Special Interest Housing and Residence Life
Special Interest Housing and Residence Life. This includes options like Capen House and Africana Center, as well as Sophia Gordon Residence Hall
Media Gallery
Special Interest Housing and Residence Life
⭐ Special Interest Housing and Residence Life
Special Interest Housing and Residence Life
Capen House and Africana Center
Originally built as the President's mansion in 1875, Capen House is one of the oldest and most recognizable buildings on campus. When Brookline, MA resident John Cousens became the 6th president of Tufts College in 1919, Capen House was transformed into a Women's Dormitory. It remained a dorm until 1977 when it became the African-American Cultural Center. The Center was renamed in 2001 to represent its commitment to all students of African descent at Tufts, and in 2019, the Center celebrated its 50th anniversary! The Africana Center is just one of the many resource centers on campus designed to support underrepresented students.
The other identity based centers in the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion are the Latinx Center, the LGBT Center, the Asian-American Center, the Women's Center, and the FIRST Center, which serves first generation, low income, and undocumented students. In addition to these centers, we also have the Tufts International Center which serves our International Student population that makes up about 13 % of the undergraduate community. In addition to the centers’ roles as social hubs and gathering spaces, they also serve as emotional, academic, career, and sometimes even financial support through internship grants, job opportunities, and alumni networking and connections. Students looking to expand their experiences with the identity-based centers into their residential life experience can look into the special interest housing options available at Tufts.
Most of the identity-based centers have their own special interest housing option available, along with numerous other cultural, religious, and interest-based housing options which include the Jewish Culture House, Muslim House, Japanese language house, Crafts House, and the Green House which unites eco-friendly students, organizations, and faculty. Starting in the 2020-21 academic year, students have had the opportunity to create their own themed special interest house through the Office of Residential Life. Above all else, these centers are places where underrepresented students can go to feel supported and loved along their journey through Tufts: true homes away from home.
The other identity based centers in the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion are the Latinx Center, the LGBT Center, the Asian-American Center, the Women's Center, and the FIRST Center, which serves first generation, low income, and undocumented students. In addition to these centers, we also have the Tufts International Center which serves our International Student population that makes up about 13 % of the undergraduate community. In addition to the centers’ roles as social hubs and gathering spaces, they also serve as emotional, academic, career, and sometimes even financial support through internship grants, job opportunities, and alumni networking and connections. Students looking to expand their experiences with the identity-based centers into their residential life experience can look into the special interest housing options available at Tufts.
Most of the identity-based centers have their own special interest housing option available, along with numerous other cultural, religious, and interest-based housing options which include the Jewish Culture House, Muslim House, Japanese language house, Crafts House, and the Green House which unites eco-friendly students, organizations, and faculty. Starting in the 2020-21 academic year, students have had the opportunity to create their own themed special interest house through the Office of Residential Life. Above all else, these centers are places where underrepresented students can go to feel supported and loved along their journey through Tufts: true homes away from home.
Sophia Gordon Residence Hall
Housing at Tufts is required and guaranteed for your first 2 years. After that, you can enter a housing lottery to stay on campus, or opt to live off campus. All of our first-year residence halls have been recently renovated, and are great places to live. These buildings are traditional dorm style, with rooms located off of the main hallways. Each residence hall has its own laundry room, kitchen, and common area.
First-year residence halls are exclusively for first-years, which gives you lots of opportunities to meet people in your class, who are going through similar experiences to you. This creates a great community and support system! You can also find support through your RA, or residence assistant. These are upperclassmen who live in your building, and can help with any housing problems, give you advice, and build a community in your residence hall.
First years live in a mix of singles, doubles, and triples, and the most common room size is a double. While you can’t pick your roommate, we do use a thorough housing survey to match you with your roommates. The survey asks about things like your sleeping preferences and study preferences. We do recognize that there could be various reasons a student might need to move during the semester, and our Office of Residential Life can work with you to find the housing you need. But, if you’re wondering how well the housing survey can work out, many first year roommates become good friends and have lived together for multiple years or even together off-campus in a apartment.
After your freshman year, you can continue living in traditional residence halls, live in an apartment or suite style residence hall, or opt into on-campus specialty housing, such as the language and culture houses, Arts Haus, and Rainbow House. After your sophomore year, you can also choose to move off campus. Most off-campus housing is in the area directly surrounding Tufts so it’s extremely convenient.
First-year residence halls are exclusively for first-years, which gives you lots of opportunities to meet people in your class, who are going through similar experiences to you. This creates a great community and support system! You can also find support through your RA, or residence assistant. These are upperclassmen who live in your building, and can help with any housing problems, give you advice, and build a community in your residence hall.
First years live in a mix of singles, doubles, and triples, and the most common room size is a double. While you can’t pick your roommate, we do use a thorough housing survey to match you with your roommates. The survey asks about things like your sleeping preferences and study preferences. We do recognize that there could be various reasons a student might need to move during the semester, and our Office of Residential Life can work with you to find the housing you need. But, if you’re wondering how well the housing survey can work out, many first year roommates become good friends and have lived together for multiple years or even together off-campus in a apartment.
After your freshman year, you can continue living in traditional residence halls, live in an apartment or suite style residence hall, or opt into on-campus specialty housing, such as the language and culture houses, Arts Haus, and Rainbow House. After your sophomore year, you can also choose to move off campus. Most off-campus housing is in the area directly surrounding Tufts so it’s extremely convenient.
Campus Map
