Binghamton University has an interesting history and its various dorm communities are no exception.

Unlike many colleges, we don’t have one giant building where all freshmen are forced to live. Instead we get five completely unique and exciting civilizations similar, if you will, to the parks at Disney World. College-In-the-Woods would, of course, be Magic Kingdom and Dickinson Community would be … the parking lot?

All kidding aside, having the different communities is awesome and makes BU’s campus different. The first question people ask when they meet you is typically about your dorm room, and it’s kind of true that you are where you live. Every community has its own history, background and even stereotype; that’s the way it’s been for years. And then the new Newing College happened.

Amidst the character and uniqueness of other living areas, this enormous shimmering empire just rose out of the ground and changed everything. It’s almost as massive as Hogwarts, except instead of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, we get AEPhis and APEs.

Newing will always belong to the fraternities and sororities and that probably isn’t going to change. But the construction has left room for a ton of different groups to come in, and the dynamic of every other community has changed as a result.

The high-rise dorms and dazzling dining hall (check out the dish return, I won’t spoil anything) are definitely a step forward, but what does new Newing mean for the rest of us? There’s a living-community revolution going on. Should we just sit in our twin extra-long beds and watch it happen?

Take CIW. It’s social, it’s friendly and it’s been pretty established that the smoke detectors don’t work. It’s always been this inviting, sleepaway camp-esque place, but with the arrival of new Newing, a ton of social freshmen have instead chosen this new community as the spot to call home.

Hayley Dicken, an undeclared sophomore, feels that the atmosphere in CIW this year is definitely different.

“The freshmen who were looking to join frats and sororities made CIW a lot of fun my first year,” she said. “Now those types of kids all moved to Newing and CIW is very different. It’s quieter than it has ever been. Even our dining hall is much quieter.”

Then there’s Mountainview College. The students looking for the newest, nicest dorms also saw Newing as a better option. So what is Mountainview now? Basically the runner-up to the nicest dorms, but still with all the athletes.

And what about Dickinson Community? Since its own dining hall is closed, its residents have to walk all the way to Newing’s new dining hall to get food.

While Newing has taken some of the character from the other dorms, this revolution is only just beginning. By 2013, New Dickinson will be built and will easily become the new, best place to live. Can you imagine? This would be a common freshman conversation.

Freshman 1: “Hey man, where do you live?”

Freshman 2: “Dickinson.”

Freshman 1: “NO WAY! I’m SO jealous!”

That sad, sad day is coming. Hinman College will be the new Dickinson: the new parking lot of Disney World. Everything we know and love about these dorms and communities is changing, and we’re all going to be here to see it happen. A new history is in the making.

Picture this. It’s 2013, and we’re all sitting in our Dickinson suites with our mahogany floors and golden bath tubs. It’s sweet and delicious. And we’re all thinking to ourselves, “Remember old Binghamton? Remember the way it used to be? I do.”