'Love' conquers all in Hill suite

The 'Love' suite on the third floor of Hill College House remains a tight-knit group through work, play and the Greek rush process. and Erin Reilly When it comes to residential living, dormitory life can mean cramped quarters, shared bathrooms and little privacy. But the students on one floor of Hill House look beyond the immediate discomforts of dorm life and count on each other for something more. In fact, the 28 students who call this suite home rely on just a little love to get by. Last semester, The Daily Pennsylvanian chronicled the lives of freshmen on one floor of the Quad through their first four months of college. We now turn to the Hill College House, one of Penn's other loci of freshman life. All You Need is Love Hill House is comprised of 17 suites, each titled with its own outrageous name. There's "Suite Lovin' Every Five Minutes," "Home Suite Home," and "Bubba's Harem." But the 28 students on the third floor of Hill's south side chose the name "Love" for their suite. Last year, the suite was called "Those Bastards." While the six returning sophomore members of Hill's Upper Class Board wanted to continue this year with the name "Bastards Again" or "Bastards Forever," the freshmen, after a long debate, overruled them. College freshman Alex Pruner -- sitting in her deep red T-shirt with "Love Conquers All" printed on the front and back -- recalled, "We went as far away from Bastards as we could." "I love the Love suite," Pruner said. "Last semester, we'd get together, all wear our T-shirts and go down to dining and represent Love." "It was nice because people could see this conglomerate of love," Pruner added, jokingly. Reminiscing fondly about her first semester in the suite, Pruner recalled a s'mores party and a dinner outing in Germantown, Pa. Now, the suite residents are planning an activity for Valentine's Day -- the suite's official holiday -- involving a Secret Santa exchange known as Cupid, as well as a catered dinner and a possible surprise entertainment group. But most important to Pruner is the support she receives from her fellow suitemates. "We hang out [in the common room] almost every single night," she said. "I feel like it's a family I come home to every single day." This strong sense of community is part of the reason Pruner felt no inclination to participate in freshman rush last month. "[Greek life is] exclusionary," Pruner said. Sororities at Penn, she added, "seem a lot more limited" than fraternities. "It seems like the frats are more diverse and you're likely to find more choices." Going Greek Unlike Pruner, College freshman Tom Housley chose to pledge a fraternity this semester -- but at a cost. His new involvement with the Acacia fraternity, he said, leaves him with less time to spend at the Love suite. "When the rushing process began, it definitely strained ties with my friends around the suite," Housley said. However, if his suitemates were initially offended that he was making friends outside of Hill, the resentment soon dispersed. "I think it blew over really quickly," Housley added. It helped that one of Housley's suitemates, College freshman David Liu, also pledged at Acacia. Originally from Denver, Liu participated in the annual January rush process almost by accident. He visited the Acacia fraternity house at 4209 Spruce Street during a Saturday open house event where the brothers welcomed rushees and served food. "The humorous reason [I visited the frat] is because I needed a meal. The real reason is because I needed a meal," Liu said with a chuckle. Six feet tall and muscular, Liu's intimidating build is tempered by a perennial smile and boyish humor. Liu was quick to add that the Acacia brothers "are nice guys and they were very open and agreeable." Though recent student alcohol poisonings at fraternities across the country have perpetuated the view of fraternities as dangerous havens for underage drinkers, Liu said that Acacia rises above the stereotype. "I feel that Acacia is really respectable," he said. Though he acknowledged that "alcohol does play a role" in fraternity life, Liu is looking forward to the work fraternities can play in inspiring positive change through community service activities. Liu will balance fraternity commitments with his work in theater at Penn. Last semester, he acted in the Penn Players' production of the musical Pippin. "By exploring other characters you can learn more about yourself," Liu said. "That's why I act. I love it. And who doesn't like getting applause?" Battling for the Title The Love suite houses students from all over the world, who have come to Penn from as far as California, Bermuda and even Bangladesh. The diversity of the students does not divide the group, but instead lets each contribute his talents and experiences to the suite as a whole. With long, wavy, light brown hair and a confident disposition, Love suite graduate associate Kyle Farley said he was extremely impressed with the members of his suite. "The students in Love get along together and with me real well, which makes being a GA a pleasure," the second-year History graduate student said. "They're open-minded, really smart and talented in different ways," Farley said. "Everyone has something that they're really good at? For them to get along this well is amazing." Farley also noted that the competition for Hill House's Franklin Shield -- a plaque engraved with the name of the suite earning the most points in the house's activities -- "is one way for the suite to pull together." Earning the Franklin Shield involves such challenges as Slurpee chugs, logic problems and community service events. And now, the Love suite is in the lead. Housley echoed Farley's sentiments, stressing that the variety of talents among the suite members is contributing to Love's success in the competition. "I think it's the diversity [of the suite] that will lead to a win," Housley said. "The way things are going now? it's looking good."

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