The air is thick and muggy, but Torffick "T.K." Abdul doesn't mind. The freshman is happy to be on the Cut, wearing a makeshift kilt and cardboard shield that suit his group's Braveheart theme. His body is adorned in blue paint to represent Donner Hall, his new home on campus.

Abdul is joined by more than 1,000 first-year students who have gathered for House Wars, the finale of Carnegie Mellon's Orientation Week. He smiles as another Donner resident hoists a blue mannequin leg—the hall's unofficial symbol. Cheers erupt from the procession of blue students.

It's hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago, Abdul was dreading his move into the older residence hall on the Pittsburgh campus. With its "groovy" blue façade and a reputation for odd aromas and humid dorm rooms, Donner has been the butt of student jokes for years. It certainly wasn't a dorm requested by Abdul, a graduate of a boys high school in New York City. When he learned of his assignment to Donner's all-male basement floor, it was a particular disappointment. He'd already gone four years without girls in the classroom. Now this.

Depressed, he decided to check out student postings on the Facebook Web site to see if there was anything good that he could expect from living in the "Dungeon," the basement's longstanding nickname. After scanning through comments from other freshmen and alumni, Abdul's eyebrows rose. Dungeon is the heart and soul of Donner. It's usually the most boisterous, rowdy, loud, and fun hall in the building. House Wars is one of the most important parts of orientation, and we look to the Dungeon to carry our flag.

Although there were no girls, it was starting to sound like the Dungeon would be alright—a place where you could walk into your neighbor's room at 2 a.m. and order a pizza or watch a movie. Once moved in, Abdul realized that perhaps the residence hall's biggest drawback—no air conditioning—was actually a perk. To beat the heat, dorm-room doors were often invitingly open with students darting in and out, sometimes to just say hi, other times to hang out for awhile.

Not long after orientation week, Abdul quickly found himself part of the quirky Donner community, which includes unique activities like Yinz Can Cook and DoYo (Donner Yoga). There is also onsite tutoring in the lounge and a discussion group called "Taboo," where no topic is off limits. The programs and dorm spirit have helped give Donner some unexpected popularity. Last year, the hall was second only to the Morewood E-Tower as the most-requested dormitory among incoming freshmen.

Kristi Ries (HNZ'07)