Standing on East Campus in the Triad, Welch Hall is the only all-female residence hall at NC State. Established about 95 years ago in 1920, the same year that the first issue of the Technician was published, it is named for alumnus Cleveland Welch, who graduated in 1902 with a degree in electrical engineering.

Hobart Brown Upjohn, who is responsible for nearly 50 church and educational buildings across North Carolina, constructed Welch Hall.

Like Gold Hall, which is the only all-male residence hall, the buildings do not house many people and are lesser-known than the larger residence halls around campus. Though Welch is small, it makes efforts to foster a strong sense of community through resident advisor programs and the Women of Welch living and learning village. One of these routine programs includes Sweet Sunday, where dessert food is offered and a weekly poem is discussed. 

The Women of Welch (WOW) village emphasizes empowerment, leadership, self-awareness, diversity and social justice, according to the WOW village website. WOW provides members with specialized in-hall programming, group discussions and campus and community involvement, as well as WOW mentors who are upper-class women.

For the 2013-2014 year, WOW received a National Residence Hall Honorary as the Living and Learning Village of the year, as well as the Chancellor’s Creating Community award for contributions in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion. 

“The draw of Welch, or Women of Welch, is that you get a lot of passionate people about one subject all in one area,” said Joy Guha, RA and a sophomore studying molecular, cellular and developmental biology. “In residence halls, you get all kinds of different perspectives on all kinds of different things, but there’s a lot of passionate people about gender studies and women’s rights-that kind of thing, all in one spot.”

WOW’s mission is transforming sisterhood through social justice, according to Kaitlin Johnston, a freshman studying psychology.

WOW members also go on trips together. Past trips include visits to the women’s museums in Asheville, Washington, D.C. and New York City, which were part of women-focused fall and spring break trips. 

Some upcoming events include Take Back the Night, Grand Slam (in Welch) and a catered women’s health dinner and discussion with NC State dietitians. 

“A good thing that’s happened for me for being in this village is that I’ve learned about a lot of different types of people, so I’ve had a lot of stereotypes busted, and now I can empathize with a lot of different types of people,” said Courtney Banning, a freshman studying graphic design.

The Welch Residence Hall may be small compared to others on campus, but it is certainly not closed-in and has a friendly atmosphere with people from different countries and backgrounds.

“I think there’s a really strong community, even outside of the village,” said Brinkley Raynor, a resident advisor and sophomore studying animal science and science, technology and society. “I think it’s kind of like a little oasis for people to make friends and hangout.”