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Above: Exterior of Munger Graduate Residence Hall. Photo courtesy UM News.
Below: Commons area in Munger Graduate Residence Hall. Photo source
Dorm Rooms or Prison Rooms? That's the question many students ask about Munger
Dorm Rooms or Prison Rooms? That's the question many students ask about Munger
by Raymond Li
Would you live in a building with rooftop tracks, seminar rooms, music practice places, fitness centers, fully equipped kitchens with two refrigerators, private bedrooms, and a huge flat-panel HDTV? But here’s the catch, your room does not have windows.
The University of Michigan's Munger Graduate Residence Hall opened in August 2015 at the cost of $155 million. Munger houses 630 graduate students from 36 different countries and pursuing 70 different programs (umichnews). Funded by philanthropist Charles T. Munger, the 380,000 square feet building has 11 floors and towers over surrounding buildings. From the outside, students admire in awe as they walk past the fascinating facade. But living in the infamous windowless rooms during COVID, residents aren't as excited.
Charles T. Munger is an investor and businessman. He participated fully in the design, including wanting rooms with no windows. Yet when questioned about his architect experiences, Munger replied, “Our design is clever, our buildings are going to be efficient” (Bethea). Assuring skeptics, Munger explains that his intentions were to encourage students to interact with others outside their bedrooms to further promote a community where ideas are constantly flowing and students actively participate in tackling bigger issues. After living through this so-called “social experiment” (Martinez-Pogue), resident Wilson Chen expressed his disappointment in Munger's design. “There was a window theory?... Everyone I knew just kept to themselves," according to a 2021 article published by The New Yorker on Munger.
The name Charles originates from the Germanic name Karl, which means “man.” However, after Charles the Great (aka Charlemagne) and other rulers in Europe, people began to use the name Charles, associating it with the word king (BehindTheName.com). Like Charles, the surname Munger also related to people with influence and power. They tend to have strong involvement in areas such as economics and politics (HousesofNames.com). As a leader in the business and economic world, it is clear that Charles T. Munger is someone who has huge influence over others. Not only is he a successful businessman, his achievements should be noted just like all the other great leaders who bore the name Charles and Munger.
Charles T. Munger was the right hand man of Warren Buffet and is currently the vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and a Costco board member (Forbes). Though he was born in from Omaha, Nebraska, he enrolled at UM in 1943 studying mathematics and was a member of the Sigma Phi Society fraternity. Although he left the school after a year to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps (ValueWalk). When asked to talk about his advice and his view on crypto, he replies on a CNBC interview, “Bitcoin is worthless artificial gold” (CNBC).
Although controversies arise and opinions clash about Munger Graduate Residence Hall, Charles T. Munger’s accomplishments and feats are no doubt something to be respected. Munger lives true to his name as one of the prominent figures of the 21st century alongside many other successful businessmen. All in all, I believe that Charles T. Munger is truly someone inspirational.
Charles T. Munger. Photo courtesy New York Times
Work Cited
Bethea, Charles. “Nightmare of the Windowless Dorm Room.” The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/22/nightmare-of-the-windowless-dorm-room.
Campbell, Mike. “Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Charles.” Behind the Name, 16 Nov. 2009, https://www.behindthename.com/name/charles.
“Charles Munger.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, https://www.forbes.com/profile/charles-munger/?sh=3d84204f697a.
“Charlie Munger: Bio, Books, Speeches, Quotes, Videos.” ValueWalk, 8 Aug. 2020, https://www.valuewalk.com/charlie-munger-page.
“Charlie Munger: Bitcoin Is Worthless Artificial Gold.”Youtube, uploaded by CNBC, 8 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBVDqAHQ4-M.
Martinez-Pogue, Jade. “Michigan Students Share Experiences Living in Dorm Similar to Munger's UCSB Proposal.” Noozhawk.com Santa Barbara & Goleta Local News, 29 Nov. 2021, https://www.noozhawk.com/article/michigan_students_share_their_experiences_living_at_munger_dorm.
“Munger Graduate Residences Opens at University of Michigan.” University of Michigan News, 23 July 2015, https://news.umich.edu/munger-graduate-residences-opens-at-university-of-michigan/.
“Munger Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms.” HouseOfNames, https://www.houseofnames.com/munger-family-crest#:~:text=The%20Munger%20surname%20comes%20from,from%20Hungary%20(a%20Magyar).
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