[Hank 91]

A few years ago I spoke at a summer event on campus, and my hosts put me up in Lagunita. It looked exactly as it did in the 70's.  And Stern still looks like a Russian barracks.  Many schools have much fancier dorms than Stanford. 

The difference likely is that when a donor funds a building, he/she/they want it to make a statement.  When Stanford funds a dorm, they want to encourage you to spend a lot of time outside your dorm.  It actually reminds me of Club Meds, where they skimp on where you sleep so you will spend all of your time out hobnobbing.

The highlight of my last reunion (2011), aside from watching the football team rush for 446 yards, was walking with our group through Rinconada, the dorm where our friendships had been forged 24 years earlier. For the most part it was exactly the same, and the current residents were certainly amused by the herd of dinosaurs sauntering through the hallways and pointing out their old rooms. Dorms don't need to make a statement, they just need to bring people together. Rinconada did that for us.

[Hank 91]

A few years ago I spoke at a summer event on campus, and my hosts put me up in Lagunita. It looked exactly as it did in the 70's.  And Stern still looks like a Russian barracks.  Many schools have much fancier dorms than Stanford. 

The difference likely is that when a donor funds a building, he/she/they want it to make a statement.  When Stanford funds a dorm, they want to encourage you to spend a lot of time outside your dorm.  It actually reminds me of Club Meds, where they skimp on where you sleep so you will spend all of your time out hobnobbing.

The highlight of my last reunion (2011), aside from watching the football team rush for 446 yards, was walking with our group through Rinconada, the dorm where our friendships had been forged 24 years earlier. For the most part it was exactly the same, and the current residents were certainly amused by the herd of dinosaurs sauntering through the hallways and pointing out their old rooms. Dorms don't need to make a statement, they just need to bring people together. Rinconada did that for us.