The Hampshire College housing lottery requires students to form groups of people with whom they want to live. However, the Residential Life staff would particularly like to encourage groups to come together around a specific topic or theme and share that interest with their residential community.

When the theme and activities support the goals of the Residential Life program, we believe that both individual groups and the greater Hampshire community can benefit.

Overall goals of Theme Housing

• Create opportunities for academic and intellectual activities to take place in students’ living spaces.
• Support students who do not receive funding through a student group to initiate programming that will benefit the entire community.
• Enhance the variety and scope of events that take place in the houses.

Requirements for Theme Housing Groups

• Housing (mod or hall) is assigned through the regular housing lottery.
• All members of the mod/hall must participate in the programming.
• Membership of the housing group must be distinct from any other campus-funded group.
• The designation of the group’s theme must be declared by November 1st.
• Programs must address the group’s theme.
• Programs must have a formal connection to a staff or faculty member.
• Groups must sponsor a minimum of two programs open to the community each semester.
• In the fall, the first program must take place prior to November 15, and in the spring semester it must take place prior to March 1.
• All events must be completed and evaluation forms submitted by December 1 in the fall and April 15 in the spring.
• Evaluation forms are available in the Housing Office.

Logistics of qualifying for Theme Housing

• Plan an event. Be sure to fill out a “Party Registration Form” at the House Office.
• Carry out the event.
• Participants from outside the mod/hall must sign an attendance sheet. A minimum of four outside participants must attend to qualify.
• Faculty/staff member must attend the event (as documented on the sign-in sheet) or there must be clear academic/intellectual content, supported by the faculty/staff member, which supports the group’s theme.
• Submit approved evaluation form to the director of housing operations.
• Groups may apply for up to $25 funding from the Housing Office to support their event(s) by submitting receipts to the director of housing operations with their event evaluation form.

Rewards

• Squatters in qualified theme mods will each receive an extra “squatter’s point” in the mod lottery for that same mod for the following year. Squatting does not commit the group to being a theme mod for the next year.
• Members of qualified theme halls who enter the hall/mod lottery as a continuing group of at least four people will each receive an extra lottery point for whatever hall/mod they wish to attempt to win. Entering the lottery with these additional points does not commit the group to being a theme mod or hall for the following year.
• Qualified theme mod/hall residents may be eligible for Division II community service evaluations if they contribute to the community by carrying out significant programming beyond the basic requirements of the Theme Housing Program.