Future Students

More commonly known as German House, this college owned house is one of Grinnell’s five language houses. These houses are associated with their corresponding academic department. The purpose of the language house program is to provide students who speak, or are learning to speak, another language with an environment that is conducive to learning the language, culture, and customs of the country or countries of the language. To learn more about the language house program, visit the Residence Life Language Houses page.

1316 Park Street is a College-owned house. More commonly known as Spanish House, 1315 Park is one of Grinnell’s five language houses. These houses are associated with their corresponding academic department. The purpose of the language house program is to provide students who speak, or are learning to speak, another language with an environment that is conducive to learning the language, culture, and customs of the country or countries of the language. To learn more about the language house program, visit the Residence Life Language Houses page.

Each spring interested students will be able to sign up to live in Spanish House. The Spanish Assistant will always live in Spanish House and often other native speakers do so as well. Students who have been abroad or are planning to study off-campus have often taken advantage of this opportunity.
Preference to live in the house will be given to students who:

• are Spanish majors
• will be taking Spanish classes when living in the house
• will be studying abroad, in a Hispanic country, after living in the house
• are coming back from off-campus study in a Hispanic country
• are native speakers
• participate regularly in the activities offered by the Spanish Department and Spanish House

The facility includes refurbished teaching and research laboratories, classroom and office space, a science library, a computer laboratory, and several study areas. The addition connects two of the wings with a courtyard in between. The building houses the departments of biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, physics, and psychology. Containing modern scientific equipment and instrumentation, the facility has laboratories, classrooms, and seminar rooms, which are equipped with electronic and other modern instructional tools. The building also houses the Kistle Science Library and the Physics Historical Museum. In the northeast section of the building, a greenhouse is used as an instructional and research facility.

Director Joan Mohan provides individual and small-group instruction to help students: strengthen verbal skills, emphasizing critical comprehension and vocabulary; improve reading efficiency; acquire more effective study strategies (such as managing time, concentrating, remembering, test-taking); improve ESL (English as a Second Language) proficiency and pronunciation. The Reading Lab is located at 1321 Park Street, across from Younker Hall.

Today the building provides attractive office space for faculty in the English, history, and gender, women's, and sexuality studies departments, smaller classrooms ideal for discussion, and a lounge.

Lazier Hall is the southernmost of the residence halls framing the east edge of campus, and it’s distinctive curved roof softens the profile of the tallest building on campus. Constructed of white Iowa limestone, Lazier Hall is connected to the East Campus residence halls by a roofed loggia. Large windows in the first-floor lounge give the space an open, accessible feel. Lazier Hall features air conditioning, laundry facilities, four kitchens, a handicap-accessible elevator, six student lounges, and a computer lab with a printer. The rooms are assigned as singles and doubles.

The Grant O. Gale Observatory is located at the extreme north end of the campus. It is reached by a road located just to the west of the tennis courts on 10th Avenue.