Monday, August 4, 2008
Living in a new surrounding, with new people and new cultures could be difficult to adjust to. You could face difficult roommates and loud neighbors. Here are a few sound advice and knowledge of how to live the dorm life.
To students living in the residence halls, life can be fun and possibly overwhelming. Staff and resident assistants try to make students feel welcomed.
Erica Rowe smiled when she thought of her first year in the residence halls.
“I would say it was good. They did good welcoming incoming freshman,” Rowe said.
Rowe, Kansas City, Mo., graduate of 2008, lived in Lewis Hall her first semester and moved to Ellsworth Hall the second semester. She said one thing she liked about living in the residence halls was the help she received.
“The upperclassmen were there if we had any questions,” she said.
Rowe said she liked how convenient living on campus was. She said that she had the option of riding the bus or walking to school. She said that although she lived on campus, she was still able to separate herself from the University.
Rowe said she was glad to stay on campus her first year and thought all students should experience it.
“Living in the dorms force you to meet new people,” Rowe said.
***
Diana Salisbury, Overland Park junior, said her experience in the residence halls was a good one, but that it sometimes became distracting. She said to find time to study, she and her roommate, a childhood friend, would compromise.
“We made an agreement for when we wanted to study,” Salisbury said. “We didn’t have company over on the days we studied.”
She also said that living on campus was a good way to meet people. She met friends in the community bathroom.
“It’s weird, but you get to know a lot of people that way,” she laughed. “You kind of get to know when people go to the bathroom.”
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KU Student Housing took precautions to assure the safety of students living in residence halls by installing a card access system.
Students living at residence halls will use KUID cards to enter into building. Students visiting the residence halls can use courtesy phones located near the entrance to be allowed access.
Jennifer Wamelink, associate director of Student Housing, said the purpose for the access system was to provide additional security for students. She said student housing had planned to install a new access system, but the Virginia Tech incident confirmed the decision.
“We want to be able to balance the security of getting access to the building,” Wamelink said.
The system was installed in residence halls in fall 2007 and spring 2008.
Billy Massey, desk manager at Hashinger Hall, said he felt the key card machines were serving the purpose of providing extra security.
“It will keep people we don’t know out,” Massey said.
Massey, Hoyt senior, said within hours of getting the machines, he had an incident and the machines helped minimize the time it would have taken to resolve the problem.
Hashinger was the last dormitory to get the key card machines installed. Massey said he would try to prepare employees to assure the safety of students living in Hashinger.
“I’ll definitely say that I’m going to train employees to not let any unknown person in the dorm,” he said.
Salisbury said she thought freshmen should live in the residence halls at least once.
“I think it’s an experience you should have. You get to know a lot of people in the same situation as yours,” Salisbury said.
***
Brittney Chandler, Kansas City, Kan., senior, lived in GSP-Corbin Hall her freshman year in school. She said she learned how to make time for studying. She said if students slacked off on their grades, it would definitely show.
“Study, don’t party like a rock star,” Chandler said. “Because getting your GPA up is no joke.”
Chandler, psychology major, said her dorm life was a good one. She said she was at advantage from other residence halls on the hill because she didn’t have to experience as many disturbances.
***
Lawrence native Noah Hoelscher, junior, never lived on campus, but said he spent a lot of his time at the residence halls because several of his friends lived there.
Although Hoelscher didn’t live there, he said he enjoyed going to visit friends. He said he heard good things about living on campus.
“Everybody I know had a positive experience,” he said.
He’s also heard the not so good things.
“I’ve heard stories of getting stuck with bad roommates,” Hoelscher laughed.
Despite what has been said, Hoelscher said he would have liked to live on campus and he thought everyone should.
“It might have been more fun to stay on campus,” Hoelscher said. “It’s a good way to meet people.”
— Edited by Sachiko Miyakawa
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