I know the rumors. I know the reputation of my beloved dorm, the grotesque things people often associate with it and the pity they often feel when they ask what dorm I live in and I reply, “Salley Hall!” Keep your pity, for me and for every other Salley-goer. Despite what you may have heard, Salley Hall has revealed itself to be one of the most unique living situations, one that has me looking past issues concerning mold and tight living quarters and thinking of how much I love this dorm. In defense of Salley Hall, I will be sharing the highlights of residing in the dorm, including things such as location, environment and experience.
When thinking of the benefits of living in Salley Hall, many people don’t consider its location to be on the list. It’s understandable, seeing as it is a good 15-minute walk from the heart of campus, that many people find the dorm a bit daunting in its isolation from the rest of the school. However, while you may find yourself a long walk away from a philosophy class in Dodd, there are plenty of other amenities you may find yourself enjoying. A dining hall to the left of the dorms, often calmer than Suwannee due to its location, can be found, along with volleyball pits to the back. Athletes or people looking to stay in shape can find refuge here; the constantly broken elevators and close distance to both the Mike Long Track and the Leach student gym has Salley Hall encouraging all of its residents to stay active, or at least have enough endurance to climb eight flights of stairs.
Along with the daunting location, Salley Hall is also notorious for its smaller-than-average room size and common area, all shared by its four inhabitants. While adjusting to life in a closet-sized room isn’t necessarily ideal, I can safely claim that there are many more benefits that I received in exchange for sufficient bed space. In having to quickly become comfortable with three other randomly selected roommates, I also found myself quickly developing friendships as well. The common area not only allows for roommates to socialize with each other, but also often with people in neighboring rooms as well.
While Salley Hall residents aren’t too familiar with the concept of privacy, it’s much more fun knowing people feel comfortable and friendly enough with each other to simply walk into friends’ rooms for a quick hello. It’s not unusual for people here to keep doors unlocked for passing visitors; it’s an endearing trait that builds a strong community, even if no one knows how to knock. And hopefully, you pick a good roommate; with how close the beds are, you might as well be laying right next to each other (which makes for very fun late-night chats and very scary good mornings for those of us who haven’t put on our glasses yet).
If location and environment or having to live in the tiniest rooms imaginable are insignificant to you, then I’ll now be sharing some of my personal experiences that I truly believe you could not see in any other dorm. From the weird liquids and substances adorning the elevators to the random foods and messes littering the floors, Salley hallways are the epicenter of the action. Here, you can witness anything from screaming matches and cartwheel contests to dirty dancing scene recreations.
Salley elevators and hallways, in my experience, have never once had a dull moment (nor a clean moment, at that). And, if you instead choose to pretend you don’t hear or see the random yelling or liquid that is so obviously p*ss in the elevator, then you can have your fun in the infamous common areas.
With “Just Dance” parties, movie and show premiere nights and random people gathered together to rank every person on the sixth floor by the probability of winning a March Madness-style boxing competition, I could have spent my whole life living in a Salley Hall common area and still feel as if I’ve lived a fulfilling life. Nowhere else does a dorm forego quiet hours 24/7, instead choosing to ignore the very loud residents blasting Maroon 5’s “Misery” for the millionth time at 11 p.m. on a Purgatory Thursday.
If you’re sensitive to mold or like to walk barefoot without feeling the possibility of getting tetanus just from the floor itself, maybe Salley isn’t for you. But, if you want to someday wake up to see someone has put salt in front of everyone’s doors, or find people passed out and peeing in the hallway after a night in Tallahassee (which happens more often than it should), then Salley is probably perfect for you. In looking for a great sense of community, good friends and a fun and spontaneous environment, there truly is no place better than my beloved Salley Hall.
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