 "Photo: Nick Tarnoff")
 "Photo: Nick Tarnoff")
 "Photo: Benny Yun")
The debate starts before freshmen arrive on campus: Newton or Upper? That one innocuous question on the housing form determines whether your trek back to your residence hall will consist of a bus ride or flights of stairs. Tour guides enthusiastically promote the unwanted, satellite Newton - "Trees are good for the soul! You get such a sense of community!" they promise.
But then there's the issue of waiting at a bus stop at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. class, with the snow collecting on your head. A sense of Newton pride is generally cultivated in its residents, evidenced by the "Newton: Ride or Die" T-shirts sold to freshmen. Is this pride founded on the genuine superiority of Newton, or is it reflective of an embedded Upper envy complex?
Stuart is often argued to be one of the best dining halls on campus. Chris DeMatteo, A&S '06, agrees, saying "What it lacks in variety, it makes up in quality and speed." The quality of Stuart has been compared to "the Max" in Saved by the Bell. Although there is a high population of BC Law students at lunchtime, Stewart is generally clean and uncrowded. Although Stewart was previously considered inadequate because of its midnight closing time on weekends, while Main Campus offered Late Nite until 2 a.m., a trial run of extended hours indicate that this inequity may soon be abolished.
A lot of Newtonites enjoy the sense of community they get from the smaller campus. Patrick Knight, A&S '08, who requested to live on Newton. He enjoys the distance from the chaos of main campus.
"You can get away from the craziness if you want to," he says. "You can find quiet if you want to, but it's much easier to find fun."
Several RAs promote Newton, commenting that the population seems friendlier than that of Upper. They still concede, Upper can be a good time.
This category is easy. One campus, you walk up stairs. The other, you wait for a bus ... in the cold ... at 1:55 in the morning... for 20 minutes ... and then you have to stand.
While the purpose of this article is not to opine a winner, Upper seems to have an incontestable lead.
Mike Gibson, CSOM '08, and current Upper resident, identifies "location" as his favorite aspect of living on Upper.
"I don't have to wait for a bus to go to class," he says. "I like living on the Main Campus."
The hassle of the BC bus, although dismissed as incidental by most Newtonites, was still identified as the primary flaw of the Newton Campus.
It is commonly concurred that the actual rooms on Newton are often better than those on Upper.
"Rooms in Newton in my mind are nicer, longer and newer it seems," says Gibson. "The school has to do that, I believe, to get people to want to live there," he adds.
Unlike Upper, which is densely populated due to high demand, there are no forced triples on Newton.
Conversely, Newton also lacks "fancy" triples with their own bathrooms, rendering Newton, in the words of DeMatteo, "more egalitarian."
The tight living space of Upper residents, however, doesn't necessarily detract from the Upper experience.
"I was in a forced triple, but I still loved it," says Kristen Leclaire, CSON '07.
No matter where freshmen are placed, they generally make the most of it and ultimately have fun - despite forced triples or long hours on the Eagle Direct.
"I'd still take Newton, [not renovated] Hardey and all," says DeMatteo.
"Since Newton students are a minority of freshmen, it's a humbling, yet empowering experience. Marginalized groups of all sorts always develop some sort of pride. Dorm marginalization is no different - how many Upper pride shirts do you see?" he adds.
Once sophomore year hits, is Newton versus Upper still an issue? Are we loyal to our freshman dorms, or do we just move on?
"It's a one-sided debate," says Bruce Dos Santos, a former Upper resident and A&S '06.
"People on Newton say they loved it, but [the people on Upper] just don't want to hear it really. There's no real rivalry." Tell that to the kids wearing "Ride or Die" T-shirts.
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