Chapin Residential College

During the summer, you will be assigned a time to move into Chapin through Northwestern Residential Services. When you arrive at the Chapin steps on move-in day, there will be a group of Executive Board members there to greet you, help you with your luggage, and answer any questions you may have. After seeing your room, you’ll check in to receive your Wildcat Welcome schedule. We'll also have Chapin activities planned for that night, but, for the most part, how you spend move-in day is up to you. We encourage you to leave your door open (bring a stopper!) when in your room, walk around and meet your neighbors, invite someone to a game of Super Smash Bros. or Rock Band, and get comfortable in Chapin and at Northwestern.

A residential college is more than just a place to live. The goal of residential colleges is to create a community within your dorm. Chapin has regular firesides from fellows, subsidized outings to events in Evanston and Chicago, weekly tea and munchies, and more! Residential colleges have committees to involve every resident in planning and facilitating these events.

We put “ch” in front of words that really do not need (but really want) a “ch” in front of them, such as Media Lounge -> Chlounge, Chapin Executive Board -> Chexec, Chapin Halloween -> Challoween. It takes some getting used to, but part of being a Chapino is putting "ch" in front of almost any word that's associated with Chapin and pretending to agree that it works.

It means that most of our fellows are involved in humanities-related departments at Northwestern or interested in the humanities. This does not preclude non-humanities majors from living in Chapin, and we have fellows who are not necessarily in the academic realm of humanities.

Fellows are faculty and other members of the Northwestern community that are affiliated with Chapin. They attend and host events regularly and are an integral part of the Residential College experience. Check out our Faculty Staff and Fellows page for a full list of Fellows that are members of the Chapin community!

A non-resident (NonRes) member is someone who doesn’t live in Chapin, but pays $40 a year to stay connected and take advantage of our facilities and events. They can use their WildCards to get into the building and are welcome at all Chapin events including munchies and Chapin formal.

If you would like to become a non-resident member, please click here, read the information, and fill out the quick application!

At full capacity, Chapin houses 65 residents.

No, you’re all good. The washers here are great (and free)!

Chapin has a media lounge on the first floor with a big-screen TV, a pool table that can be converted into a ping-pong table, a Nintendo Wii U and a PS4 among other systems and games graciously donated by benevolent residents. Other than that, many residents have game nights where they play board games in someone’s room, and it’s always fun to just hang out with friends.

Points are Chapin’s way of keeping residents involved and fostering a Chapin community. To learn all about our points information, click here.

Currently, the war room, stairs, and hallways are wood paneled, while the kitchens and bathrooms are tiled. Dorm rooms are carpeted.

Chapin is co-ed, separated by floor.

Nope!

Chapin has a main kitchen on the first floor, equipped with a stove, microwave, oven, full refrigerator, toaster, water heaters, and some cooking supplies (pans, pots, cutlery, etc). The second and third floors have kitchenettes with refrigerators, sinks and microwaves.

We have bike racks right behind Chapin to lock up your bike.

From 8:30pm - 6:00am we have an unarmed Community Security Officer (CSO) and/or Security Officer stationed at the front door who checks in guests using their WildCard. Only Chapin residents and official non-residents can get into the building alone using the WildCard. You also need your card to get to the second and third floors or bedrooms on the first floor. Each room has a lock on it specific to you and your roommate’s WildCards.

Yes, you should. Our house-cleaning staff wipes down the entire bathroom with bleach once a week, but yes.

The media lounge can be air-conditioned, but otherwise, no. This really isn’t a problem in the Evanston climate, but if you’re someone who looks to sleep in a cold environment, we suggest bringing a fan.

Chapin has the largest​ doubles on campus, with most rooms measuring around 18.5 x 13.25 ft. Check out our facilities page for more information.

Technically, you can only have overnight guests for three nights in a row, seven per quarter, but no one is going to keep track. Be respectful of your roommate, tell him/her in advance if you plan on having guests, and don’t have guests stay forever.

Each double comes with two elevated beds, two twin XL mattresses, two bedside tables, two desks (with push-pin backing and a light), two chairs, two pairs of drawers, two walk-in closets, two recycling bins, and two trash bins. For more information, take a look at our facilities page.

Per Northwestern rules: "Room decorations are permitted except for hanging blankets, tapestries, rugs, or fishnets, provided the decorations do not cover more than 50 percent of the wall or window space. Combustible decorations must not be put on the ceiling, in the entryway, on the door, or near heat sources such as radiators or light bulbs. Any method of affixing decorations that puts holes in or mars walls, woodwork, doors, or furnishings is prohibited." Also, don’t put up Christmas lights. Other than that, you’re good to go.

Yes we do! And lamps built-in on your desk, but you are welcome to bring your own lamp if you deem it necessary.

Unless you prefer an extremely firm bed, yes. The egg carton pads that you can find at Target or any other superstore work perfectly fine.

According to the university, the inside of a refrigerator can be no larger than 3 cubic feet. In reality, no one’s going to measure. Do not bring your full-size kitchen refrigerator.

If you organize your room accordingly, yes! Make sure you check with your roommate first though.

If all you need is a treadmill or an elliptical, Willard Residential College across the street or Blomquist is perfect for you. If you want access to a serious weight-lifting gym, you can go to Patten. Patten is all the way north on Sheridan, so about a mile away. If you’re looking for a combination of the two, a pool, or a track, the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion (also known as SPAC) will do all that and more. Crown is located all the way northeast on campus, making it the farthest building on campus from Chapin; you’ll have to workout just to get there! We are also a five minute walk away from LA Fitness, so if you happen to have an existing membership there, it certainly won't go to waste!

Chapin is actually the closest residence to downtown Evanston. Kung Fu Tea, Blaze Pizza, Starbucks, Einstein Brothers Bagels, Chipotle, CVS, Crossroads, Urban Outfitters, and much more are right in our backyard and are a convenient two-minute walk away.

Your Name Chapin Hall Room # 1927 Orrington Ave Evanston, IL 60201

Chapinos pick up their snail mail at Willard Residential Colege across the street and packages at Foster-Walker Complex, commonly referred to as "Plex".