Tufts University - Jumbo Yearbook (Medford, MA)

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Student Life 2

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■X3 £ S I © © Dorm Living We’ve all come a long way since that fateful inaugural year that had us living in dorms. What do we re¬ member? Bathroom-like tiles lining the hallways, small doubles, cold showers, and roommate problems. But those were also the days of snowball fights on the Quad, K.A.O.S. and secret Santa. And dorm government - how does that look on the resume now? There was a gradual improve¬ ment in housing situations as the years went on. Sophomore year brought with it at least the choice of room and roommate. Sometimes it wasn’t all that grand, especially when the only choices left were a room in Hodgdon or in the depths of Carmichael. Junior and Senior years moved us into singles or into co-ops, if not off campus altogether. While the memories of banging pipes, thin walls, and screaming hallmates at 3 a.m. left us begging for solitude, there were also good times in the dorms. How else could you go to a dance with that girl of your dreams if not by your room¬ mate’s audacity of inviting her to a Screw-Your-Roommate party? The convenience of having the majority of your friends in the same building was not to be underestimated, espe¬ cially in the very chilly months of the New England winter. Late- night television in the lounge and ping pong tournaments brought people from all corners of the dorm together. Of course, pinball was the everpopular procrastination tool of uphill residents and the machines were in use night and day. If any of us missed the “cookies and milk before bed” routine of our childhood, dorm snacks came along to reassure us that we really were not growing up too fast. Doughnuts, bagels, ice cream, and pizza were offered, if we were lucky. If not, it was Scooter Pies by the boxload. The glories of dorm life are things will we keep with us forever - along with all the dorm t-shirts from every year. Some of the best college expe¬ riences probably were during our days in the dormitories. Dorm bar- beques, floor parties, Secret Valen¬ tine, intramural sports, and dorm gossip got us through. R.D.s and R.A.s were always there to hear a problem, and Building and Grounds always kept us well supplied with- toilet paper, even after moving off campus. by Mark Lowenstein 22 Student Life

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4 $ . O 5 o CO .§ § I o o £ Off Campus Living Part of growing up with Tufts in¬ cludes the experience of off-campus living. As freshmen and sopho¬ mores, we were all required to live in dormitories or campus houses. But as Tufts does not guarantee housing to the junior class, many people choose, or are forced, to live in apartments in the surrounding neighborhoods of Somerville and Medford. Approximately one-third of the junior and senior classes ex¬ perience the off campus lifestyle. Off campus life includes the ini¬ tial battle of finding an apartment. Sophomores find themselves treck- ing up and down Boston Ave, Col¬ lege Ave, Bromfield Road, Sunset Street, Capen Street and Powder- house Boulevard knocking on doors in search of landlords who are will¬ ing to rent to students. The good apartments go quickly and many late starters find themselves ending up with a long, cold walk to campus. Once that apartment has been found, and the lease signed, you have to buy furniture. This is no easy task. Suddenly the rooms look incredibly large and barren. The couches and beds you get on a good deal never seem to fit through the doorway or any of the windows. Usually you end up with a house¬ hold of unmatched furmniture that parents and grandparents no longer want. You soon discover why; the legs of the coffee table break when your roommates sit on it. The televi¬ sion doesn’t get any sound and the picture stays clear only if someone holds the antenna as you watch. Stuffing falls out of your favorite chair every time someone sits down, and the rugs always clash with the couch and the chairs. Somehow you get used to it and after a while you don’t even notice the plaid couch next to the flowered drapes. The apartment itself is usually in a state of disrepair, and even if the landlord promises that he will take care of it, somehow things never seem to change. Thus you learn to live with a toilet that is constantly running, a heater that neither shuts off in the summer nor turns on in the winter, and a back door that doesn’t lock. And, although the landlord may neglect repairing things in the apartment, he never forgets when it is time to collect rent, even if you do. In addition to facing the payment of rent every month, there are other bills that never concerned us in the dormito¬ ries, such as gas, electricity, and oil. Furthermore, the companies that come to read the gas or electric me¬ ters, or to deliver oil every month somehow always manage to show up at ungodly hours early in the morn¬ ing (after a late night at the Pub). You are now responsible for taking your own trash to the curb once a week, and for remembering when there is a holiday iri a week to take the trash out one day later than usu¬ al so your neighbors (who are not students, and don’t appreciate you living so close anyway) do not ac¬ cuse you of littering the streets. Keeping the apartment clean is important to insuring that unpaying guests like mice and roaches do not decide to move in with you. They seem to have taken quite a liking to several off-campus student apart¬ ments. Precautionary measures in¬ clude sweeping the floor (and occa¬ sionally washing it), putting all food away, washing all pots, pans, and dishes, dusting, and vacuuming - all activities foreign to dormitory dwellers. It is a wonder how students living off-campus ever find time to study with all of these chores. Somehow you adapt and manage. Soon a great appreciation for the privacy and tranquility of apartment life that could never be found in dormitory develops and you can’t imagine yourself living anywhere else. In ad¬ dition, you have the facilities to cook for yourself (or, at least, you are no longer bound to the Tufts meal plan). Luckily, Espresso’s, An¬ drea’s and Somerville House of Piz¬ za all deliver to apartments too. You can even have your own parties (despite Tufts social policy) as long as the noise level does not bring complaints from unsympathetic neighbors and consequently the lo¬ cal police force. These challenges and responsibilities entertained by those students who experience off- campus living cannot be found in the classroom and are all part of growing up with Tufts. by Jessica Bussgang 24