East Tennessee State University - Buccaneer Yearbook (Johnson City, TN)

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Welcome to the Dorm!

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Wanted New Experiences in Life . . . Although dorm life is a big asset to my life, there are problems. First, and foremost, are the toilets and showers. The toilets work pretty regularly, only there aren ' t enough of them. It seems about the time I have to go, everyone else on the hall does, too. The showers have another problem, however. They only work about half of the time. There are al- ways problems with the plumbing and water supply (plenty of hot, little cold), and the shower heads are horrible. When the water is turned on, it sprays in one thin, steady stream that either knocks you down or washes you in sections. It ' s better than nothing, but . . . When I finally got moved into my room and started unpacking, I realized that I was already missing some of the comforts of home, one of these being a refrigerator. This year there were approximately 565 refrig- erators for some 2,500 students, according to Ted Rastall, director of the Central Receiving Ware- house. The refrigerators aren ' t very large in size, but they are large enough to hold the necessitites. They rent for $22.50 for three quarters, and I believe that it is worth every penny. To be able to acquire one of these jewels re- quires a contract, although that doesn ' t necessarily guarantee one, and plenty of patience. 1-Four times a year the university bookstore is wall-to-wall [jeople buying books and supplies. 2-One young coed finds a rare commodity among the shelves-a captivating text. 2 t 26 Moving In

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1— A good book and a cuddly toy sometimes help to alleviate homesickness. 2-A long line of students besieged Central Receiving Ware- house for one of those luxuries of dorm life— a refrigerator. The warehouse, where the refrigerators are dis- tributed, opened its doors Monday, Sept. 19, around 8 a.m. I thought I would get there about 7:30 a.m. and be first in line. Well, about 300 other people had the same idea. I stood in line from 7:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. I was so mad and hot that I was ready to explode. Finally I made it up to the refrigerator man. As I handed him my contract and he pointed out my re- frigerator, I just smiled and forgot that I had been standing in line four and a half hours. It was like a new toy- 1 just wanted to get it and go home. After all the excitement and confusion of moving in and finding all my classes, I walked down the hall of my dorm and reality hit me like a ton of bricks. All I could think of was, Boy, this place could use some fixing up. There are plans for future renovation, I learned. The two dorms that are first in line are the men ' s Browning Hall, and the women ' s Carter Hall, ac- cording to Joan Dressel, housing director. This pro- cess is not scheduled to take place for another two years, though. It ' s up to the state legislature to sell bonds to raise the money, so the dorms wait. Air conditioning of the dorm is also in the future plans. That ' s good, as there isn ' t a bit of breeze coming into my room, except when I open my door. Then, of course, everyone walking down the hall looks in or the wind blows the curtains and knocks the plants on the floor when the door is Needless to say, privacy is rarely found in a dorm. Dorm space itself is a problem, but if new dorms are built, where would they go? There isn ' t much campus property left for dorms, according to Dres- sel, and what is left may be used for parking spaces. One possibility for dorm space is to build across from the new health building on Southwest Avenue. As for now, new things are being ordered for some of the more desperate dorms. McCord, Clement and Dossett got new drapes this year. This wasn ' t really a special gift, since all that was hanging on the rods were strings where the drapes used to be. McCord was the first to receive their drapes, with the others scheduled for instal- 28 Moving In