Dear Catherine/Monica Hall,

I remember thinking my first month of school, 'Why did I pick the ugliest dorm on campus?' It took me a while to come to love all of your imperfections, but those are what I came to adore.

I miss hearing the stories that someone stole the couches in the basement again, or why there was a hole punched in the wall. There would always be someone blasting music downstairs, and there wasn’t a closed door in the hall. It seemed as though no one ever slept.

I am jealous of the new freshmen who get to experience their first year of college there. Little do they understand they are creating lifelong friendships. Whenever I mention to an alumnus that I lived in CM, I can see the excitement in their eyes because everyone has their own crazy stories from their time there.

CM forced you to socialize because you and 300 freshmen were stuck in this decaying dorm for the rest of the year. There was a good chance you’d cause some sort of trouble, and you’d be lucky if you could get out without being written up. We learned how to adapt to almost any situation because it was highly possible that something is either broken or doesn't exist anymore.

I’ll forever cherish those sleepless nights I spent in the study rooms with my peers. We would reach a point of no return, but instead of going to bed, we would stay up together anyway.

What I miss the most has nothing to do with the building itself, but the memories we created inside it. The girls I’ve grown the closest to are the ones from my hall. There is no real way to explain the bond people share from living in CM, but it’s easy to identify it.

There were too many fun experiences to narrow down my favorite time in CM, but all the times we used to have barbecues in the courtyard, I knew I belonged there. Between the games of cornhole and who got to pick the next song, we became a family.

So, thank you, CM. Thanks for putting up with my freshman class. I have no idea how you’ve managed to handle rowdy teenagers for as long as you have. I’ll never forget the nights we spent together.

Love,

Kelsie