Russian House

Students and faculty of the department gather for to celebrate New Year’s (2025) featuring Professor Alan Barenberg as Дед Мороз (Grandfather Frost) and Anna Moan ’27 as Снегурочка (Snow Maiden).

Monthly чаепитие (teatime): students and faculty gather to practice speaking Russian and playing language games!

Russian House programming assistant Robert Reiss ’25 and resident Simon Koebbe ’27 win gingerbread-house-making competition between the Language Houses.

Russian House common meal during the warmer months of the fall semester.

Students and faculty paint matroyshka selfies at the Russian House 2019 welcome party

Movie screening for Hipsters in the russian House

Abby Hinds ’21 and Robert Bui ’21 hold a big plate of shashlyk up before a Russian House common meal

Camden Moser ’20 takes a stab at bliny for a Russian House common meal

Some of the many Russian sweets you can try while living at the Russian House!

Students, faculty, and community members pose behind the Russian House by winter in effigy before burning it on Maslenitsa

Students and community members dressed up for kolyadki, which is when people go door to door in costumes to perform and get treats during the Christmas and New Year holiday season

Traditional New Year’s and Christmas food at the Russian House holiday party

Living in the Russian House is a terrific way to improve your spoken Russian and to prepare for a semester in a Russian-speaking country. Located right next to the campus, the student residents practice Russian daily, have a common meal with housemates once a week, and participate in monthly чаепитие (teatime). For the 2025-26 academic year, a student program assistant will live in the house to coordinate house activities and help with language proficiency.  The program assistant and student residents share responsibilities for cooking and housekeeping. At Macalester’s Russian House, all are invited to come visit, relax, and chat with fellow students. Russian House sponsors a variety of dinners, films, cultural events, and student performances, all with the goal of helping fellow students better understand Russian culture and society.

Prerequisites: Sophomore status and at least one year of college-level Russian. Residents are encouraged to take one Russian course each semester they live in the house. Applications are available online as part of the Living Learning Communities common application through Residential Life.

Applications for Fall 2025 are now open and will close February 24, 2025 at 9:00am. Applications for the 2026 – 2027 academic year will open in February 2026.