Odd Quad

The "Odd Quad" is the more commonly used name for the Berkshire Quad, the southeast-most group of dormitories on campus. It is made up of two dorms which previously housed freshmen, East College and Fayerweather Hall, and three upperclassman dorms, Currier Hall, Fitch House, and Prospect House, as well as the Hopkins Observatory. East and Fay are on the west side of the quad; Currier and Fitch on the east; Prospect is on the south end and The observatory is on the north end, next to Route 2.

How the Odd Quad got its name is a mystery shrouded by time. In the 1970s it was known as the Sophomore Quad. Some (e.g., some campus tour guides) say the moniker "Odd" arose simply due to having five dormitories (i.e. an odd number). Others suspect it has more to do with the nature of the inhabitants, as the Odd Quad tends to be home to the campus's largest collection of freaks, geeks, nerds, and people who generally consider themselves to part of a Williams subculture of oddness. If you brought a cape to college "just in case," you're likely to fit in well there. (Cape-wearers are still a minority, but a slightly more visible one in this quad than elsewhere on campus.)

Odd Quadders tend to eat their meals in Driscoll, the most convenient dining hall, located just off the southeast corner of the quad, next to Fitch and Prospect. Driscoll was known a few years ago for the Driscoll Deviations, a popular series of pranks pulled during dinners by a large group of students that named themselves the Deviants, after their own practice.

Some of the best features of the Odd Quad are the Currier ballroom, which features arguably the best (if the most beer-soaked) piano on campus outside of the music building; the roof of the observatory, which has a truly lovely view; and the perfect-for-snowball-fights Eyes sculpture located on the western side of East, in front of the Williams College Museum of Art.