<p>When we visited, the student guide told us about a group of dorms where the parties take place. I gather these are former frat houses, but I am not sure. She gave them a collective name. Could someone please give me accurate information? Thanks.</p>
<p>They frown on parents going to student parties, ap5.</p>
<p>Well, there are a bunch of row houses on Rt. 2 that were all frat houses back in the day…typically, at least one of those will have a party during the weekends. Otherwise, parties can pretty much be found all over the campus. There are usually weekly parties/events in Goodrich sponsored by ACE or some other organization. ACE also has parties in other locations (row houses esp.). And, of course, there are student-thrown parties, both registered and unregistered, in the dorms. One of the more well-known is Gladden, one of the dorms in the Greylock quad. As for whether or not these “party houses” have a particular group name…never heard of one.</p>
<p>I always brought my parents to parties when they visited. They loved em. I also brought my aunt and uncle (who were former sorority/fraternity presidents at PSU in the early 70’s) to several row house parties. They commented on how tame the parties were at Williams compared to PSU. Don’t worry Idad; they still enjoyed themselves.</p>
<p>At Williams, the term “row house” is applied to historic frat houses that have been converted to coed dormitories. The row houses are on the western side of campus, to the south of Route 2 (Main St.). The most conspicuous are Perry, Spencer, and Wood Houses. </p>
<p>When I was at Williams, other former frat houses nearby were associated with these; for example, Perry also “owned” Bascom, Spencer also “owned” Brooks, and Wood “owned” Agard and Garfield. Don’t know if they are still organized that way today.</p>
<p>The row houses were not particulary party-oriented when I was there, although they did have some elegant rooms that were good party venues. You can probably find parties in any house at Williams. </p>
<p>Williams is not generally perceived as a major party school, probably because it abolished the Greek system long ago. This can be perceived as either a plus or a minus, depending on your perspective. If you like Williams but want more emphasis on partying, consider Dartmouth.</p>
<p>I was only kidding in #2, but now that Mikey has weighed in, I’m going to ask my dd why the heck I haven’t been invited. Perhaps WUFO parties are too intense for senior citizens? I’ve always been intrigued by the fondness for costume parties at Williams–not just at Halloween. But that might be a WUFO thing, too.</p>
<p>Thank you. What year did the fraternities end at Williams? I see in the online history that steps were taken to end them in 1962, but I don’t get what that means.</p>
<p>The “phasing out” began in 1962, and I think it was completed in 1968. The college went co-ed in 1970.</p>
<p>EDIT: The history: <a href=“http://www.williams.edu/library/archives/williamshistory/greylock/abolitionfrat.html[/url]”>http://www.williams.edu/library/archives/williamshistory/greylock/abolitionfrat.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you, driver. I guess I won’t be going to any frat parties. ;)</p>
<p>1968 sounds right. The abolition of frats was announced in 1962, but it took place gradually, and they were not fully gone for several years. Then women were gradually phased in; the first female students were actually admitted in 1969 as exchange and transfer students. The first “freshwomen” were admitted in 1971. </p>
<p>Coeducation is considered to have gone more smoothly and successfully at Williams than at certain other New England colleges (not to single out any other school in particular, like Amherst). Enrollment is currently (Fall 2005) tilted in favor of women, by 52-48%.</p>
<p>The old frat houses had their own small kitchens and dining halls. When the frats were abolished, the college agreed to keep several of these open as partial compensation. The college continued to operate lovely little dining halls in the row houses up until the early 1980s, when efficiency finally prevailed.</p>
<p>Oh gosh, Wufo parties. Now those are nights I’ll never forget… at least i would never forget them if I could remember them to start out with… Ok, just kidding, it’s never been that bad personally, but wufo parties are notorious for things like that.</p>