Northeastern students living in the Sheraton feel a slight disconnect from their peers, according to interviews with the hotel’s residents. “I love the location of the Sheraton in relation to the city, but it does feel a bit isolating from campus because it’s a relatively long walk to the dining hall or to come back from the library late at night,” said Jeta Perjuci, a first-year media and screen studies and journalism major.
All Sheraton residents are students who were part of the N.U.in program, which sends students to a different location for their first semester, from London to Berlin to the Bay Area and more. Then, for the second semester, they return to the Boston campus.
“It’s definitely difficult to integrate with students who did not do N.U.in because of how much farther from campus it feels that we are,” said Perjuci.
“I didn’t really have a problem transitioning to Boston due to the events hosted during orientation week, but I definitely think that it is harder to socialize while living in the Sheraton,” said biochemistry student Rahi Patel. “Since we are not always on campus, we are kind of isolated from the larger Northeastern community.”
There are some benefits to living in the Sheraton, including spacious rooms, private bathrooms and easy accessibility to shops and restaurants – mostly everything is within a walking distance, said Patel. Northeastern also provides Sheraton residents with Charlie cards for the entire semester, which Patel finds useful for traveling not only to classes, but also around the city.
Sheraton residents are hoping to create more of a community to make up for the disconnect from campus. Residents elected a hall council in February, which consists of president, vice president, administrative chair, marketing chair and finance chair. Marketing Chair Anushka Chakrabarti said, “My long-term tasks include planning future events, building a safe and enjoyable space, and opening up the fifth floor for game rooms, common rooms and gyms.”
Residents expressed that they would like to have access to the same amenities as other Northeastern students who live on campus, said Patel, including a gym and kitchen. “I barely eat at the dining halls and buy from restaurants nearby instead,” said Patel. “Since the gym has not been constructed in the Sheraton, I can’t go to the gym as often as I would like.”
Students seem to agree there are definite benefits to living in the Sheraton hotel, but one of the main drawbacks is a strong sense of isolation.