Students enjoying a weekday lunch in Knowlton’s language-immersive dining hall
Due to the renovations in Shain Library, expected to begin next academic year, the Language Dining Hall, located in Knowlton, might be getting a new, less worldly feel. Students across campus can expect to find various library facilities spread all over Conn. To the disappointment and frustration of Knowlton residents (also known as the Knowlton Knights), and many Conn students, who are not immediately a part of the Knowlton community, the Language Dining Hall might become a computer lab. At the same time, the dining hall and those who work there will be temporarily moved to the 1973 room in Harris, affectionately referred to as the “antisocial room” by many Camels.
For those who have not ventured into Knowlton’s Language Dining Hall, it is a small venue with various tables that have place cards labeling what language is spoken there. Language professors and students converse in their targeted tongues, and are able to practice speaking and listening. This continuation of learning, even outside the classroom, is a huge draw for many students. The dark wooden tables, chandelier-like lighting fixtures and high ceilings with blue detailing give the dining hall an overall historic feeling, matching the style of the dorm it belongs to.
While speaking to a few residents about the proposed changes to their home, they became immediately interested in preserving the legacy of the Knowlton dining hall during a time of change. When asked about her personal feelings about the possible switch, Christine Connolly ’16 a first-time Knowlton resident said, “it should be a last resort only because it provides a space in which students can practice language skills with professors without the stress of the classroom environment…it is a safe space.”
Similar to Connolly’s response, sophomores and two-time residents of Knowlton Kate Sullivan and Melissa Mangum, in a series of emails within the Knowlton community regarding the possible change, expressed views that the dining hall should remain in an environment that encourages a love of language. They remarked that, “Knowlton is one of the smallest dorms on campus, and as a part of specialty housing, one of the main draws of Knowlton is its close community and the camaraderie that it inspires amongst professors, international students and students interested in foreign language and culture.” Additionally, although this change would only be in place for one academic year, Sullivan and Mangum expressed concerns about how Knowlton’s future residents for the 2014-2015 academic year could be affected by the change: “This move would have a strong negative impact on the incoming freshmen of next year. It would take away opportunities for the members of Knowlton to bond and to form the community that the dorm is known for having.”
In the same line of emails, Claraliz Rodriguez ’17, resident of Knowlton, felt that the dining hall’s central location allows for easier professor and student interaction. She believes that, “language and even non-language professors can squeeze in the time in their busy schedules to come and sit with students and engage them in conversation.” This unique aspect of the College should be maintained during the renovations because these lunches “further improve students’ conversation skills outside of the classroom and allow for the one-on-one professor-student interactions Connecticut College prides itself on.”
If the modifications were absolutely necessary, several students, such as Knowlton’s SGA senator, Ramzi Kaiss ’17, feel that the change would be acceptable, but only as a last resort. Mayra Valle ’14, Knowlton’s housefellow, believes that, despite these alternations, language fellows that live in Knowlton would have the opportunity to, “share their wealth of knowledge while still maintaining the integrity of the dorm’s theme.” At the same time, Valle strongly expressed that much would be lost to this change. The intimacy of the space, for instance, would be weaker in a larger dining setting, thus hurting the overall sense of camaraderie Sullivan and Mangum spoke of.
“The relocation of the dining hall would mean that most of the residents could no longer lead discussions in a space that fosters comfort and reassurance,” Valle noted. In other words, the accessibility for students and professors alike would become harder to recreate since, Valle observed, “many have already expressed their inability to go to Harris due to time conflicts with other activities.”
Additionally, as a Knowlton resident for her entire time at Conn, Valle understands the importance of having a safe space that fosters students, many of whom may be new to a language. She said how the dining hall’s “ambience is much more relaxed, which makes the challenges of developing proficiency in a language much easier. Relocating the Knowlton Dining Hall, even for a year, would mean that students have to take more formal measures to learn a language, which may not be suitable for every student here. Some of my residents consider those measures quite intimidating. Furthermore relocating the Knowlton Dining Hall would mean that there is nothing to bind Knowlton with its title of being the language dorm.” In other words, as Kaiss put it, “without the language dining hall, Knowlton would technically cease from being a language house.”
Thus far, Kaiss, fellow SGA senators from Plant and Katherine Blunt, respectively, Zander Mintz’17, Joel Perez ’17, and Freshman Class President Rob Jones ’17, have written a resolution that, “seeks to represent the disapproval of the student body with the decision to relocate Knowlton.” Kaiss said that they have worked in conjunction with higher members of SGA, such as President Evert Fowle ’14 and Vice President Ted Steinberg ’16. Together, they will present their resolution to the larger student government on Thursday, Nov. 21, and “if it passes,” Kaiss said, “we will go on to meet with the administration and try to work with them to find a better place to relocate the computer lab that is supposed to replace the dining hall.” Steinberg encourages students to actively participate in this debatable challenge by voicing their options to the SGA.
In an email exchange between Steinberg and The College Voice, he, like many others who feel connected to the plausible changes to the dining hall, raised the issue of Conn’s greater needs during Shain Library’s renovation and the desires of the students who use Knowlton for either living or study. Many agree that the dining hall should be left where it is. At the same time, as Steinberg noted, “that being said, the library project is great for the school and I understand we will need to make some inconvenient accommodations for next year.” Until the resolution faces the Student Government Association, and perhaps even if it is rejected at first, students should “brainstorm different locations for the computer lab,” suggested Steinberg.
Perhaps Conn might need to keep the Knowlton dining hall as-is during the renovation due to the fact that it is a safe haven that cultivates what Valle has found to be a “place that allows conversations of culture, language, current events, and study abroad experiences to occur.” While Conn has other places that bring people together, such as Coffee Grounds or Harris, Knowlton’s Language Dining Hall’s unique approach in creating community will be hard to recreate in an area that does not embody the same environment. As Valle’s ending point, she highlighted how, “keeping the Knowlton Dining Hall would mean that during a time of campus renovation, the idea of community would still persist and empower students to pursue and succeed in language and community building.” •
