With drag shows and free bagels, Demarest Hall is College Ave’s best kept secret

When you think about the College Ave dorms, Mettler, Tinsley, Stonier and Brett usually come to mind.

Many simply pass by Demarest and don’t notice its unconventional architecture – it looks like two barns combined with a cupola and weather vane on top.

Despite its unique appearance, just the mention of Demarest Hall provokes questions as to what the building really is.

So, what is Demarest?

It’s Special Interest Housing, for, well, anyone with a special interest. There are weekly “section” meetings where you can meet up with some chill people and talk about a particular topic, or do a special activity led by discussion leaders who facilitate the conversation.

The Sex, Sexuality and Gender section had a meeting a few weeks ago dedicated solely to the topic of masturbation. Other sections include Creative Writing, Philosophy, Spirituality and The Self, Cinema Studies and many more.

If you get involved with these meetings, you accumulate points. If you gather up enough points, you have a pretty good chance of getting the coveted “corner rooms.” The corner rooms are roughly two and a half times the size of a normal dorm room, and you still only share it with one other roommate.

Demarest Hall hosts coffeehouses once a month where people can showcase their talents through song, spoken word or whatever else you’d like.

It also hosts two drag shows a year which garner an impressive attendance.

Once a month on Sunday mornings, you can enjoy free bagels and a copy of the New York Times and indulge in some political discussion with friends.

College Ave dorms tend to be rowdy and overwhelming to many with the constant music blaring and intoxicated party-goers making a ruckus until the wee hours of the morning. But Demarest is much more peaceful than the neighboring halls.

Overall, it has a very laid-back vibe.

There are tons of talented resident artists and musicians, and there’s always someone doodling, painting, playing piano or strumming a guitar in one of the many lounge areas.

Demarest has a glamorous wood-finished main lounge complete with two fireplaces and plush chairs, a graffiti lounge where you can let loose with a can of paint and a TV lounge, complete with ping-pong and pool tables.

Demarest Hall also boasts a few famous former residents, including renowned writer Junot Diaz. Junot Diaz was a dedicated member of the Creative Writing section during his time at Demarest Hall.

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Diaz mentions the building. He says Demarest “is Rutgers in the most profound way for the very reason that it is unique and special and, in some ways, seems to be outside of it.”

Among the other notable former residents are chef Mario Batali and comic book writer Christopher McCulloch.

The conventional dorm set-up is living in a dorm for one year and once the year is up, you move on to a different one and never return to the first.

But the sense of community and inclusiveness at Demarest often results in returning residents – there are even Rutgers students who stay at Demarest Hall throughout all four years of college because they love it so much.

It’s a unique, enchanting space – and one of College Ave’s hidden gems year in and year out.