University of Rhode Island - Renaissance / Grist Yearbook (Kingston, RI)

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I |i ◄The first storm of the year left over a foot of snow. Down-the-liner, ' Brian Taplin is shoveling his way out of Bonnet Shores. ► Sig Ep throws a toga party with DZ. TTDorm rooms cramp students life style. replica of home-away-from-home. you about the problems they encounter just trying to live comfortably. ‘‘It really makes you appreciate those little comforts of home, things you take for granted like gas, heat, food, money.” As difficult as it may seem, most down-the-liners will also talk about how good it feels to be out on their own. “It’s exciting when you pull off a really successful meeting or party at your house.” Some, though, still refuse to leave home. They go out and hunt for a decent and reliable car, or if they’re lucky they may already have one, and everyday they begin the drive to school. Flat tires . . . Police on my tail ... Oh, No! No Gas! ... The carpool lot . . . ‘‘Mom leave me alone!” . . . Good home-cooked food For some people commuting from home was the easiest choice. They already had a private room or a compatible roommate, and there wouldn’t be the hassle of moving into a dorm. The problems, though, sometimes outweigh the advantages. Leaving your house at 10 minutes before 9 for a 9:00 class can make for a headache or two. Students at (JRI have many different types of lifestyles to choose from. Whichever one they choose, they are sure to be happy. Good friends and good times make any lifestyle fun. vocs-H, Karen Canaan Lifestyles 17

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A Kaleidoscope of Life Styles There are many different types of lifestyles at CJRI. Most freshmen come to the school as either dorm residents or commuters, and they eventually go Greek or choose down-the-line living. Whichever lifestyle one chooses, the experience is shared by many. Halls . . . suits . . . “Where’s B Tower?” . . . Phone calls and dining halls . . . Dorm Olympics . . . semi-formals in Connecticut . . . unregistered parties . . . RA’s the residents’ best friends . . . roommates — study lounges Everyone must certainly remember his first impres- sion of the dormitory. The crowded lobby, the check-in, the walk through the corridor, the unlocking of the door, and suddenly the room hits you. Initial reactions varied from “This is going to be great! to “How will I ever make this decent-looking?!”, to “Oh God, this is ab- solutely pathetic!” As distressing as it may have seem- ed, it didn’t take long to transform that “pathetic” little cell into something that could be called home. Those lit- tle personal touches. Pictures of friends that you were going to leave at home, made room 571 “my place.” Some people are not quite satisfied with Dorm life though. For them, an option is Greek living. Fraternities . . . Sororities . . . Houses . . . Rush activities . . . Pledge pins . . . Initiation . . . Brothers and sisters . . . Greek alphabet . . . Greek week . . . Chariots ... Frat parties . . . Happy hour and super socials at Caesars Greek life is a definitely different type of on-campus living. Pledging to a house is more than just finding a place to live. It means a lifelong commitment to the house. The houses also offer several types of activities from inter-house socials to Paddy Murphy week. Still, though many students look for other ways to live. Some choose down-the-line. Real houses . . . “who has the car?! empty fridges . . . balanc- ing the budget . . . paying the bills . . . Bonnet, Matunuck, and every place in between . . . Par- ties! . . . Making it to classes on time Living down-the-line is a good preparation for life after college. I never imagined that managing a household could be so hard.” Any down-the-liner can tell 16 LifeStyles

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A never ending complaint heard around GRI is one concerning the state of food on campus. Just as CIRI offers many different lifestyles, it of- fers many different eating facilities. Obviously the most frequented places to eat on campus are the din- ing halls. These institutions are also the most criticized. As freshman Julie Wojnowski states, “It’s generic. They buy the food at the beginning of the month and freeze it ’til the next shipment.’’ Unfortunately, there is only so much anyone can do with such large quantities of food. So when things start looking really bleak it is always comforting to know that the Ram’s Den and DelMor’s are waiting not too far off. The students who live in the fraternities and sororities have a more positive attitude toward their meals than do those in the dorms. “It’s good because you know the cook well and you see the food that comes in. There’s also a better selec- tion and you eat right in the houses. Of course you have to do the dishes, but that’s a small price to pay,” says Guy LaSorsa from Fiji. All frater- nities are equipped with their own kitchen and dining room, however not all sororities are. The girls who live in the sororities without these facilities dine at the fraternity of their choice. For breakfast and lunch they must find food elsewhere, but they do not find this to be too much of an inconvenience. So when things start looking bleak it is always comforting to know that the Ram’s Den and Delmor’s are waiting not too far away. Many of the inconveniences of finding food lie with the down-the- liners. “The food is better because you cook it yourself. Of course there is less time for grocery shopping so a lot of the time you open the frigerator and find that all you have is eggs and brocolli.” Down-the-line housemates Lynn Bramandee and Melanie Lawless explain that there are different ways to cope with their food budget. “You end up eating at the Ram’s Den a lot and the more you eat out the less you pay for food at home, so it all equals out.” And of course there are the com- muters who can go home to Mom’s good cooking every night. Accord- ing to Phil Canaan, “It’s really not that great. You don’t ever appreciate something good until you haven’t had it in a while.” Through all the complaints most everyone will agree that they all manage to eat every day. Any freshman plagued with the “freshman fifteen,” or the fifteen pounds that every student supposed- ly gains in his first year, will be able to prove that it is possible to eat even more than one’s share . . . GRI offers many eating facilities as well as numerous candy and soda machines. So whether candy bars, pizza, salads, or yogurt are craved, it can be assured that they are not too faraway, yffim Karen Canaan 18 Different Life Styles