St. Clair is Where the Guys Go to Chill

by Anna Harman

St. Clair is on the north end of Cedarville University’s campus next to Brock Hall. It is located near the volleyball and tennis courts and the Callan gym. Around 120 male students live in St. Clair every year.

Each year, St. Clair and McChesney participate in a dodgeball tournament. It is held between the 10 halls of St. Clair and McChesney. Although they haven’t hosted a tournament since the outbreak of COVID-19, several of the residents want to bring it back.

They also have a bro/sis cookout at the start of each school year to kick things off and to encourage people to meet others living in the same dorm. There are usually games like cornhole, spike ball and frisbee at the cookout.

Some halls also do bro/sis camping trips, typically early in the fall semester. They bring yard games to play, enjoy cooking over the fire and getting to know each other. When it gets dark, it’s usually followed by a time of worship around the campfire as well as a short devotional in the morning over breakfast. 

Landon Stratton is a junior at Cedarville. He decided to live in St. Clair for all three years, and he believes that he made the right choice. He’s drawn to the community that exists within the dorm and also the friendships that he’s made throughout his time living there. 

Landon shares, “If you were to walk through the halls, you would find lots of open doors and a bunch of guys hanging out in each other’s rooms, talking and living life together. Of all the friendships I’ve made at Cedarville, many of the closest ones are with the guys who lived in rooms next to, across from or down the hall from my own. This has definitely been my favorite thing about the dorm.”

Something that Stratton thinks is unique about living at St. Clair is the ability to separate yourself from people when you need to focus or take a break. 

“The walls are thick, and you’re in a room with the door closed,” Stratton said. “You don’t hear anything unless it is right outside your door. I believe that the importance of quietness is often undervalued. Guys in St. Clair have the freedom to take shelter in spending undistracted time with God while also taking advantage of the close friendships that form with the brothers surrounding them.” 

One thing that people might not know about St. Clair is that “the water pressure here is the best on campus by far. It’s a small victory, but living next to the water tower has its perks.” 

Roman Brandon, a junior RA, met some of his best friends while living in St. Clair as well. He believes that a hall-style dorm really provides a bubbly social atmosphere where guys can always congregate and mingle outside of the rooms. There are often groups of guys talking throughout the hall, whether that’s in the hallway, the stairway, in the “lounge rooms” or even in the bathroom. A lounge room is a room where guys have made space for a TV, mini-fridges and couches so that people can stop in at any time to watch a show, hang out or play video games. This is a great example of the great community aspect of living in St. Clair. Even the RD, Jason Deardorff, can be found in the rooms sometimes playing video games with the students.  

“For the most part, St.Clair is a pretty self-sustaining dorm,” Brandon said. “There aren’t a lot of issues and the guys in my hall make being an RA such a delight. As an RA I grab meals with the guys in my hall, lead a bible study and have the privilege of facilitating a culture of discipleship among men.” 

Anna Harman is a sophomore Biblical Studies major and also a reporter for Cedars. She appreciates writing, peppermint tea, flowers, and going to concerts.