Quiet Atmosphere

It's pretty darn quiet most of the time. The house has designated quiet hours from 11:00 pm to 9:00 am, Sunday through Thursday nights, and 2:00 am to 11:00 am, Friday and Saturday nights. During these times, members are required to refrain from making noise that can be heard outside of their rooms. During other times, the house has "consideration hours" which means that (within reason) if you are being bothered by members making noise and you ask them to stop, they are supposed to accommodate your request. There is a formal noise infraction policy but it is rarely ever used because people usually work things out among themselves. People generally complain the most about noise from a neighbor that travels through the ventilation system or through the walls. Soundproofing has been installed in the 1907 building to help deal with this problem. 

Outside of the co-op, some noise is generated by our neighbors when they have parties (but we have parties too!) but generally this happens only a few times each semester. Also, a fire substation is located on our block and so sirens go off fairly frequently but after a while you hardly even notice them. Garbage trucks some times come by in the early morning hours but there is not much we can do about that. 

2.2 Are there designated quiet areas outside of members' rooms?  
The study/computer room is designated a quiet area 24 hours per day (although people do talk some and wander in and out as it is a public space). Some members even study out in the commons, although it tends to be a busy area. Also, when the weather is nice many people study outside in the courtyard or on the deck. 

2.3 Does everyone study all the time?  
No, of course not! Members of Laurel House do tend to study a lot but certainly not all of the time. The house has several organized social events during each semester like parties in courtyard or on the deck. Of course, with all the things to do in Austin people also go out to watch movies, hear music, and/or eat ice cream at places around town and sometimes these turn into "house events" spontaneously.