MONDAY, AUGUST 13; 2007 | BACK TO SCHOOL | WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN '21 *'
RESIDENCE HALLS
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Keeping an open mind will help make the transition to living in residence halls a smooth one
BY ALAIDE VILCHIS IBARRA
avilchis@kansan.com
Moving away from home can be an overwhelming experience for students. To help the transition, former resident assistants and people who have residence hall experience have some advice.
Here are a few things that will make surviving in the residence halls a lot easier. Students will get tips on rules to follow and how to get along with roommates.
First off, one of the commonly forgotten, yet important, items to bring to the residence halls are flip-flops to take showers, said Michelle Risky, former resident assistant at Oliver Hall. She said that in a community environment, there can be a lot germs floating around.
"Students forget small things," Risskey said. "You are living in a community environment, flip-flops make a big difference."
She also recommended that students have snack food in their residence halls for study sessions and those times when a meal is not really necessary. As far as what not to bring to the residence halls, Diana Roberts, student housing director, said that students should not bring candles, George Foreman Grills or extension cords because student housing prohibits them.
Josh Spradlin, former RA and deskie, said that loud stereos are also not a good idea to bring to dorms because "nobody wants to hear how cool the bass in your stereo is at three in the morning."
He also recommended having more than one form of identification at all times because the residence halls will not use KU IDs because they have money from meal plans.
Roberts said one of the biggest concerns for freshmen living in the residence halls was how they were going to deal with their roommates.
"Your roommate doesn't have to become your best friend, it just has to be someone that will respect the other person," Rissky said.
Even if students have nothing in common with their roommates, they can still make the living arrangements work. But, Rissky said, it is important to keep an open mind.
"The best way to approach the situation is to be open about who you are, communicate what your needs are, be willing to compromise, be willing to communicate, get to know each other." Roberts said.
Roberts recommended that the rules be set from the start to prevent a big incident from happening.
She said that if a big problem did arise, there was always an RA that could help solve it. That is why it is
very important to get to know your RA.
"If you are confused, they know most of the answers to your questions, so try to get to know them," Spradlin said. "But remember that they are people too."
Another concern of incoming freshmen is how to make friends in the residence halls.
"When you first move into a dorm, get to know everyone on your floor because you are going to see them the rest of your career," Spradlin said.
She said that friendships come naturally because other residents are going through the same change.
Rissky said the best way to meet people is to leave the room door open so other residents could come in and talk.
Risky added that it was also important to meet people in classes because they were the ones who would be helping with homework and pulling all-nighters with students.
Spradlin said the trick of living in the residence halls is no trick at all, but rather just using common courtesy.
"More than anything, as longs as you are cool about it and respectful, you will be fine."
Edited by Joe Caponio
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
*Moving into the residence halls is a big change for many students. Being courteous, keeping the door open others and communicating problems will help make communal living a pleasant experience.*