Thrend freshmen, many have
about classes, locations, and
s into a Dobbin's sloppy joe.
)u want to live is just another
tedious decision to make.
ssment of the benefits and
ated with both on-campus and
ng'oan help make the decision
much easier.
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6 . y Beacon
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rad, Caren iemia,
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nustalso take into consideration the
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lated by the university to buy a meal
npus are not obligated to invest in a
nay , :do so if they desire.
2 Meal. Plan Rates
ost Base Cost
+sBBo
+sBBo
+sBBo
+sBBo
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licia McG rail
Total Cost
=51,210
=51,260
=51,310
41,375
41,425
41,555
Tips for
of Living
Roommate issues. Compromise, be reasonable, and be considerate with each other.
Work out problems as they arise instead of letting them aggravate you; they will only get
worse, and will result in irrational arguments. Attack issues as they come, and chances
are, arguments will be avoided. Take a break from each other; don't spend all your time
with each other, or else the little things will start to drive you crazy! Be sure to know
other people in the hall where you can escape to get away.
Get to know and trust your RA. Be respectful with his or her requests, and don't view
them as authority figures.
When doing your laundry, pick a time when you know the washing machine and dryer
will be available to avoid laundry back ups. Weekdays or weekend nights, if you are
home, are usually good times. Only do laundry if you have full loads; you might as well
get your money's worth!
Decorate the room with familiar things, like pictures of your family, and posters and
things from home. Make the room as enjoyable to live in as possible, cover the walls
with attractive posters or wall hangings, and be sure to have a rug on the floor, if there is
not one already.
Maximize space in the room. Bunk or loft the beds, or simply raise them. Crates and
bins make more space, and also help organize. Use every bit of space available, but be
sure to share the space.
There are a number of benefits and problems with living in the residence halls. First and foremost (and this applies to more than just the
halls), one must partly give up the mindset of having one's own space, time, and belongings. If you don't like people you'll have to learn. You've got
to share and compromise, which is sometimes easy and sometimes not. Usually when one begins this change, it starts at one of the traditional
residence halls, Niagara, Lawrence, or Perry. In these, two people live in one room, each with his or her own dresser, desk, bed, and closet. They
share a refrigerator and a microwave. Available to all residents are Internet connections and free cable with HBO (that is certainly uncommon to a
college). The entire floor shares a bathroom, which has many sinks, toilets, and showers for use. Unfortunately, this communal bath is a breeding
ground for bacteria, which can spread in such a setting.
When people live together in a house or apartment, many responsibilities come with independence. Maintenance is often the job of the
residents, which includes cleaning the bathroom. Flat mates may spend any amount of time trying to decide who is responsible for the unwanted
task, but there is no such thing in a dorm; the bathroom facilities are cleaned daily, and do they ever need it, because some people feel totally free to
leave the showers or toilets behind in awful states after using them. Other home responsibilities, like fixing things and replacing light bulbs are also
the concern of housing. Taking the trash out, though, is not the concern of housing. Yet many residents have shown themselves to be unable to do
even this, as is apparent from the ill-deposited trash bags one might see on the curb of Perry Hall. At all the halls, there is a charge of $2O or so,
which is the divided amongst everyone in the hall (unless the culprit is known). Those fees do add up.
Another thing to enjoy about life at a residence hall is the curfew, or lack of. This is actually a benefit that Behrend students may take for
granted because not all colleges allow this. Not only is there no limit to what time you can come back to the dorm, but there are also no restrictions
on who comes back with you. People of the opposite sex may be in your dorm as long as he or she has an escort. You can have sleepover guests
for a maximum of two nights, too.
Despite the freedoms, the residence halls are still, for the most part, safe places to be. The doors are locked at night, and there are a lot of
people concentrated in one area. The safety of the dorms does have a least one downside, of course. There are rules to follow; not just the obvious
ones, like no alcohol or firearms, but also some that apply to things that would otherwise be normal. "Fire Hazard" is used to explain a number of odd
prohibited items, such as toasters, scented candles, and chairs. That is right, you cannot bring chairs, tables, or any other extra furniture items, even
if they fold up.
The halls vary in quality and cost (that is, cost plus the required meal plan selection). Just beyond the $1,340 Traditional residence hall (a
realm that freshmen are very unlikely to visit) are Tigress Hall, Tiffany Hall, and Porcupine Hall, which cost about $1,580. In these, eight people share
a suite that has two baths, and the appropriate furniture. Each building has two floors and each floor has four of these suites. With all rooms come
the extra facilities that the traditionals have except that a conference room is included also.
Up the ladder and up the hill are the Almy and Ohio halls, which run about $1,705. Almy is for the most part reserved for honors students.
The doors are locked all the time, and you must be a resident even to get inside the building. There are ample study rooms and a computer worksta
tion. Here, four residents live in rooms with two bedrooms, one bath, and a study room. Scholars-in-residence live here also. Ohio Hall is similar to
Almy in how the rooms are arranged, but it has less study rooms, no computer workstation, and besides the usual facilities, residents here also have
conference rooms, and an exercise room.
Making the Best
in a Dorm
In general, residence hall life is living with a great lack of personal space, but the space one does get is more that fairly comfortable.
by Emily Brocks
staff writer
PHOTOS BY KAREN NIEMLA
Residence Life • by Karen Niemla
•On-Campus
Housing Rates•
Housing rates for
the 2001-2002
school year
(all rates are per
semester and
include all
utilities.)
•Lawrence,
Niagara,
and Perry
Residence
Ha115...51,340
•Ohio, Almy,
Porcupine,
Tigress, and
Tiffany Suites
...$ 1,580
•Apartments...sl ,i
Photos depict
dorm life. It
may be a little
cramped, but
there may be
refuge in the
wide open
lobby to
watch TV on
the big
screen