Merrill House

Merrill House is one of Hampshire College's two traditional-style residence halls. It was built in 1970 and houses approximately 247 students in single and double rooms. Each hall in Merrill has a long side and a short side, which are considered as two separate halls.

Residence Life Coordinator

The Merrill residence life coordinator is a live-in, professional staff member who is available to answer questions, give advice, and help with whatever issues might arise. The residence life coordinator has regular office hours in the Merrill Student Life Center, and Merrill residents are welcome to make appointments. The residence life coordinator supervises the Merrill resident advisors, who are student staff members. They are available to support residents, reinforce community norms, and plan activities to enrich residence life.

The Merrill Living Room and Kitchen

Located just across the way in the Merrill Student Life Center, the Merrill Living Room (MLR) is a large furnished room with a television, many couches and chairs, and bookcases. Identical to the Dakin Living Room across the quad, the MLR is used for various programs and gatherings throughout the year, and can be reserved by students through event services. Similarly, the Merrill Kitchen, attached to the living room by a small conference/dining room, is available for student use.

Floors, Sections, and Halls

There are three sections of Merrill, each with four main floors and a basement. The sections are: A, B, and C. Sections B and C each have short basement halls. Basement rooms are on the above-ground side of the building and have full-sized windows. A hall is one floor of an entire section. So A1 is the hall that is on the first floor of section A. Merrill halls are additionally divided into a short and a long side, each with its own bathroom. One lounge is shared by both sides of the hall. All halls are co-ed unless they are specifically designated single-gender halls. Every hall has a lounge consisting of a fridge, a cooktop, two couches, a television, and a few coffee tables. Lounges on floors 2-4 have a balcony.

Bathrooms

Each side of a hall has its own bathroom. The bathroom is co-ed unless the hall is single-gender. They each have a utility sink, two regular sinks, one or two large mirrors, two toilets, and two showers. All the toilets and showers have locking stall doors. The showers have changing areas within the stall that are curtained off from the shower itself.

Moving Through Merrill

Every part of Merrill can be accessed using the interconnected basement. You can go from A4 or C4 to the B-basement without ever leaving the building. No need to go outside in the winter in order to do your laundry.

Keys

Every Merrill resident receives two keys: one to the dorm room, and one that unlocks the hall's lounge door. The main entrances are equipped with OneCard access.

Laundry

Laundry is free at Hampshire! The Merrill laundry room is located in the basement of section B. It has multiple washers and dryers. More information is available on the Automatic Laundry website, including instructions on how to let them know if a machine is out of order.

Phones

Most students bring cell phones with them; therefore, rooms are not equipped with a landline. Students may request a landline by placing a "phone" ticket via TheHub or contacting the housing operations office. Out-going long distance calls require a calling card, though room phones can receive them. Each hall also is able to be equipped with a landline phone upon request. These phones can be used for on-campus, local, and toll-free phone calls only. 

Vending Machines

There is a healthy snacks vending machine located in the lobby of each Merrill section (A, B, and C).

Student Activity Offices

Merrill basement also contains the offices for The Omen (a student-run publication), and the student EMTs.

Merrill Rooms

The average single in Merrill is about 8' x 10', and comes with a dresser, mirror, divided closet, bed, desk, desk chair, bookshelf, and a recycling bin.

The average double is about 8' x 18', not counting the space used by the built in closet and dresser. It comes with a double set of the furniture listed above.

Watch our short video tours of each type of room:

Merrill Room Numbers:

Example: A207
A = Section
2 = Floor
07 = Room

Basement rooms have a 0 for the floor number.