Meals on the Row

Eating on the Row is defined both by the sharing of fresh, homemade meals with ones' community and by how students work collectively to craft those meals to suit their community's needs and preferences. The ritual of eating together is an essential part of how students who live on the Row develop relationships within their houses.

Row communities are student managed, which creates a wealth of diverse living, learning and dining experiences. Student staff are enabled to make decisions on behalf of their communities, many of which are budget- and dining-focused.

Each Row house has a county permitted commercial kitchen in which meals are prepared based on resident needs and preferences, and a dining room where students meet over meals, study and socialize. The nature of the meals is determined by student staff, based on individual house traditions as well as the preferences of current residents, such that each student can find the place where they feel most at home.

Additionally, living in a Row house comes with a required kitchen work component; in self-ops, this might entail a bi-monthly group kitchen clean, while in co-ops, the work component is more time-intensive. This communal contribution to the upkeep of the house is how residents invest in their house and community.

The system is supported by a small team of Residential Education professional staff who facilitate the student management of these communities, but it is truly made unique by the efforts of the residential student staff who are responsible for the well-being of their residents. Please take a moment to view our student-created video regarding the Row dining experience here.