I can talk about the program houses. Also the “meth lab” was just a backpack that had common drug-making supplies in it, it could have happened in any dorm.
The good thing about the programs houses is that since they are open for freshman to seniors, it is easier to meet upperclassmen and easier to get readily available advise. Also with any of the program houses, you don’t have to be in a band to be in JAM or do theatre to be in Risley. They tend to have a closer community since many people have similar interests and they are smaller than most of the first-year dorms.
Risley is the biggest program house and geared toward people who are into the creative and performing arts from theatre to fine art and music. They put on more larger scale events than the other dorms like Harry Potter night and Masquerave.
JAM is in the low rise community center and has numerous practice rooms and a little bit of recording equipment and for people who really like music.
LLC (Latino Living Center) is pretty small and it’s across from Risley. There’s the Ecology house where you can have pets (that dwell in a cage, like hamsters and hedgehogs) and is actually a hotel that was converted into a dorm. There’s Ujamaa (African culture, in the low-rise community), McCLLU (Multi-Cultural Living Learning Unit, part of Dickson), HILC (Holland International living center), and Awe:kon (Explores American Indian heritage)
The one bad thing about program houses is while generally about 1/3 of the population are freshman, you might not get to meet as many people who may be in your classes.
I would say that I have loved living in program houses and I’ve met people in each college here. If you have an interest that aligns with one of the program houses, I would definitely consider them.
Most of them are pretty self explanatory, but if you have any questions about housing or anything feel free to ask.