Rotation

Rotation is the process by which new undergrads get to visit houses, meet new people, and make decisions about their housing and house membership.

The Houses are eight separate, co-ed residential communities. All the houses are equipped with double occupancy bedrooms, bathrooms/showers, kitchenettes, laundry facilities and common spaces. Some Houses have single occupancy rooms (but not all) and they are not guaranteed. The Houses provide much more than a place to live. The "Houses" are communities that cultivate social connections and a family-like environment. Each House has unique traditions and activities, and over time each House has developed its own personality. The eight Houses include: Avery, Blacker, Dabney, Fleming, Lloyd, Page, Ricketts, and Venerable.

The Bechtel Residence is not a House, but it does provide housing for our entering students. Bechtel has suite living which means students enjoy a single bedroom and will share a bathroom, living room, dining area and kitchenette with others in the suite. Some entering students have already opted to live in Bechtel for their first year, (a process that took place over the summer), and you will be given the option to pick into Bechtel during rotation. Bechtel students are eligible for a full membership in a House, if they choose.

All new students begin by moving into temporary housing within the various Houses/residencies for their first two weeks at Caltech during Orientation and Rotation. Rotation begins Wednesday, September 20th. Then, each day of Rotation students have the opportunity to visit Houses at an assigned dinner (more on that later), and at some point, during Rotation, each House will host some type of activity/event that is open to everyone. These events are a blast and are a fantastic way to see more of a House's personality! In addition to these opportunities, students will also have "free dinners" where they may go to whichever House they prefer, and there will be dessert hours where students may mingle amongst the Houses.. All events are optional. Our primary goal is to use Rotation as a way for each student to find a community on campus where they feel welcome.

During the school year, Houses regularly have dinners in their dining hall. During Rotation, these dinners are served "family-style" by student waiters who help the dining process go smoothly. These dinners take on different traditions and games and are a great way to become familiar with the personalities of the people and the culture of that community.

The food served comes from "open kitchen", one of the aspects of the Caltech dining plan that is no additional charge. There are a variety of options that are considerate of dietary restrictions and limitations, and if needed, Caltech Dining Services can prepare special meals in advance upon request.

To ensure a quality experience for everyone, the IHC tries to evenly distribute new students across the House dinners by assigning them a dinner schedule. Hence each student will have an assigned dinner at each House in order to give everyone equal exposure to, and opportunity to interact with, each of the Houses. These assignments/schedules will be available prior to the start of Rotation. Dinners are casual, laid-back and no-fuss, so students are encouraged to wear whatever they're comfortable with!

For your first two weeks at Caltech, you will have a temporary housing assignment – that is unless you have opted to make Bechtel your permanent assignment. For those with a temporary assignment, you will either be assigned to Bechtel or one of the Houses. New students will be asked to fill out a survey prior to their arrival on campus so that if you are assigned a roommate in your temporary housing assignment, you can be matched according to lifestyle, gender identity and preferences. These temporary assignments are for two weeks only. We recommend that you do NOT entirely unpack because at the end of Rotation, you will move into your permanent room for the rest of the year. On the night that students receive their House membership, they will also pick a room/roommate. This process is facilitated by the House itself.

Families are welcome to help students move into their temporary housing in September. However, for the second move at the end of rotation, although families are welcomed to return to help move their student into their permanent place, Caltech has a process in place where there is an abundance of upperclassman volunteers excited to help new students move into their House.

All rotation events are optional and voluntary. That said, we encourage participation in Rotation, as it is a fun, exciting tradition we are eager to share with you!

That's ok! So do we! You can be a member of multiple Houses to participate in their events, and Houses often host activities open to the entire undergrad community. At the end of Rotation (a process itself that will be described in further detail below), new students are sorted into one of the Houses where they will live for their first year, however, after Rotation, students may get memberships to other Houses, and can live in these Houses in future years.

Students are not required to be in a House. If a student chooses not to be a House member, they are considered "unaffiliated". If this is your preference, you may indicate it at the end of Rotation, and if you change your mind later you are still welcome to get a House membership later during your time at Caltech.

Ok, it's Wednesday night and you just got back to your room after your last Rotation event. Now what? Our hope is that over the course of Rotation, you get a sense of each of the Houses enough so that you can rank them in order of where you'd most like to live or affiliate. You will receive a survey from Caltech that will allow you to submit your house rankings. Then, Thursday and Friday, all the student rankings are run through a computer algorithm that considers each student's rankings. Then, Saturday evening the Fleming Cannon fires, and new students receive envelopes containing their House membership and living assignment! Each House holds a welcome event that night for their new members. Lastly, on Sunday all the upper-class students will help you move!

If you need help with accommodations during rotation, or at any time during your time at Caltech, please reach out to Caltech Accessibility Service for Students. They are located in the Center for Student Services, room 105, by appointment. You can also email the office at: cass@caltech.edu

The IHC and ORE work closely with our Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Caltech Accessibility Services, and Title IX offices to ensure that Rotation is welcoming, inviting, and fun for all students at Caltech. We have many resources available and numerous ways we keep tabs on the wellbeing of new students during Rotation. This includes Peer, Title IX and Health Advocates, Advocacy Committee representatives, RAs, and FCCs who are all trained on how best to support new (and returning) students. These resources will be discussed again in September as well as during orientation.

First year transfer and exchange students can still participate in rotation. For new transfer students, rotation will still be the same process as the first year students and you will have the ability to either opt into Bechtel or decide to live in a house.

For exchange students, you will go through rotation for affiliation only. You will be assigned a room on campus, and you will need to stay in that room post-rotation.

If I can be a resource, please contact me and submit a question through this Google form. In the form, you can submit questions anonymously and the answers will be published in the Class of 2027 Discord, or you can leave an email address and the IHC will email you back with answers individually. Alternatively, you can always email me directly at selam@caltech.edu and I will be happy to help however I can!

Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity:
https://diversity.caltech.edu/

Equity Office and Title IX:
https://titleix.caltech.edu/

Caltech Accessibility Services for Students:
cass@caltech.edu
https://cass.caltech.edu/students

Undergraduate Dean's Office:
https://deans.caltech.edu/

Caltech Dining:
https://dining.caltech.edu/