, the noteworthy dirti
ness through the hallways and the
constant craziness, residents still
love the beloved hall they call home
Its the best place to liyl^on cam-
current residents
floors in the building
SMITH BY THE NUMBERS
125
curre:
3
floors
$100,000
plus in damages so far this year
pus. I love Smith,” Martinides sai‘
“I mean, coming to college can ^
nerve-wracking if you don’t know
many friends and want to
people. Coming to Smith, you
put in a position where everyone is
in a similar spot as you.”
As for the future of Smith, DooL
ey wrote the hall will go throng
minor changes in the summer n
is due for a more significant up
grade in the summer of 2020 ^
compares to “those that occurre
in Sloan and West over the past tv^o
summers.”
Until then, the modern reputa
tion of Smith Hall will continw^ ''