It’s the morning of Sunday, July 3 and Dacie Moses House is packed. The dining room table is surrounded by students, and some Northfield residents are playing Nordic folk music on the patio. The discussion around the table is eclectic – college policy, the best ways to get free food – but it seems entirely apt considering the location. After all, this is Dacie Moses House, a college-owned cottage bordering Carleton’s campus.
When Carleton librarian Dacie Moses donated her house to the College in 1981, she requested that it remain open to students so they could come and go as they pleased. More than 20 years later, the house continues to serve as a safe and comfortable space for Carleton students to read, sing, or just bake cookies. The College provides funding to keep the cookie supplies stocked, and the two students in residence throughout the year wake up early Sunday morning to prepare a brunch for all who wish to eat.
In the summer, Dacie’s Sunday brunch becomes a unique melding of town and gown, as Carleton students mingle with Northfield residents and the occasional alum. All the while the summer caretakers – this summer they are Sam Schaal ’07 of South St. Paul, Minn., and Liz Skree ’07, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn. – are holding the post. Now, they run around the kitchen, attempting to pour, prepare and bake enough food for the assorted crowd.
By 11:15 a.m., they’re on the fourth batch of muffins, the third jug of orange juice, and the marmalade is running out. Still, their spirits are remarkably high. Schaal and Skree have known one another since high school, and their energy is infectious. Since both have jobs on campus for the summer, they thought that living in Dacie Moses house would be a unique opportunity.
“It’s such a great community,” says Schaal. “You see people who have been coming here for 20, 25 years, you see them every single Sunday…and then it’s nice to see your friends, too.”
Students spending the summer at Carleton appreciate the home-cooking and the family atmosphere.
“It’s like having a grandmother that will always bake you cookies, and make you Sunday brunch,” says Anne Czernek, a rising sophomore from Mukilteo, Wash. “It’s wonderful.”