<p>To make the time until decisions pass faster, I thought I would ask about this, because I didn’t find any related threads in the MIT forum.
When my interviewer first told me about this dorm (we both spoke Spanish), I was really excited. Since then, however, I’ve read more about it, and become somewhat less enthusiastic. It seems like it’s more of a burdensome club than a dorm, especially with the elected positions and assignments of cooking meals.
But I don’t know if there is anyone here who is living or has lived there. Does the student body in general even know about La Casa Castellana?</p>
<p>I think most people who live in houses with cooperative dining see it as a feature, not a bug. 
My CPW host was a non-resident member of French House, and she brought me leftovers the first night because I got in late – they were tasty! </p>
<p>And all of the dorms have elected positions, and many of the sub-dorm units have leadership positions, as well. It’s just a way to manage people and room assignments and money and other logistical things.</p>
<p>If you go to CPW, you’ll be able to stop by and see how things really work in each of the living groups.</p>
<p>Why are you worried about elected positions? You’re not forced to run.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you a little bit about how things are run on my hall (note that it varies hall-by-hall, dorm-by-dorm). </p>
<p>We have two hall chairs who are in charge of hall meetings to decide the budget, as well as the treasurer duties of the hall. Basically, we get some amount of money each term to spend as we wish - we can buy video games, a projector, wheelchairs, whatever. We tend to allocate money for hall feeds - where one resident can buy food at the hall’s expense and cook it up for everyone. We have money for at least one party per term, which also comes out of the hall’s budget.</p>
<p>We also have rush chairs, who take care of organizing rush events (when we try to convince the new frosh that we are AWESOME). The costs of these events also come out of the hall’s budget.</p>
<p>Food, people take care of on their own. People tend to cook together, buy things together, split up their own food, etc. It’s really not burdensome - I prefer doing my own thing than being overcharged for crappy food on the meal plan :D</p>
<p>Pretty much every living group has elected positions. You need somebody to deal with the living group’s administrative business so that everyone else doesn’t have to bother. ;)</p>
<p>Rotating cooking assignments are less common, but, like Mollie said, most people see it as a feature, to the extent that some people who don’t live in such living groups will get on the meal plans of those cooperative-cooking living groups that allow outsiders to do so. It means that most days of the week a home-cooked dinner is <em>provided</em> to you with no effort on your part, in return for you taking a shift.</p>
<p>I suggest coming to CPW and spending some time there talking to the residents and watching how things work. That can give you a sense of whether you’d enjoy living there or not.</p>
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<p>Yes, although most just think of it as “Spanish House”, or at least they did when I was an undergrad (2003-2007).</p>
<p>I live in iHouse, which is in New House, like a dozen steps or so away from Spanish House.</p>
<p>Actually, you’d be surprised at how popular their cooking program is. There are many non-residents who pay in with a “meal plan” to just eat at Spanish House 5 days, 3 days, or 1 day a week. They’re essentially running their little dining hall and that place is always packed during mealtimes. (and the food must be pretty good too, judging from the smell when I pass by) : P</p>
<p>Also, with the structure of Spanish house there are generally 3 tiers in their rotations, from the last time that someone described the system to me: cooking, cleaning up, and buying supplies. You rotate through the different positions, and if you cannot cook or do not wish to cook, you can either switch with someone who wants to cook but has another assignment for the week or pay a small fee ($10?) to the house to waive your cooking duties for the cycle. Either way, I think the system is quite sensible and fair, actually.</p>
<p>If you live in New House, you will quickly find out that one of our biggest inconveniences is the HUGE DISTANCE between us and the campus. Granted, Next is farther than us but they do have their own dining hall (which I don’t know is a blessing or a curse - the food is really bad and very expensive, both on and off dining plan). A lot of New residents just cook for themselves since we have an overabundance of kitchens, but isn’t it nice to have prepared food for you everyday if you’re just required to help out once in awhile?</p>
<p>Anyhow, if you come to CPW definitely come to the New House tour events. You’ll be able to go into Spanish House and ask them in greater detail what their system entails, but as far as I know I have never heard of vehement complaints against it. : )</p>