TownyLife

Tobeatown studentornottobeis the question. Before moving offcampus, for thoseold enough toopt, thereareseveral aspectsoftowney life tobeconsidered.

The first, ofcourse,ismoney. Most town studentsfindthatitis cheaperto live off campus, but it depends onwhere you live,how many roommatesyou canputup with,and how much you eat. If you eat likeafootballplayer, thefoodplanaloneis enough tokeep youoncampus.

Something elsetothinkaboutis cookingand cleaning. It is easyto rundown to thecafeteriatoeataquick supper. Eating takes on a whole new perspective when youhavetocookityourself. Afterbeingin classes andworking all day, whowantsto go home andcook? And then there's the dishesto do, thefloors to vacuum,and the bathroom to clean.Wow,itsoundslikethe life ofahousewife.

But on the other hand,there is no set dinner schedule,no white glove inspection (unless your roommate is a neat freak), and no twelve o'clock curfew. There is the television and theVCR. Just having areal livingroom is great.You can evenbakeabatchofchocolatechipcookies any timeyouwantto.

Living offcampus sounds betterand better. But there's one more important consideration: gas.Yes,gas. You know, the kind you pump into your carevery week. The average town student must burn 30gallons ofgasoline a week. You dash to campus for class,grab a quick lunch somewhere and head for work. Thereare ahundred thingsthat have tobe done inthelaborthelibrary, sothere are about that many trips to and from the campus. Don't forget allthetripsto the grocerystore.

There's also thedisadvantage of not knowing what is goingon. Town students seem tofind out everything afterthe fact. They're usually a day or two behind on campus gossip.

Livingoncampus mightnotbesobad afterall. You'rerightthereallthetimeand no cookingto do, nodishesto wash, while saving money not spent on gasoline. No television, no VCR, and a twelve o'clock curfew. Well, ontheotherhand, what'sa few dishes?

Denise Pugh