[JonoBN41]

I'm glad you are trying to do this because a hallway is the next best thing to an honest-to-goodness fraternity house. And a lot cheaper.

I believe it was actually the dean of students that we schmoozed (sp?) into getting one wing at the seventh floor (the top floor) of a brand new dormitory. It was a small school and he was pretty much it, anyway.

So we had all the rooms on the south side. A sizeable lobby, with elevator and staircase, separated it from the north side.

A year or two later we schmoozed the admin once more and obtained permission to hang up all our regalia, carpet the lobby floor, move in couches, armchairs and houseplants, paint the door frames, and even install a tv. Now get this...

In order for us to protect all our stuff, the admin had a keylock installed on the elevator so that only the residents of that floor could take it all the way to the top! All of us had a special key for that purpose.

I still have photos of our housewarming party. All the guys dressed up in coat and tie and brought dates. This party - a fondue party with white wine - was attended by the dean of students, faculty, the president of the college, and other members of the administration.

In the following months we held salon, inviting various professors up to the lobby to sit and talk informally with us. Cognac was liberally served and pipes and cigars were smoked. Some "lectures" lasted until well into the morning hours. It was all very academic and the professors liked us.

Some of the glitter rubbed off when a few GDIs from the north side began ensconcing M-80s in excrement or potatoes and tossing them into the hallway on the south side. Never did figure out why they did that, but the sh*t bombs were not pleasant to clean up! In time we moved to apartments the school bought anyway.

Okay, maybe you can't do all of that stuff nowadays, but you can still try to get a hallway. I hope it works out for you. And remember - be kind to your professors and be kind to your neighbors.