A dorm at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Also known lovingly as Fred the Dorm to those of its many residents that dislike the officious and generic "East Campus". One of two dorms that is situated east of the main campus, along with Senior House.
It's the only dorm at MIT, which spans two standalone buildings -- the East Parallel and the West Parallel. Each parallel has five floors and three entries, all named after alumni who contributed to the construction of East Campus. The West Parallel entries are Wood, Hayden and Munroe. The East Parallel entries are Goodale, Bemis and Walcott. The West Parallel has a view of a big black-metal sculpture, called The Great Sail. The East Parallel is directly across the street from the Media Lab.
The courtyard between the two parallels is a great place to chill out. It has a volleyball court, which residents occasionally like to set on fire, using flamethrowers. There are barbecue pits, where the Spring Picnic happens. The courtyard would be perfect were it not for another black-metal monstrosity, Transparent Horizons, which graces its northern entrance.
The ten floors of East Campus have distinct personalities and provide a very diverse and tolerant environment in which to live, even if the dorm is run-down because of its age. Floor traditions range from pyrotechnics and murals to drinking cocoa together and rolling a huge octagon down the parallel. Although the residents like to proclaim that the weak shall be eaten, it's a great place to live. Stop by East Campus on your next visit to MIT. We don't bite... too hard.