SPEAK
LIVING IN A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP
BRENNA LONG
What happened this time? I scrambled for my purple tennis shoes hidden somewhere in my dark dorm room. Why must the freshmen do this to me? I had to think a little louder this time to drown out the "Attention, Attention" voice commanding me to evacuate the building.
My hands were shaky as I reached for the doorknob. I was a mix of jitters from the abrupt awakening and the fact that this might be a real fire alarm, even though I knew the chances of that being true at 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning were slim.
I squinted in the bright hallway lights as I quickly made my way to the front desk of Ellsworth Hall. As a resident assistant, I don't listen to the speaker system unless I am in danger, so I don't follow all the other residents out the side doors like cattle.
I got my orders to go clear the fourth floor. Door after door, no resident had stayed inside. My job was done. As I sat at the front desk waiting for the firemen in their yellow overalls to tell me Ellsworth wasn't burning down, I propped my head against the wall and thought, Why am I doing this?
Why am I doing this?
As a third-year RA, I find these doubts popping up often. If hooligans aren't pulling fire alarms at three in the morning, they're puking against the elevator wall. Sometimes residents get a kick out of ripping down door decorations and posters I put hours into. They lose their keys. They run down the halls screaming profanities. They decorate white boards, and anything for that matter, with penises. They expect me to
mediate arguments about who ate whose potato chips. The whole time my mind just wants them to grow up.
Then, as I walk across campus, I see an old resident. He or she might holler “Brenna” from down the sidewalk, but usually I get a slight “hi” and a smile. Each time it reminds me why I live where I live. It's not for the free room or late night ambulance calls — it's to be exactly what my title is: a resident assistant.
Crisis management is only half of my job. On top of the late-night calls and cleanups, I plan programs, attend meetings, cover shifts and do required "fun" activities such as icebreakers. All the while, the perks are living in this chaos and eating at the dining hall, which I'll be honest, gets less enticing after four years.
My job in simple terms is to help residents move into KU and figure out their new life. Because most of my residents are freshman, they are unbalanced. All of a sudden, they live with strangers, set their own schedules and handle their own problems such as finding food, navigating Lawrence and getting to class on time. I wanted to be an RA so I could ease the transition from lost freshman to confident sophomore. The arc of maturity continues until they graduate, but I usually only see the first year.
I learned a lot about the personal growth of freshmen and their maturity, or lack thereof, my first year as an RA when I was a sophomore. Sure the eight floor stole a lot of furniture and harassed my co-RA, but we had fun carving
pumpkins, playing poker and screaming at basketball games. I think the proximity in age had a lot to do with the bonds I made that year, and I could remember the struggles they faced because I had been in their place a year earlier.
My second year as an RA, my freshmen were the same, but I was different. I remember late-night talk shows and table dancing that may have happened in my lobby, but I was less likely to join in this time. I tried to relate to them by giving study advice, but I could no longer help with calculus because I had forgotten it. Despite not relating to them in the same way, I still noticed their growth during the year.
Currently in my third year as an RA, I get to watch a new set of residents develop. They already show signs of maturity. They wake up to alarm clocks and wash their own clothes, all without the help of parents. These tasks seem trivial to me, but to new freshman, they're like learning how to walk. The widening age gap has further changed how I relate to my residents. This year I have a tendency to treat my residents more as siblings than peers because my younger brother is their age.
In total, I have been an RA to 124 residents. And despite the noise complaints, burnt popcorn smells and bloody 911 calls, I wouldn't trade these three years of my life.
I learned a lot about myself while I was making friends and seeing the freshmen develop. I began to understand how much I enjoy helping people. I like making someone feel like they
aren't just another speck on campus by knowing their name and asking how their last test went. I also love seeing old residents, including my best friend who will be my maid-of-honor at my wedding in June.
Now when I see old residents, I can see the arc of maturity happening. They have found a major, cook for themselves and are looking for internships. I am proud of them, and I am also thankful that the current residents of Ellsworth will be at that point some day.
Please be quiet tonight, Ellsworth. I am tired. The elevator doors open, and I start my rounds. It's Saturday night, and as I slowly trudge down the halls during my 1 a.m. rounds, I pass door after door, just wanting to be in bed. Finally finished, I lie in my bed staring at the ceiling, and I am relieved Ellsworth is behaving. Then, as I drift to sleep, I pray no one pulls the fire alarm.
R RESEARCH LIBRARY
SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
A similar situation has to talk about a relica of Naismith's rules hanging on the wall at Amyx Barber Shop, 842 1/2 Massachusetts St.
oith, Amyx said.
He said the copy has been there
Edited by Alex Tretbar
SUSTAINABILITY
KU EcoHawks convert donated car to electric
Kansas Libraries will use the car to deliver on-campus mail
BY KELLY STRODA kstroda@kansan.com
Josh Petty always liked tinkering with machines when he was
11
04
10
right now — no tires, a battered back fender and a missing front end. The EoHawks removed the Jimmy's engine last week.
younger. Hed work on his mom's broken awn mower until it was finally running smoothly.
out
Wires and tubes are exposed that some people will never see in their entire lives. Blue painting tape marks the wires and tubes — the gas pedal line here, air bag wires there.
Now he has a bigger project. Petty, a senior from Olathe, s team leader of the KU
Instead of a gas engine, the Jimmy will be powered by a main electric motor and two auxiliary motors, Petty said. The motors
The full conversion is estimated to cost $55,000.
EcoHawks' GMC Jimmy project. The group is working to convert the car into a fully-electric vehicle. Petty said the group hopes to save the project completed by the end of spring.
The 1997 GMC Jimmy, a small sport utility vehicle, sits dropped up on car jacks in the KU EcoHawks' garage on West Campus. It's a definite change of scene from the police impound at where the Jimmy sat for two years before being donated to the EcoHawks.
Student Senate passed a bill which gave the EcoHawks $2,500 to use for the conversion project.
The car looks a bit dilapidated
"It's that hands-on learning that makes them the best engineers."
But for now, the conversion is a work in progress.
Other funding for the project is coming from the EcoHawks' budget and sponsors.
CHRIS DEPCIK EcoHawks advisor
will run using more than 1,000 rechargeable batteries. The batteries — similar to those that cordless drills use — are about the size of AA batteries.
The students have to research.
"I love the fact that we aren't just doing theory," he said. "We're not just sitting in a lab. We're not just on the Internet or reading books."
Jon Kalinowski, a senior from Wichita, is focused on power steering. He said he enjoys the freedom and hands-on learning that the project provides.
Just as each system in the car's engine has to work in unison, Petty said the group members have to work together as well. The 12 students working on the project have a different area of focus.
After the car is finished, KU Libraries will use the car to deliver on-campus mail. The campus mail route includes main and West Campus buildings in addition to continuing education buildings on Kasold Drive. On a typical day, the KU Libraries mail vehicle travels about 22 miles.
theorize and then put their work into practice.
Petty said the electric vehicle would be able to travel 80 to 90 miles before a recharge.
Edited by Lisa Curran
LARRI-BMX seeks the city's approval of a plan to construct a course to fulfill Lawrence's BMX interest.
"It's that hands-on learning that makes them the best engineers," said Chris Depcik, EcoHawks advisor and assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
There shouldn't be any worry that the Jimmy won't be noticed. Petty said the EcoHawks hope to paint the frame lime green and the body white.
Lars Leon, associate librarian for KU Libraries, said the libraries encourage sustainability. The electric vehicle is another step in that direction.
"It will almost be a billboard for the idea of sustainability," Lars said.
New biking club proposes local BMX racetrack
LAWRENCE | 3A
makes sense in historical context
Columnist Luke Brinker explains that the apparent jump in 18- to 24-year-old voters in 2008 actually wasn't all that dramatic. By comparison, Baby Boomers were driven to the polls by factors such as the draft.
Check out The Wave for up-to-date stories on Kansas football, including the scoop on new redshirt freshman Erick McGriff and commentary on fan attendance this season.
Find extra football coverage in The Wave
Index
Classifieds...9A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
INSIDE
INDEX
WEATHER
TODAY
54 26
Sunny
Sunny
SATURDAY
65 40
SUNDAY 71 45
Sunny
Sunny/Windy
weather.com
All contents, unless stated otherwise; © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
10