Dorm Dive: Geli Carabases, Jack Momeyer, Caroline Murphy, Anne Rosenblatt and Corinne Sommi
Housing five sophomore varsity athletes, Lodge 2 is home to Geli Carabases, Jack Momeyer, Caroline Murphy, Anne Rosenblatt and Corinne Sommi.
Murphy, Rosenblatt and Sommi — who wished to live together — contemplated the idea of co-habiting a Lodge last year due to the dearth of regular, on-campus triples. Aware that Carabases and Momeyer intended to be roommates, the girls approached them to cohabit a Lodge, resolving their housing predicament.
The Lodges are a row of cottages located on the perimeter of Worth courtyard. Although the students reside as a group of five, they have kept to their intended roommate arrangements as Murphy, Rosenblatt and Sommi occupy a triple downstairs, while Carabases and Momeyer inhabit the upstairs double.
Lodge 2 has been uniquely configured as the girls have forged a separate living area out of their triple. The expansive downstairs space is divided into two distinct spheres, a communal living area and the girls’ private quarters, with a curtain spanning the entire length of the room separating the two. Having the two separate spaces ensures that everyone can enjoy the homey atmosphere of the communal area, which features a coffee table, chairs and couch whilst allowing the girls to have a more private sleeping area. Bunking two of the beds and creating a communal closet has allowed for more efficient use of space to accommodate the generous communal area. Upstairs is a large double which Carabases and Momeyer share. Overlooking Worth courtyard, the space is well lit and spacious enough for two armchairs and a walk-in closet. According to Carabases, it makes for “the ideal man cave.”
For these students, life in Lodge 2 is very much a family affair. “You don’t have a hall life so you rely on each other,” Momeyer said. Because the Lodge structurally lacks a hall, it acts like a house rather than a dormitory. The front door of the Lodge leading directly to Worth courtyard is a feature the students appreciate. “We view [the courtyard] as an extension of our house, like a front lawn,” said Carabases. According to Rosenblatt, living in the Lodge is analogous to living in the close quarters of a family home with siblings. Unanimously, the lodgemates call Murphy and Carabases the matriarch and patriarch of the Lodge, respectively. “Mom” and “Dad” have divided up the responsibility of overseeing the Lodge; Murphy keeps order of the downstairs area while Carabases presides over the upper level. According to Carabases, “Caroline has a boss gene in her, she was born with it.” Carabases garners family spirit at the Lodge by making himself available for one-on-one chats with his lodgemates and organizing get-togethers, in an effort to lift lodge-members’ spirits, which in turn makes him happy. “It makes life easier, especially [at Swarthmore], because it can be crushing sometimes,” he said. The other lodgemates are not without family roles, as Momeyer proclaims himself as “definitely the cool uncle.”
Much like a family, the students pursue activities together as a Lodge. During Christmas, they decorated their abode with Christmas lights and erected a ceiling-high Christmas tree downstairs. “We like our holiday decorations,” Sommi said. On a regular basis, the lodgemates, oftentimes accompanied by their friends, enjoy dining out in Media, watching television shows such as “Modern Family” and attending each other’s athletic matches. “It’s really nice to have people who are always going to support you and who got your back,” Sommi said.
Although the lodgemates interact heavily with each other both within and outside the Lodge, they ensure to spend time with others and keep their social life balanced. “I think we’ve been doing a good job of not spending too much time together,” Rosenblatt said. Because the students’ majors range from biology to engineering to economics, overlaps in schedules are minimized. “We don’t get too sick of each other,” Carabases said.
Interacting with a diverse body of hallmates is an aspect of typical dormitory life that the lodgemates miss. However, Lodge life has given the students the freedom of creating their own social space. “All our friends can congregate here,” Momeyer said. The downstairs living area has allowed their friend group to solidify as it more aptly accommodates social gatherings, such as pre-game events, than a dormitory single or double. Upperclassman friends frequently drop by from Worth and sophomore friends visit from the very nearby Willets. “We’re definitely the loudest and most social of all the lodges,” Momeyer said.
The biggest trials of the Lodge appear to center around the use of the bathroom. By Momeyer’s own admission, “I do take the longest showers.” Three girls sharing the bathroom saw the drains becoming clogged, an issue which is now resolved. “There’s also Corinne’s flatulence issue,” Momeyer said. Overall, the bathroom remains a small bone of contention as the athletes frequently shower at the fieldhouse after practices. According to Rosenblatt, the male lodgemates are pretty clean, making shared use of the bathroom relatively painless. Momeyer and Carabases, who both have sisters, shared bathrooms with females prior to living in a lodge. “We picked good boys to room with,” Murphy said.
Individual study abroad plans largely fashioned their living arrangements for junior year. From next semester, the lodgemates will be living separately, whether abroad, in blocks or lottery-acquired rooms. Although the separation will be bittersweet, the lodgemates felt individual plans for junior year took precedence. “We’ve loved every minute of [living in the Lodge] and we’ve definitely expressed how sad we’re going to be when its over,” Carabases said.
