Rotation FAQ

Rotation is the formal process for joining a house. It is only available during a student's first year and enrolled students cannot defer rotation and participate in a later year. After rotation, you are still free to become a member of other houses, though all membership decisions are made house by house in different, more informal ways.

First year students, transfer students, and anyone who was on leave for rotation last year, and exchange students are all eligible to participate in Rotation 2022.

Rotation will take place between September 20-27, 2023.

All new students begin by moving into temporary housing within the various Houses/residencies for their first two weeks at Caltech during Orientation and Rotation. Rotation begins Wednesday, September 20th. Then, each day of Rotation students have the opportunity to visit Houses at an assigned dinner (more on that later), and at some point, during Rotation, each House will host some type of activity/event that is open to everyone. These events are a blast and are a fantastic way to see more of a House's personality! In addition to these opportunities, students will also have "free dinners" where they may go to whichever House they prefer.

During rotation there are daily Dinner/Linner receptions, weekday Desserts, and Big Events on the weekend at each of the Houses. You will find the rotation schedule on the IHC Website and can attending daily Dinners/Linners, which are house specific and provide the opportunity to speak to upperclass students in the house in smaller groups and during activities. The weekend Big events activities are larger events to showcase elements of a house's culture and provide a larger-scale view of the house. At all rotation activities, upperclass students will work hard to make sure you are able to feel comfortable, meet people and get to know the house. That way you can decide how to rank the house when you fill out your preferences on the last day.

• Wednesday, September 20th through Wednesday, September 27th: there are Dinners/Lunches/Rotation Events
• Wednesday evening after the last Rotation event, September 27th: new student House rankings are due by 10:00 p.m.through an online link.
• Thursday and Friday, September 28th and 29th: Student rankings are run through the algorithm.
• Saturday, September 30th: Fleming Cannon fires at 5pm and students are welcomed into their Houses. Room picks occur at 10 pm.
• Sunday, October 1st:
  • 10am-12pm: time for students to pack their belongings in their temporary room.
  • 12pm-2pm: rooms fully cleaned by vacating students.
  • 2pm-4pm: incoming students move into their new rooms.
  • 8pm: House/residency meeting with RA

The IHC and ORE work closely with our Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Caltech Accessibility Services, and Title IX offices to ensure that Rotation is welcoming, inviting, and fun for all students at Caltech. We have many resources available and numerous ways we keep tabs on the wellbeing of new students during Rotation. This includes Peer, Title IX and Health Advocates, Advocacy Committee representatives, RAs, and FCCs who are all trained on how best to support new (and returning) students. These resources will be discussed again in September as well as during orientation.

No. You live in the same room for all of Rotation, and move once Rotation is complete.

First year transfer and exchange students can still participate in rotation. For new transfer students, rotation will still be the same process as the first year students and you will have the ability to either opt into Bechtel or decide to live in a house.

For exchange students, you will go through rotation for affiliation only. You will be assigned a room on campus, and you will need to stay in that room post-rotation.

For your first two weeks at Caltech, you will have a temporary housing assignment – that is unless you have opted to make Bechtel your permanent assignment. For those with a temporary assignment, you will either be assigned to Bechtel or one of the Houses. These temporary assignments are for two weeks only. We recommend that you do NOT entirely unpack because at the end of Rotation, you will move into your permanent room for the rest of the year. On the night that students receive their house membership, they will also pick a room/roommate. This process is facilitated by the house itself.

Faculty are aware of the rotation dates and process. Rotation historically always overlaps with the first week of fall term academic classes, so your Fall term professors are very likely aware of the time and energy involved in rotation! However, rotation is not a sufficient excuse for attendance or submission issues, so please prioritize your academic work.

Cases of concern can be anonymously reported or self-reported, for reasons including but not limited to: experiencing disconnection from the Rotation process, individual/specific needs regarding House affiliation that are not being addressed, discomfort with an individual or situation, or any suggestions for assisting members of the Rotating class to affiliate successfully. Concerns may be reported to anyone on the IHC or to any Dean, an RA, or an RLC. Please feel free to reach out to any of the contacts listed below:

Interhouse Committee
[email protected]

Office of Residential Experience
[email protected]

Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity
[email protected]

Equity and Title IX
Reporting Options

For confidential resources, please reach out to the Counseling Center (626-395-8331, press 2 when prompted for after-hours support).

If you need help with accommodations during rotation, or at any time during your time at Caltech, please reach out to Caltech Accessibility Service for Students. They are located in the Center for Student Services, room 105, by appointment. You can also email the office at: [email protected]

Yes. You are always welcome to participate in any rotation events and dinners, and you will be able to choose to receive a house affiliation in the End-of-Rotation form due the night of the last day of Rotation. If you choose to be affiliated with a house in the End-of-Rotation form, you will receive a full house membership to one of the houses when rotation assignments are announced, and become an affiliated member of that House living in Bechtel.

Yes. If you don't want to participate in the rotation process and become affiliated with a house, you will be able to opt-out of the House system at Caltech and be placed in Bechtel unaffiliated in the End-of-Rotation form. The End-of-Rotation Form will be released mid-way through rotation and be due at 9:30pm on the last day of rotation. On the form, you will have the option to check a box indicating that you would like to remain unaffiliated and be placed in Bechtel. While we want to accommodate any request to opt out of rotation, there may not be enough unaffiliated beds for everyone who wishes to opt out. If necessary, we will create a waitlist for Bechtel. For questions about the opt out process, please contact Felicia Hunt ([email protected]). You are still welcome to participate in any rotation events and dinners, even if you want to opt out of rotation.

Yes! You are welcome to join a house at any time during your Caltech career. This is done by working directly with the house. While the membership process differs slightly between houses, this usually involves getting to know the house and its members by attending their dinners and open events, then announcing your membership application at dinner. If you decide not to receive a house affiliation through rotation, you are welcome to get a membership in the houses you are interested in through their own membership processes.

No part of rotation is mandatory. We want you to attend the events that interest you and help you make the decision that is right for you. You are welcome to attend everything, and it can be helpful to see as many options as possible. But you are not required to attend anything. That being said, we encourage everyone to give every residence a fair chance! By attending each residence's events, students get a more representative perspective of what this campus is about. Regardless of your choice to attend events, we do recommend using the time during rotation to get to know students on this campus, from upperclass students across residences to your fellow prefrosh.

Students who opt not to join a house are able to get involved in community and residential leadership in Bechtel and are able to build a residential community with their friends in the suites, alleys and halls in unaffiliated housing. Our residential life team can help here too! You are welcome to email ORE at [email protected].

The Houses are eight separate, co-ed residential communities. All the houses are equipped with double occupancy bedrooms, bathrooms/showers, kitchenettes, laundry facilities and common spaces. Some Houses have single occupancy rooms but not all and they are not guaranteed. The houses provide much more than a place to live. The "Houses" are communities that cultivate social connections and a family-like environment. Each House has unique traditions and activities, and over time each House has developed its own personality. The eight houses include: Avery, Blacker, Dabney, Fleming, Lloyd, Page, Ricketts, and Venerable.

The rotation process is only for affiliation in one house only. You can apply to join another house (or multiple others) after rotation.

You can be a member of multiple Houses to participate in their events, and Houses often host activities open to the entire undergrad community. At the end of Rotation (a process itself that will be described in further detail below), new students are sorted into one of the Houses where they will live for their first year, however, after Rotation, students may get memberships to other Houses, and can live in these Houses in future years.

Yes. You will only get one house affiliation through rotation, but you can join as many houses as desired by applying for membership. This process differs between houses, but generally involves attending dinners and open house events to get to know the house and members better, then announcing your application during a dinner. Each house has its own internal process for deciding to confer membership. You also have the ability to drop any of your house memberships at any point.

No, there are processes in place to drop (and add) house memberships, which you may participate in after rotation.

You are welcome to opt out of the rotation process, or drop your membership after receiving your house affiliation at the end of rotation. However, we always recommend giving the houses a chance!

Being a member (full or social) of a house allows you to participate in the events that house puts on. These range from institute-wide (such as Interhouse parties); ski, beach or desert trips; family style dinners on weekdays; and house traditions that have been passed down over Caltech's long history. Full members may choose to live in the house they have membership in, even if they did not rotate into that house. Houses are also an academic resource and a support structure--each one has upperclass students who are Peer Advocates, Health Advocates, Equity & Title IX Advocates, ARC representatives, SURF ambassadors, teaching assistants, and generally amazing sources of advice for succeeding at Caltech.

Several (but not all) houses have two membership tiers--social and full. The process of rotation is to gain full house membership, but if you choose to apply to join other houses after rotation, you can choose to apply for a full or social membership based on which one suits you best. Social memberships generally allow you to participate in social events held by your house. Full memberships, along with participating in house events, allow you to vote and participate in your house's roompicks.

Houses regularly have dinners in their dining hall. During Rotation, these dinners are served "family-style" by student waiters who help the dining process go smoothly. These dinners take on different traditions and games and are a great way to become familiar with the personalities of the people and the culture of that community.

To ensure a quality experience for everyone, the IHC tries to evenly distribute new students across the House dinners by assigning them a dinner schedule. Hence each student will have an assigned dinner at each House in order to give everyone equal exposure to, and opportunity to interact with, each of the Houses. These assignments/schedules will be available prior to the start of Rotation. Dinners are casual, laid-back and no-fuss, so students are encouraged to wear whatever they're comfortable with!

All dinners are optional, and if you choose not to go to dinner, there will be other food options available on campus.

Please attend any all all house sessions are you like.

You are not required to attend any of the events for rotation. That said, we recommend attending at least one event for each house, especially the house receptions, so you are best informed to make your ranking at the end of rotation.

If you have to miss a Rotation event, don't worry about it, they're completely optional but you're encouraged to go.

You can stop attending rotation events at any time, and check the box stating that you do not desire a house affiliation in the End-of-Rotation survey after the survey is released.

The last day of rotation is utilized for free receptions, meaning you can attend the Dinner of any house you want. Use these as an opportunity to see houses again or make up for any Dinners you may have missed. Just remember to let us know if you're missing an official Dinner so we can know to expect you at the free Dinner!

Caltech Dining Services (CDS) is very accommodating when it comes to dietary restrictions. You can email [email protected] if you need to request special meals. Feel free to ask any upperclassman about food options. They'll point you in the right direction.

Each house will hold one large event.See schedule for details.

Yes, you can talk to other first year students about your experiences in the houses. We generally do not advise sharing your rankings.

Upperclass students are discouraged from sharing their rotation rankings with first year students.

We ask during the Rotation period that our Rotation Rules are followed so that everyone, especially you, will be able to have a great experience in getting to know all of the houses. The full list of rules can be found here.

Violations of Rotation Rules should be reported to the IHC here.

Mid-way through rotation, everyone will receive a survey. This survey is due at 11:00pm on the last day of Rotation (Thursday, September 29). At that time you can opt into house membership by ranking the houses that you like and see yourself joining, or opt out by selecting the box stating that you would not like a house affiliation at this time. If you do choose to submit a ranking, you must rank all the houses. You are allowed to rank houses as the same number.

After the Rotation algorithm is run and assignments are finalized, we will give you your assignments. As per tradition, assignments will be given out on the Saturday after Rotation is over. At 5pm the cannon fires, and come to the Olive Walk to receive your assignments. Once you receive your assignment, you will also be given welcome event information for your new House or Bechtel (if you rotate into Bechtel but have also been assigned a House membership, we encourage you to also join your House's welcome activity).

A matching algorithm is used to prioritize first year rankings and factors in house preferences to determine optimal affiliation for the first year class. The selection process is usually constrained: there are only a limited number of openings in each house, and it is impossible to simultaneously meet the preferences of all of the first year students and houses.

Each prefrosh submits an ordered ranking of residences. They can only have one first choice, though they may tie subsequent residences. However, their ranking must always be ordinal. For example, a student may rank [x] House first and tie all of the other houses for second, but they may not rank [x] House first and tie all of the other houses for ninth. Students may opt out of Rotation and into Bechtel if they choose. If they do, they will automatically be placed in Bechtel until Bechtel is full. They may opt back into Rotation at any point in time. Each house submits a house list consisting of students they believe would be a good match for their community. The house list size will be half of the total number of beds allocated by the ACRL Report 2. The ADA coordinator (Lesley Nye) will place all students who have ADA needs in rooms. The Rotation Concerns Committee (RCC, consisting of a dean, the ORE director, and the IHC Chair) will go through all concerns and place students in rooms. The RCC will do the best it can to respect house wishes. The algorithm is run for the remaining students in two stages. First is the house list matching process. If a prefrosh ranks a house 1 and they are on a house list, they will be automatically placed in the house. Second, the rest of the students will be sorted using a convex penalty algorithm. The algorithm overall works to minimize the total penalty. The penalty is calculated by squaring the prefrosh ranking of the house they end up in. There are also some additional conditions the algorithm takes into consideration in producing a final solution. If the penalty in the algorithm will not change drastically, it will favor putting students on a house's house list into that house. The IHC and ORE director will choose between the remaining choices in a closed meeting.

Information will be shared during the Orientation information session on Tuesday, September 20 at 10am.

During room selection, if you are affiliated with a house you will be able to participate in the house lottery process for that house or in the unaffiliated process. Thus, house affiliation will not restrict your housing options, but provide an additional option.

For Houses and Bechtel, room assignments will take place Saturday, October 1.

Sunday, October 2 is Moving day. Frosh will have all day Sunday to move into their new room assignments. Upperclass students should be around to help move - just ask!

After you have rotated into a House or Bechtel (unaffiliated or with a house affiliation), you will pick your "permanent" room. This will be your permanent room assignment for the rest of the academic year.

If you have an issue in regards to the permanent room assignment in the House/residence you have rotated into, or have any additional questions or concerns about this topic, please contact ORE ([email protected]).

The Bechtel Residence is not a house, but it does provide housing for our entering students. Bechtel has suite living which means students enjoy a single bedroom and will share a bathroom, living room, dining area and kitchenette with others in the suite. Some entering students have already opted to live in Bechtel for their first year, a process that took place over the summer. Others will have the opportunity to pick into Bechtel during rotation. Bechtel students are eligible for a full membership in a house, if they choose.

Although we certainly welcome students with house affiliations to live in Bechtel, a membership/affiliation is not required to live in the Bechtel Residence as it is in the Houses. In the suite-style living environment, students often find that they can create smaller communities within the larger Bechtel community. We encourage students to create an experience that works for them and to engage academically and socially in ways that are comfortable for them.

The Bechtel Residence offers 4, 6, 8 & 12-bed suites, as well as a number of standalone single suites. Each multi-room suite has a common living space, including shared bathrooms, a refrigerator, table, seating and storage space. Individual rooms are furnished with a bed, desk, chair, drawer and wardrobe. The standalone single suites are rooms with private bathrooms.

The Bechtel Residence has three common kitchens available for use. The kitchens are equipped with standard appliances such as stove/oven, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerators, as well as counter and seating space. Kitchens also have common cooking tools available for shared use.

In addition to the kitchens, there are also several common lounges and study rooms available. There is a ping pong table, a foosball table, as well as a board game closet. All lounges and study rooms also have whiteboards and writing supplies. Two of the four study rooms are equipped with printers for shared use.

Bechtel also has four active laundry rooms, each with multiple washers and dryers, as well as community vacuum cleaners and ice machines. Laundry rooms are located on each floor.

Students are provided with the opportunity to pick from a list of available suites/rooms through a room picks process facilitated by the Office of Residential Experience and Housing Office. More information will be provided when the room pick process is set to begin.

There are 6 Resident Associates (RAs) living in the Bechtel Residence. RAs are current Graduate Students who bring a variety of experiences, training and knowledge to the role! Bechtel also has Peer Advocates (PAs), who are well-trained and experienced upperclass students who are prepared to provide advice, support and activities throughout the year.

In addition to the RAs and PAs, the Bechtel Residence also has one live-in Residential Life Coordinator (RLC), who is a Masters level professional staff member, as well as two Faculty-in-Residence (FIR) families!

Programs and activities in Bechtel are hosted by Resident Associates (RAs), Peer Advocates (PAs), Faculty in Residence (FIRs) and the Residential Life Coordinator (RLC). Students are also encouraged to bring up their own event ideas. Events and programs in the past have included: movie nights, paint and craft events, yoga on the courtyard lawn, midterm and finals goodie bags, bubble soccer, baking events, sports game viewings, suite crawls, game nights, cooking events and much more!