a.Nomenclature

The floors in Burton-Conner are the pride of the house and the pride of the residents.  Each one has its own peculiar culture and is named after the side of the house it is in and how many floors it is above the lobby.  This causes some initial confusion, as the sixth floor of the building is, in actuality, the fifth floor of both Burton and Conner.  In turn they are known as Burton 5 and Conner 5.  Most floors follow this example and are called by the side of the building followed by their respective cardinal number, though this was not always the case.  Originally each floor used their building-side and their ordinal number.  During the 70’s, residents gradually began to use the cardinal numbers instead.  In order to maintain floor pride and tradition Burton Third kept the ordinal number, instead of calling themselves Burton 3, and to this day is the only floor that hasn’t yet adopted the commonly accepted nomenclature.

Suites are given three numbers that distinguish them from the rest of the suites in Burton-Conner.  The first number represents the floor, the second number represents the wing and the third number distinguishes between the suites in a given wing.  Accordingly, Burton consists of Wings 3, 4, and 5 and Conner consists of Wings 1 and 2, which means that one must look at the first two numbers to determine what floor and side of the building each suite is on.  When I say, “I lived in the 323 suite my freshmen year,” I am telling people that I lived on the third floor in one of the suites in the second wing of Burton-Conner, making me a Conner 3 alumnus. 

Each floor has its own Floor Lounge and Graduate Resident Tutor (GRT) who lives in his or her own apartment.  Figure 5 shows a typical floor plan of Burton-Conner with Burton in outlined in black and Conner outlined in red.  The suites are marked with just their second and third number as the first number changes based on what floor this represents.  The GRT apartments are marked as GRT; note there is one on each floor of Burton and one on each floor of Conner.  Similarly, the Floor lounges are marked FL and there is also one on each floor of Burton and one each floor of Conner. 

b.Burton Floors

Floors on the Burton side all follow a similar layout with minor exceptions.  The east wing of Burton (Wing 3) is home to the 31, 32 and 33 suites.  The kitchen in the 33 suite looks across a courtyard toward Conner Hall.  A fire escape connects the Burton 33 suites with the Conner 23 suites and is affectionately known as “The Burton-Conner Express,” the fastest, although officially disapproved route between Burton and Conner. 

Next is Wing 4, which includes the 41 suite as well as the Floor Lounge, the GRT’s apartment, and the Burton side elevator.  This wing often becomes a central focus of the floor due in large part to the proximity of the floor lounge to the elevator.  In the place of their floor lounge, Burton 1 has an extension of the 141 suite, and in order to provide a central meeting place, the usual GRT apartment has been replaced with a floor lounge.  Still needing a place for the B1 GRTs, their apartment moved into the old Housemaster apartment located in Wing 5 of Burton 1.  The new Housemaster apartment is located in Wing 1 on Conner 1.  Burton 2 also underwent minor renovations in 2009 and now the dorm’s networking devices are housed in the Burton 2 floor lounge.

The final wing on Burton side has the 51, 52, 53 and 54 suites.  Although the 53 suite is a special case and is in actuality only a half-suite.  It is referred to as an “up-down suite” and connects the second and third floors, while another suite connects the fourth and fifth floors.  The 53 suites are the only suites on Burton that connect two floors and serve to bridge the social gap between different floors. 

c.Conner Floors

The first wing of Conner is directly above the main entrance and front desk.  It is easily accessible through the Conner side elevator and houses the 11, 12 and 13 suites as well as the Floor Lounge.  You can look at the above figure for more clarification. 

Continuing down the main hallway, one comes to the second wing of Conner.  Here we find the GRT’s apartment and the 22, 23, and 24 suites.  The 22 suites are up-down suites similar to Burton’s 53 suites.  They are the only suites on Conner that are up-down suites.  The 23 suites are the only suites that have a clear view of the athletic fields to the North and the Charles River to the South.  All of the Burton floors and the roof of the Porter room can be accessed from the 23 suite fire escapes.  Although the fire escapes are, of course, to be used only during emergencies.

d.Conner 1

Conner 1 is often a favorite floor as it is the home of the Housemasters, the Residential Life Associate (RLA), the Conference Room, the Library and the Porter Room.  The RLA serves as the go between for the Dormitory and the Institute and helps the Housemasters as well.  Small meetings and gatherings are often held in the Conference Room, and the Library is used for studying when rooms and floor lounges are either crowded or too loud.  The Porter Room is an all-purpose room and has its own section above. 

e.Lobby Floor

In addition to being the official route between Burton and Conner, the ground floor is home to many of the residents’ facilities such as the laundry, bike, game, dark, weight, and workout rooms as well as the snack bar and the front desk.  Upon entering Burton-Conner from 410 Memorial Drive, visitors are checked in at the front desk, which is monitored by the dormitory’s residents.  Here residents can pick up letters, magazines, and packages.  Residents are also welcome to check out a DVD from the rather large movie collection, a board game from desk, or pool cues and balls to pass the time between psets and exams. 

Across from the desk is the House Manager’s office.  Ken Donaghey, the current House Manager at Burton House, oversees almost every aspect of the building and makes sure those leaky faucets and broken lights get fixed.  In a building as old as Burton-Conner with residents as active as Burton-Conner residents can be, this is no walk in the park.  Directly next to the House Manager’s office is the Dark Room, which can be used for developing photographs.  The Dark Room has not been used in recent years, likely due to the rise of Digital Cameras. 

In the second wing of the building there are a handful of music rooms, which are often used as practice spaces by individual musicians and by local bands with Burton-Conner members.  A little further down is the Burton-Conner Laundry Room, which can be found completely empty on a Tuesday night, or overflowing with clothes and residents on a Sunday afternoon.  Luckily for residents, they can check the status of the laundry room online before making the trek with their week’s worth of dirty laundry. 

For those who do not want to waste the energy it takes to walk back upstairs and down again 45 minutes later, the dorm’s TV Lounge is in the room next-door, complete with massage chair and billiards tables.  The duties of the Lounge Coordinator in 1978-79 included maintaining the two pool tables and the pinball-videogame contract. 

Inside the TV Lounge is the Snack Room, which until recent years provided students with a quick bite to eat without the need to go outside or prepare it themselves.  Now it is used as the headquarters from which events are staged, such as Campus Preview Weekend (CPW) or Resident EXploration (REX) events. 

Across from the Burton Elevator and behind a wall that is covered with the emblems for each floor, is the Game Room, which keeps bikes dry and rust-free during the winter months as well as a ping-pong and air hockey table to keep the students study-free during every month. Figure 6, shows the wall that hosts paintings for each floor.  The residents update these paintings as they see fit. 

Two rooms that are a bit off the beaten path and are often kept in obscurity are the Workout Rooms.  But to the few who know where they are, nothing is better than taking a study break in the Weight Room or Cardio Room.  Here residents can build up muscles, release endorphins and loose the “Freshmen 15,” all without leaving the dormitory.  

Together these facilities make up the building known as Burton-Conner, but residents don’t live here just for the building.  In the 1950’s and 1960’s Burton-Conner would explain itself to prospective students as a place full of masochists because they would be the only ones who would live in the farthest undergraduate dorm from campus, that was also crowded and in bad condition compared to its neighbor Baker.  Then they begin to elaborate on the real reasons that students live there.  First mentioned was the fact that with so many peers and fellow residents, everyone can find someone with similar interests and with the facilities provided, everyone has the means to fulfill their interests.  Second, BC is a beehive of social activities thanks in large part to the common areas and lounges.  Third, the residents are often engaged in sports and other outdoor activities.  All of these add together to create a well-rounded set of students living in Burton-Conner.  Lastly the floors are a strong draw, with each floor having its own dynamic culture.  Interestingly enough the reasons today are the same as they were 50 years ago, with the extra incentive of kitchens.  Students choose to live in Burton-Conner because they love the active familial atmosphere of the dorm and the independence it provides.