The Roommate Report: The Greenways Suite

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

June Dorsch: How did you guys meet? What were your first impressions of each other?

Ava Kennon: Me and Emma were paired freshman-year roommates. And then we met Abby outside of a taco truck during orientation. We had food trucks for one of the events and we were waiting in line to get tacos.

Emma Burd: We were complaining about how long the line was, and Abby was behind us and she was like, “I know, this line is ridiculous.” And the rest is history.

Abby Moravek: We became friends instantly because if there’s one thing we agree on, it’s tacos. And I ended up actually living in the room right under you.

AK: Yeah, we’re all from North [dormitory].

AM: We’re all from North except for Iris.

JD: How did you get into [the friend group]?

Iris Susen: Iris …

Everyone laughs.

EB: Iris talks about herself in the third person.

IS: No, no, no. I had an orientation-squad friend who became friends with them. How?

AK: We sat with them at a table. We have a mutual friend, Cynthia [Alexander ’26], and we sat with her at an arts and crafts table. And that’s how we met. Then we started getting meals together and have ever since [been part of] the same friend group.

AM: Yeah. Just how freshmen groups come together.

JD: How did you guys decide to room together?

AK: That’s a good question.

EB: We should have had that question prepared before you walked in this evening.

AK: We had our pairings before we decided to be suitemates.

EB: So Ava and I knew we wanted to be roommates again. You [Iris and Abby] also talked about it.

IS: We just randomly were like, “I would room with you.”

EB: And then at some point, it just came up that we realized that the suite application process was completely separate from the regular housing process. So we were like, why not apply for a suite with all four of us?

AM: It’s the lowest of all low stakes. There was nothing to lose.

AK: Yeah. So we all had fairly good numbers. And honestly, poor Emma, I think she had the highest number.

EB: I had a terrible number.

AK: But, you take the average and I think the three of us had pretty low numbers. And so we’re like, might as well go for it. We got one of the last four[-person] suites left. Apparently, people chose not to take suites when they went to go pick because certain configurations were gone. And so, honestly, [had] they chosen we probably wouldn’t have gotten a suite. Yeah, but this was a great choice.

JD: And what is it like to live in the Greenways? Is it worth the hype?

AK: I think it depends on the building of the Greenways.

IS: Yeah, I think the hike is getting a little bit annoying. Like I’ll walk to Frost [Library] and my Apple Watch will ask me if I’m recording an outdoor workout. Everyone laughs. Just a little bit offensive.

AM: I think it’s great for me because I’m an athlete and a chemistry major. So it’s very close to everything I like to do but it’s kind of far from every other part of our lives, which isn’t ideal. But I do think they’re nice buildings and the room we decorated very well. We put our whole heart and soul into it.

EB: And also we’re not on an all-women’s floor but [no men] live on our floor. And so all of the bathrooms are ours to use.

AM: Well the men’s is Iris’ personal [bathroom].

EB: I kind of started taking it, too.

IS: Emma started using it, too. But it’s okay, we don’t talk when we’re doing our makeup next to each other.

AM: Oooh, dra-ma.

EB: There’s really good lighting in there.

AK: Greenway bathrooms are very clean, and there’s only nine of us on our floor and there are three bathrooms. One’s gender-neutral single-use, so it’s like a locked door. It’s like the best thing in the entire world. We peaked [this year]. The basement of Nicholls Biondi I think is one of the best Greenway floors. I’m gonna say that because you just don’t hear the construction, because we’re in the basement, but we still have a view.

JD: Can you walk me through the decoration of the suite?

EB: Okay, so right now we still have our Valentine’s Day decorations up.

AK: Just a little behind.

EB: Which is actually several months behind now because those are from February and it’s April 1.

AM: But we’re not opposed. They’re cute.

EB: We love them.

IS: Yeah. So when we first were decorating, the people who lived before us were men and decorated very differently. We wanted to make it homey.

JD: Did you see it before [you moved in]?

AK: We did, we did, [we] got to come see it. It was four guys, and we walked in and the four of them were huddled in front of the TV playing video games. Sheets off of beds.

IS: I’m pretty sure my bed never had sheets on it. It was a little bit of a hazard.

AK: But [for] the decoration of this [room], I got really into it over the summer. I downloaded the floorplan so I could like draw out everything; you get a couch, a chair, and these two red ottomans. And so it was like a lot of fun … We knew we wanted a TV, we knew we wanted … a collage on our common room wall to highlight all our friends.

EB: We also have our birthday month [posters on the wall]. And two of us were born in February. So we have three months up there but I was really upset because … Ava had this collection of calendar posters and all of the February ones were really bad. But the last February one I pull out is this majestic frog poster and I’m like, “Oh my god. Jackpot.” So lo and behold …

IS: I don’t know how I got stuck with pencils. I was doing something else.

EB: The frog is the clear winner here.

AK: And then we have our Polaroid wall in our common room, which is just a massive wall of Polaroids that we have people [take] when they come into the room.

AM: June, are you on there?

JD: I am there, and I wrote a note on the back but I don’t think you can even see it.

EB: We got a lot when people were here for my birthday. It’s very full now and I’m very happy.

JD: Where are you gonna put any extras?

AK: We have a little room on the top.

IS: And some of these people can be taken off. Maybe moved into a less central area.

JD: Into storage.

EB: We have a running joke that —

IS: Or we could do a pyramid. Oh my gosh. Like a Dance Moms pyramid?

AK and AM: Yeah!

EB: Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we did have a running joke for a while that if any of the people who are on our Polaroid wall did anything to cross us, they would go right above the trash can that we have so conveniently located right next to [the wall]. So don’t cross us.

JD: Has anyone made it there?

All: Yes.

EB: We’re not gonna name names. Everyone has been restored, I think, almost everyone. You do something bad and you redeem yourself, then you could go back up.

AK: You have a chance.

EB: It’s a temporary thing.

JD: Are there some objects that you particularly love here?

AM: The gorilla.

EB: It’s not a gorilla. It’s an ape. Let’s just make that very clear. Really offended, Abby. Anyway, so I’m a big fan of the ape emoji. I think it’s very versatile. It’s just chronically underused, and I’m working to personally remedy that issue. So I was living with my aunt and uncle over the summer, and I told my uncle about how much I like using the emoji and he got me this. It’s actually a stress toy, which is a very terrifying ape, and it has lived in our common room all year. It’s a great conversation starter for when people come in.

AK: Oh, and that’s the only requirement for the Polaroid wall — you have to hold the ape in your photo.

IS: Has everyone actually done that?

AM: I think most people have [held it], if not all.

AK: Also, I visited Iris … [over] the summer, and she lives in Charlottesville and we went to a pottery painting place. And so we painted these kissing gnomes for the dorm … And then Iris’ mom brought … the painted stuff for Parents' Weekend.

IS: And she brought an additional item that was added to the order. And it’s a little cursed child. There’s a hole in the middle. It’s absolutely terrifying.

AK: It’s just a baby figurine that someone else painted and just came with our painted stuff.

IS: Just some very messed up person decided to create it.

AK: And there’s a “j” on the foot.

IS: So if your name starts with “j” and you live in Charlottesville, Virginia —

AM: I’m 90 percent sure “j” is for Jesus, you guys. Like Baby Jesus.

AK: And then Abby has her yoga ball.

AM: I love my yoga ball.

IS: Which honestly, when you got it, we thought it was going to deflate a little bit sooner than it has, but it’s really stuck it out.

AK: It’s so nice.

AM: The wonders of a 20-dollar yoga ball from Amazon are incredible. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown — this is great to put on the record — and I decided that there’s nothing that will bring me joy other than a yoga ball. Logistical problems of taking one from the Alumni Gym, discreetly.

IS: Did you actually?

AM: Yes, and I couldn’t get it out the door. I was stopped. I was unable to steal from the college, so I had to spend 20 of my own dollars. Yeah. And I think it’s worth it. It’s additional seating in the common room.

EB: We have a lot of fun things in here. But those are the highlights.

JD: How would you describe your relationship? And did living together change it in any way?

AK: That’s a good question.

IS: I think living together definitely changed it. I don’t think you can live together and not have the relationship change. [It changed] in a very positive way.

EB: I feel like Iris and I got a lot closer this year because … we were being dramatic, obviously, but it was a hike, you know, to get from North to [Charles] Pratt. You had to walk all the way across the quad. It was ridiculous.

AK: There was a [Charles] Pratt group and a North group. Yeah, our friend group was actually just split between [Charles] Pratt and North. We saw each other, we got meals together, but living together, I see Iris so much more.

IS: A lot of times in the men’s bathroom. Pointed look towards Emma.

AK: It’s also so nice because Abby’s a softball player and so last spring, no one saw her.

AM: Yeah. Legitimately in my mind, I saw you guys like every two days, but then you’d be like, “No, it’s been three and a half weeks.”

AK: Yeah, so it’s been nice. We see her, even it’s just for a second.

IS: Softball is no joke. We live together and sometimes we see each other max[imum] once a day.

AK: There are some days where I wake up after Emma, and Emma was asleep after me. So there are a couple days I go where I do not see Emma.

EB: Yeah. Emma goes to bed a little too late and wakes up a little too early.

AK: She does. She is training for a half-marathon.

EB: I am training for a half-marathon. I also just have commitments, like beloved newspaper, that keep me up until the wee hours of the night sometimes.

AK: I really like having Emma as a roommate.

EB: I really like having Ava as a roommate.

AK: We were paired really well freshman year. We just created such a fun little bond. We’ll giggle at each other.

EB: Oh yeah. We get into these hysterical moods where … I don’t even know how to describe it.

AK: It’s like where Emma is crawling around the floor.

EB: We don’t need to talk about that.

IS: That is on the record.

AM: On the record.

EB: But we do get into our silly moods … We have some late night talks. Those are always fun, very good therapy sessions. We got it all, you know.

AK: We got it all … Sometimes one of us will sit down and start watching TV or like two of us will do something and then everyone will just convene. And now we’re starting our Bachelor nights. We hosted the Super Bowl. We’ve hosted movie nights, birthday parties. It’s so fun to have a space that like everyone can kind of come to. Yeah, I will miss it dearly.

IS: Yeah.

EB: Fo’ sho’.

JD: Are you guys not rooming together next year?

IS: The pairs are staying together.

EB: We’re just not suite-ing. But we’re gonna make a very serious effort to see each other.

AK: And hopefully live in similar areas.

IS: I plan to not ever see Emma again.

EB: Oh my god. The day that I walked into the men’s bathroom was the day our relationship was severed forever!

IS: Yeah, you should have known what you were doing when you stepped your foot in there with the, what’s it called?

EB: My diffuser. Everyone laughs.

IS: Emma will walk in silently, plug it in and be like *makes growling sound.*

EB: It looks like a torture device if you just look at it, but I promise it’s perfectly safe and you know, approved by the government.

IS: It’s very loud and I have an issue with it.

EB: I have an issue with you. Everyone laughs.

JD: What are some pet peeves you have about each other?

IS: I will say as the person with the bed up against the freezer [in the common room], there are some really loud early morning opens of the freezer and closes of the common room door.

AK: Yes. That’s hard, especially with the window open it c

reates like a suction.

IS: So annoying actually.

EB: This is not a pet peeve, but I think Ava and I have very different body temperatures.

AK: Yeah.

EB: I sleep with like 14 million blankets on my bed and Ava’s got one and she’s like, “let’s open the window,” but I’m like, “it’s easier to put on layers than take off.” That’s not a pet peeve but it’s just … challenging.

IS: Oh, I have a pet peeve against myself. I get snacky late at night and sometimes — Abby goes to bed earlier than I do typically — and I’ll just be on my bed in the dark and eat Pringles. And I know it’s so annoying.

AM: I have insomnia, like chronic insomnia, and I have to go to bed at 11 o’clock to maintain the sleep schedule [to manage the insomnia]. And sometimes I just can’t sleep and so I’m just listening to Iris crunch on things. Like I’m trying to be asleep and then I just hear her opening a Heath Bar. Also … the sun comes through the window at such an angle that it really … hits Iris right in her eyes.

IS: It’s not all the time, but sometimes it’s just like *makes wild hand gestures.* Just to reiterate the visuals for everyone [reading this], it’s like being clubbed in the face. I rise from the dead in the spirit of Easter. But Ava has a pet peeve to share.

AK: I have two. One is [about] me, one is [about Emma]. I snore, which I feel terrible about.

EB: You know how I was talking about how I go to bed late, I wake up early? So in between there, there’s not really any sleeping going on. But it’s not like it’s your fault.

AK: Yeah, I would stop if I could. And then Emma is training for a half marathon, so she does wake up early in the morning to go for runs. But, honestly, recently I’ve been so tired that she wakes me up once and then I just go back to sleep.

EB: The thing is I can usually tell when I’m waking her up because she stops snoring. Everyone laughs. I’m like, “Shoot, I got to be quieter, I woke up the snoring beast!"

JD: Okay, we’re doing a lightning round. And we’re just gonna say how we feel. You can discuss after if you want. Who takes out the trash more?

AK: Emma.

AM: Iris.

EB: Me.

IS: I do?

EB: I think [Ava] takes out the suite trash the most, I take out ours the most. I don’t know. I just don’t like looking and seeing trash. I don’t want trash in my room.

IS: I thought this was a lightning round.

EB: She said we could discuss! Do we need to take this outside?

JD: Who’s the neatest and who’s the messiest?

AM: We’re so bad.

IS: Their [Emma and Ava's] room is pristine and ours typically is very cyclical … Like the Lord’s day. We always clean on Sundays.

AM: We start off the week on a high note.

IS: And then, probably by like Thursday —

AM: Mmm, Wednesday.

IS: Sometimes Wednesday. It kind of depends. But yeah, it’s not okay in there. The beds are not made and the clothes are on the floor.

AM: We should put up caution tape.

IS: I would say messy but not dirty.

AK: It’s not a hygiene issue. Me and Emma’s room, we make our beds every morning, things are put away. They paired us really well.

EB: Yeah, I think we’re both the same way that we won't freak out if there’s stuff out. But we always, like within a day, clean it up.

AK: Like there’s stuff on my desk right now and I know before I go to bed, I’ll put it away.

AM: It’s funny to see, like on a Friday. Just go into Emma and Ava’s room and then go back into mine and Iris’ room and be like hmmm.

EB: The other thing is that Ava, when she gets back from a night out, cleans.

AK: I get anxious. Well there’s two things. When I’m anxious, I like to clean. So that’s a very nice thing. [Also] after a night out, I’m tired. It’s a good way to unwind sometimes, to put things in order.

EB: Which is great because then I don’t have to and it’s cleaned up.

IS: Meanwhile, I eat Pringles after a long night. In the darkness.

JD: Last question. What’s the best thing about living together?

EB: Aww. I like that question.

AK: Just seeing them every day, no matter what.

EB: It’s so easy. And I think it’s just the little things. You don’t need to sit down and have a meal with someone to hear what they’re excited about for the day, you can just ask them as you head out the door.

AK: Also, when all four of us are going out, the energy in the room.

EB: We got the music.

AK: Everyone’s running back and forth with outfits.

EB: Because Iris and I wear the same size, and Abby and Ava are generally the same size, we can just mix and match, and it’s like I gained another wardrobe.

AM: And none of us have sisters that are the same size, or sisters at all, so this is like, girlhood.

EB: It’s like having three sisters.

IS: This is how I imagined having sisters would be like.