Kent State University - Chestnut Burr Yearbook (Kent, OH)

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their worldly possessions are crammed into one room. But even when we tried to keep things neat, one thing out of place — one unmade bed or one or two guests — made it totally impossible. On the positive side, dorm life means no utility bills (a real budget-buster), no monthly rent checks, no grocery shopping (except for goodies), no sink, toilet (how gross) or shower scrubbing, no trips to the laundromat and never having to be alone. In addition, most agree that at least one year in the dorms has real merits: making new friends, sharing a common, some- times frightening experience, and some semblance of regulation. When you ' re new to college life, it ' s best to meet as many people as possible, make a lot of friends, and get involved, Radik said. It ' s easy in the dorms be- cause you ' re all in the same situation. Some of my best friends in off-campus life I met while living in Fletcher. Frustration and anxiety run high and it ' s nice to know you ' re surrounded by people who understand, Lang added. Vaughn also felt dorm life was a positive influence for freshmen. It ' s a good idea to have students live in the dorms for their first year, he said. The structured rou- tine might just save them from dropping out. Vaughn said the dorms were more struc- turally sound, built particularly for the race of destructive students. Living in a dorm, you will rarely encoun- ter leaky ceilings, weeds growing through your living room floor or pestering land- Mark Rogers 29

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Dorm Life Pictures, above and upper right, by Jim Fossett College lifestyles offer the best of times and the worst of times — late night chats, late night spats, friends for life and social strife. On- and off-campus living, say stu- dents who have experienced both, sup- plies all of the above and quite a bit more. I wanted a place of my own, privacy, responsibility, no quiet hours, no RAs and real food is the consensus of students who chose to leave the dorms after their required two-year stay. Sue Stepanic, senior bio-chem major and resident of Glen Morris Apartments, said the greatest problem in the dorms was the lack of privacy. I needed time to be alone, and in a dorm room there is no place to go except your top bunk or a bath- room stall. In an apartment, there are at least three other rooms that might be emp- ty and can be called ' home. ' Manchester Resident Adviser (RA) Tony Siekman said the major complaint of dorm dwellers is abiding by the policies, fol- lowed closely by noise level restraints. Senior public relations major Eric Vaughn spent two years in McSweeney Hall, where most partying was reserved for weekends. He said it was relatively qui- et until Residence Services experimented with putting rowdies there to control their unruly behavior. Dorm life can also mean a no-win battle against clutter and mess. Mary Beth Ra- dik, a senior bio-chem major, said, It ' s bad enough that three or four girls and all 28

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lords. These novelties are commonplace in many homes and apartments. Dorms were built to withstand misuse — apart- ments weren ' t, he said. Although the required purchase of food coupons assures that students will have a semester full of nourishment, for some students Food Service entrees leave a lot to be desired. According to Vaughn, it is possible to get out of buying the food plan if you have a doctor ' s written word — in blood, prefer- ably his — that you ' ll die if you continue to eat campus food. One student escaped the food plan on the basis of salt content. One alternative to cafeteria eating is using coupons in the Deli at Eastway Center. And upperclassmen who remain on cam- pus can forego the coupon system alto- gether. I like food prepared by someone who cares: me, Debbie Lesseur, a senior edu- cation major said. If food is a primary com- plaint for dorm dwellers, it ' s an asset for house and apartment residents. The has- sles of shopping, preparation and cleanup don ' t seem to detract from the joy of being able to eat with freedom. Responsibility is the greatest thing about off-campus living according to Ra- dik. Rather than dreading it, she welcomed the opportunity to be responsible for all On-campus communication is increased with the aid of convenient campus telephones. Four digit numbers make dialing a snap! Peter Phun 30