Dunster House

Welcome to Dunster House!

Dunster is one of the most up-to-date houses here at Harvard, having finished renovations in 2014. That’s not the only thing that’s new — Faculty Deans Taeku and Shirley Lee have just taken up their positions at the head of the 400-student moose family, which is about to welcome the next generation of meese! To get Dunster seems to be a dream, and one that is customizable. Want to live out your dark academia fantasy? Check. Hoping for access to state-of-the-art facilities? Check Check. Ready to join a vibrant family of Meese? You get the point. Perhaps you’ll even find a bad romance (Lady Gaga reference) waiting to happen, within the red brick walls of Dunster. How salacious.

Let’s go Dunster diving

Speaking of a dramatic flair, Dunster’s dining hall is covered in beautiful dark wood that stretches from the floor to the ceiling, and it isn’t just pretty to look at — it’s also super functional. Missed regular dinner hours because you passed out after crying about your midterms? No worries because Dunster’s dhall is always open until 8 p.m., what a joy! Stressed out at 3 a.m. trying to finish a project that was due yesterday? Don’t fret — the dhall’s brain break goes well past midnight. No matter what you need, the dhall is always there for you! Ellen P. Cassidy ’27, House Committee Co-Chair, explains that living in a housing facility with such a gorgeous dhall is “a dream, truly.” She gushes about how the dhall has “so much natural light,” which makes it feel even more alive in the morning and early afternoon. “You’re always bound to run into someone,” which, as she states, is something that could be said for other dhalls. But she is quick to argue that other dhalls aren’t as elegant and lavish as Dunster’s.

Have you started your hot girl gym grind? The gym facilities are certainly Flyby approved, given that we ranked them S-tier. The gym is split into two sections: the first has a Smith Machine, treadmills, and ellipticals, because in Dunster, cardio can be a group activity. The second section offers a vast array of weights and machinery because Meese are jacked, of course. Did you think that was it? Ha. Dunster also has a squash and basketball court for you to use as you please. It’s too bad, though, that all that exercise makes you a little hungry…OH WAIT, the athletic facilities are right under the FAMOUS Dunster Grille, which you can always use your BoardPlus at. As HoCo Co-Chair Gavriela Kalish-Schur ’28 believes, Dunster not only has a “great gym” but also a great grille to go alongside it. Dunster Grille has cheeseburgers, ice-cream sandwiches, quesadillas, soda floats, and milkshakes, both dairy and dairy-free. Dunster Grille is situated beneath the main entrance of Dunster and has booths and tables for patrons or those who just want to bask in the Meese community. And even if you don’t want a late-night snack, beside the grille is a pool table that students often turn to for a break from work. In fact, there are multiple pool tables situated throughout the house, as well as one air hockey table on the floor of Dunster grille. All of this to say is that Dunster clearly has amazing amenities to boost morale, especially when you know midterms are coming up. Sorry, I should have put a trigger warning.

Now, can we talk about the library??? Just like the dhall, the library hosts beautiful dark wood panels and bookshelves that also extend to the ceilings (probably what you hoped Lamont would look like). Whether you need a space to study or simply a spot to read, Dunster Library could not be a better place. Besides being beautiful, the library is also quiet, which can be necessary after all that vibrant community building. Cassidy and Kalish-Schur both enthusiastically share that their go-to study spot is the Dunster Library, and even claim that at “all hours of the day there will be somebody in that library.” Hear that, night owl? You’ve found your home! A place where your neurons can slowly die from the lack of rest.

And do you know what the cherry on top is? It’s the fact that all of this is under one roof. Massive snowstorms and pouring rain literally can’t touch Meese, because Dunster is #accessible.

No Housing Meese-takes

Now, I know what you’re wondering. We have to address the elephant in the room (not Eliot), but the housing situation. Be prepared to be in Dewolfe in a double as a sophomore, but it’ll be a decently sized one with its own kitchen. Unfortunately, you are not part of the House house; however, the overflow housing really makes up for it. Dewolfe is the most common housing for Dunster overflow, and that would mean that, besides the kitchen previously mentioned, you would also be provided with an en-suite bathroom with a bathtub. Plus, Dewolfe is one of the few places at Harvard that has air conditioning. I mean, come on, there’s no way you can complain when living there. And maybe it is a bit unlucky that you aren’t living in your actual house, but hey, at least Dunster doesn’t have rats! “It’s generally pretty clean in Dunster, and I’ve never seen any mice,” says Lily Song ’27, a recent Dunster transfer. And isn’t it better to share a room with one of your blockmates, rather than a furry friend?

Events you’ve herd of

But you’ll never have to experience loneliness because HoCo is always hosting something to bring the Meese together. Among its events, the HoCo hosts steins, gatherings intended to help build trust and community within Dunster. Last semester, they threw a stein to watch Good Will Hunting because the movie actually mentions Dunster. And while you can find spontaneity through these miscellaneous steins held each semester, it’s always good to count on traditions. One of Dunster’s unique traditions, still held to this day, is the Goat Roast. Way back when, they would actually roast a goat, but it’s adapted more for the modern era. Kalish-Schur details how nowadays “it’s sort of taken many forms, and it can really be whatever people want it to be, and I think that’s really fun and really special.” Although they don’t necessarily literally roast anything anymore, they still have fun coming up with new ways to honor the tradition. Just last year, the Goat Roast took the form of an interspecies wedding, where they married a moose and a goat, and years prior, it was a prom. This year, Cassidy notes that they’re considering many options and that “nothing is off the table.”

Tell me(ese) everything

How’s the social life here, and do you think that the Dunster community takes pride in being at Dunster?

EPC: I think Dunster community is on the up. It’s ebbed and flowed for the past couple of years. I think right now… we’re undergoing a community renaissance in a way.

GKS: I think we really are. I’m a sophomore, and I think my year has brought a lot of energy to the house that I really love and really respect, and I think it’s really great. I think it’ll be great to welcome another group of freshmen because I think that we can build on that energy.

If you could assign Dunster a concentration, what would it be?

EPC: Probably, like, Hist and lit.

GKS: Yeah, it’s hist and lit vibes. It’s a very humanities vibe. Like especially the library, and Dunster used to be a house with a lot of artists back in the day.

What advice would you give to the freshmen who are assigned to Dunster or are hoping to be assigned Dunster this coming housing day?

GKS: Get involved in the community. Come to HoCo meetings. We want to hear your ideas; we want you to be involved in what happens in the house, and also just, like, meet new people and say “hi” to people you don’t really know so well in the dhall, and make new friends. We’re excited to have you.

EPC: And we’re going to be planning to do the second year of our “big mes little mes” program, where we pair upperclassmen with new freshmen coming in, so it’s an awesome opportunity to get to know upperclassmen in the house.

So, I guess that’s it. Dunster is just an amazing house that houses some of the best people around. No matter what part of the house you’re in, you’ll always be able to either hear the warm chatter, the clicks and clacks of pool tables, or the sound of those courts being put to use.

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