Challacombe Hall, also known as North, is an all-male dorm building on the Blackburn College campus. Challacombe Hall was historically male exclusive until 2012 when it became a coed residence. This year, Challacombe Hall has returned to its all-male status.
Between 2012 and 2016, women lived on the first floor and men on the second. The majority of the male students who lived in Challacombe Hall were athletes, including Blackburn alumni Aaron Moody ’16. “It was boys being boys. There were loud noises, video games and talking about sports. Nobody got hurt,” said Moody.
According to several men such as senior Joey Szerletich and junior Brandon Smith, they had no problem with the dorm being coed and liked having women living in the building. “We would go downstairs to flirt with the girls, did we expect anything? No not really, but it was fun talking to them,” said Moody.
Challacombe Hall switched back to being all male this semester. With an influx of male students leaving Jewell (the freshman dorm) and the availability of rooms on the first floor of Challacombe Hall, the decision was made to make it all male again. One problem in Challacombe Hall when women lived on the first floor was that there were several women living without a roommate. There was an option to live in an all women’s dorm. The floor was not being filled to its capacity and there became a problem finding rooms for male students.
There is an equivalent dorm for women on campus called Jones Hall. Currently both men and women have an option to live with either all men or women, or in a coed setting.
Senior Michael Bretscher said that the only difference from having women living in the dorms is the dynamics. There were less men in the dorm, so it seems quieter, but nothing past that is too different. Bretscher was RA when the women lived on the first floor and continues this role as Challacombe is back to how Blackburn first intended the dorm to be: all male.