In Rez, they like Pez

Nestled in the southwest corner of campus, 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students live in a little community known as Residence. Also known as “Rez Rats,” this interesting mix of characters spend their entire academic year eating, sleeping and breathing at the University of Calgary. To outsiders they may seem odd, walking about in hordes, wearing pyjamas at all hours of the day, and mumbling phrases like “Trad,” “CAs” and “DC.” But the life of a rez student is not ordinary, and their queer behaviour can be attributed to their unique living conditions.


Eight separate buildings make up residence. A system of underground tunnels connect rez buildings to one another and to the rest of campus, which helps explain why on even the coldest February day you still find the occasional rez student walking about in shorts and flip flops. Those dwelling in the basement of residence can go days without sunlight. While no reported cases of rickets have developed yet, the mental integrity of living in the bowels of residence is often pushed to extreme limits.


Rez Rats are generally very open and welcoming to those wishing to take part in rez activities. Just don’t come stumbling in after a night at the Den looking to keep the party going. Rez students despise drunken strangers plopping themselves on their living room couches too, so get to know some one living there first. And not all rez students are big party animals and booze mongers. They enjoy other activities, from bowling to skating at the Oval.


In the end, residence offers one of the most unusual and interesting living arrangements one could ask for. So, if you overhear people talking about box-forts in Olympus or the latest Kan vs. Rundle snowball fight, trundle over and say hi. Maybe you’ll find a place to keep on partying once the Den sends you home for the night.