Willard's Facilities

Willard is unquestionably one of the best-funded residences on campus, so naturally it has some of the best, nicest facilities.It was rennovated during the summer of 2003 and is now better than ever

 

 

Basement

The Rat Trap

Willard's student lounge, known fondly as the Rat Trap, is host to munchies, firesides, guest speakers, and dances throughout the year. The Rat Trap is decked out with a built-in high tech multimedia system, including a DVD projector and automated screen, and is adjoined with a kitchen, complete with fridge, sink, microwave, and conventional oven. Attached to the Rat Trap is a smaller lounge often used for meetings and study groups - we call it the Mouse Trap. Willard members can request to reserve the Rat or Mouse Trap by contacting Willard Secretary Tom Hayden .

SAGA (or Willard Dining Hall)

Willard's basement is also home to a location of campus dining, owned by SodexHo. Probably before any current undergrads were enrolled at Northwestern, a company called SAGA owned all the dining halls, and now, despite the long-over regime change, the name still sticks. SAGA is, unlike nearly every other dining hall, cozy and elegant, and the food is not bad either. Make friends with Eleanor, Josephine, Terrance, and Abby - they might do you a favor one day. Check out the Willard Dining Hall webpage, or find out what's on the menu for today. Willard members can request to reserve SAGA (during hours of inoperation) by contacting Willard Secretary Tom Hayden. Please note that reserving SAGA is a difficult process, and a fee is required - all efforts will be made to reserve the room, but this may not always be possible.

 

 

First Floor

The Common Room

Throughout the year, Willard's spacious common room plays host to surfeit of student uses, from meetings and social events on its roomy couches to late night practices for (sometimes self-proclaimed) piano virtuosos. The common room is graced by a variety of hideous alumni-donated paintings and a flattering portrait of Frances Willard. Willard members can request to reserve the Common Room by contacting Willard Secretary Tom Hayden.

The Library

Adjoined to the common room, the library is home to a meagre collection of overused and underappreciated, obscure, reference tomes, a copy of an out of print magazine from 1994, and a set of handy wooden tables perfect for late night study sessions (and games of Cranium). The library is currently being prepared for a major overhaul by Willard's historians to convert it into a museum showcasing the College's glorious past. Willard members can request to reserve the Library by contacting Willard Secretary Tom Hayden.

The Pool Room

The pool room is home to a pool table and fooseball table. Attached to the rec room is Willard's winter bike storage space. Willard members can request to reserve the Rec Room by contacting Willard Secretary Tom Hayden.

Other Facilities

The first floor is also home to the mail room. Every room has a locked mailbox for incoming campus and standard post mail; incoming packages are available for pickup (with a package slip) whenever the mailroom is open. In addition, outgoing campus and Post Office mail can be sent out of the mail room (although packages need to be sent from the actual Post Office).

 

 

Second Floor

The Study Lounge

Does your roommate watch Wild Things every Wednesday? Does silence in your room mean Missy Elliott pumping through one wall, and Dashboard Confessional wailing through the other? Do quiet hours on your floor fall when everyone's sleeping - between 5 AM and noon? Don't sweat it, because there's always a calm nook in Willard's "inside voices" study lounge. This is the perfect place to finally concentrate on that paper, or prep for that orgo exam.

 

 

Third Floor

The TV Lounge

Willard's cozy TV lounge is home to weekly cult TV show binges, student film screenings, and Fall and Winter Quarter movie nights. The TV lounge is accoutred with a VCR and cable, and a well-used DVD player. You can reserve the TV lounge for your favorite show or a movie party - just tape a note to the door a few days in advance.

 

 

Fourth Floor

The Computer Lab

Most Willard residents have their own computers these days. But for those dreaded moments, like the late night crash before that twenty page paper is due, or when you just have to play Text Twist, but your network connection isn't working and the ResCons are sleeping, Willard has a computer lab with two Macs, a PC, and printers (please provide your own paper), the maintainance of which is the responsibility of the Computer Chair. And, as you can see above, students often find the Computer Lab a good paper and pencil study spot - a nice change of pace from the predictable study lounge.

 

 

Fifth Floor

The Laundry Room

The fifth floor is the home of Willard's laundry room. It is a favorite exercise of Willardites to drag laundry up and down, to and from the lower floors of Willard. On the way there it's not uncommon to see a few scattered socks here and there. There are usually plenty of machines, but on nights, especially Sunday nights, be weary of getting all your laundry up to fifth floor only to see all the machines in use. Also one should be kind to the other laundry-doers and take out your clothes promptly after it's done, because they have no problem with helping you out with them, by dumping them on the floor for example. The machines themselves are simple enough to use. You can use the good ol quarters or the money on your Wildcard. And there's a machine in the basement that can load your Wildcard with cash. All in all, the laundry room is good for doing laundry, catching up on reading while waiting, making phone calls (there's great reception this high), etc. Just hope you don't become a victim of the sock monster or the underwear monster.