"....The Domes at Baggins End, UC Davis' most unique student residences, are celebrating two and a half decades of hemispherical housing.

"'Tenacity,' says Russ Watts, when asked why the community of Baggins End had survived despite a growing campus and ever-changing interests of students.

".... His neighbor wants to borrow a saw.

"The saw happens to be in the bathroom because Watts is in the process of remodeling. Like many other Dome residents, he is doing the work of installing a bathtub himself.

"'I am the hyperactive Dome-mate,' Watts says.

"Looking at the history of Baggins End, Watts isn't that unusual. The Domes have a long tradition of hard work and creative energy, reaching back to their inception as a student project in 1972.

"'Almost all the work was furnished by students,' said [Doug] Ryen [the UC Davis Housing Office's coordinator of cooperative and innovative housing]. 'The original occupants put on the finishing touches.'

".... Much of their work remains today in the form of lofts, elaborate kitchen shelving, front porches and personal gardens.

"...Lately, residents have also been discussing their next endeavor, a community building called Dome 1..... The future Dome 1 will become a meeting place and community kitchen, enabling the Domies to cook large meals for the entire community.

"... [W]hile a lot has changed out among the white fiberglass shells, the traditions of teamwork and creativity have remained the same at the Domes."