If you have lived in Racey Hall, then you probably know what all of this is going to be about and in case you’ve never heard about this dorm, this may explain its reputation.

I am a freshman here at Shenandoah University, and I am lucky enough to live in our “ratchet” dorm, as seemingly everyone calls it.

It’s been a strange experience when people ask me which residence hall I’m living in and then laugh when I say Racey. A girl in my class even giggled, gave me a weird look and said: “Ha ha, Ratchet Racey.”

I was confused because to begin with, I didn’t even know what the word “ratchet” meant.

According to the urban dictionary, the most reliable source I could find for all things “slang,” “ratchet” means cheap and old. But is there more to it than that?

I asked my “ratchet” hallmates what they thought about Racey. Lainey Griffin, an Exercise Science freshman said, “building – ratchet, but people fantastic.” Then Rebecca, a Business Administration freshman said, “The air conditioning has been broken for the longest [time], we also have the smallest rooms.”

Griffin agrees, the facilities in the building are old – the laundry machines, for example, are dusty and barely working. But, she also said the people are fantastic since the residents of Racey Hall tend to be loving and like to enjoy quality time together.

Not long ago, I had what could be called a classic “ratchet” encounter.  As my roommate and I were getting ready to go to bed we tried putting on the air conditioner and it  turned out it was broken. We desperately tried to sleep through our sweating that night, leaving our door open hoping to feel a breeze. We ended up totally paranoid that someone would walk by and hear snoring. I am probably not the only one who has had a similar experience, perhaps someone else has had one even worse.

Some of the upperclassmen residents told me that it was simply the building’s “reputation,” and that people probably named it ratchet for no other reason than it is the oldest residence building on campus. Despite everything, this place can bring a lot of joy to your life on a daily basis since people are very welcoming. Even though, you can randomly encounter the most ridiculous things here, I know me and my fellow “ratcheters” will find lifetime friendships in this building.

It’s easy to judge a book… I mean… building by its cover – but I urge everyone here at SU, to give Racey… I mean “ratchet Racey” a chance.