Hey everyone! I’m a freshman who just got placed into Ujamaa. Can anyone tell me about the dorm in general? Is it pretty lively? What kind of reputation does it have? I’d love to know more about it!
Ujamaa is one of the livelier, tighter-knit dorms on campus, especially for a four-class dorm. They’re known for having a close community and on weekends it’s not uncommon for some people to throw parties in Uj. It’s an ethnic themed house so there is usually quite a bit of activism/race-specific events. From my African American friends I have heard that Uj is a supportive place to embrace and explore their identities. I have heard from non-African American friends that it can be a bit awkward to live there if you’re not either African American or really involved in the African American community.
The location of the dorm is okay - it’s not as close as some other dorms to central campus but it’s not the farthest either. It is nice and close to the new gym though. You’ll be mostly eating in Lagunita Dining which, again, is an alright dining hall. You will be relatively close to Ricker Dining and can eat there whenever you want as well. Ricker has great food and is known for their “death by chocolate” on Thursdays.
Our son preferenced Uj his freshman year as he (caucasian) wanted to step out of his comfort zone and experience new peeps and new points of view. He had no regrets. Uj is lots of fun and he was welcomed there with no sense whatsoever of things being awkward. However, even if it had been a little awkward (which it was not), is that a bad thing? We all need to break away from the “whites with whites, blacks with blacks, Latinos with Latinos, Asians with Asians” mentality and mix it up a little IMO.