Residents to select housing for next year

by Alexis Strizziere assistantfeatures editor

With housing selection 2002 just around the corner, the thought on everyone's mind, other than, "whom will I room with?" is "where should I live?" Trying to decide where to reside next year can be tough and the decision can be even worse if you do not know the difference between the living facilities on campus.

''The •campus is divided into three major housing areas. Basically the designation of the housing areas is the biggest difference between the living facilities," Shayla Hasic-Starnps, the assistant director for residence life, said. Area one is designated for freshman, area two is designated for sophomores and area three is designated for juniors and seniors.

Area one includes Woodcrest, Xavier and New Residence Hall.

Area two includes Woodcrest, Xavier, New Residence Hall and Houses One,1\vo and Three. Area three includes houses Five, Six and Seven and the Cabrini Apartment Complex. House Four can go either way depending on housing needs.

The easiest way to understand the areas is to remember that campus is divided into "dry" and "wet" living facilities. By state law there must be housing available for those wishing to reside on campus under the legal drinking age of 21. However, freshmen should not panic because they are required to live in "dry" housing until their junior year.

The Residence Life office does have a method to their madness.

''The dorms on this campus are like any other dorms on any other campus. They are typical underclassmen dorms with RAs and Public Safety that watch over the building from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.,"Stamps said. "The dorms are geared towards freshmen and sophomores to get them used to being away from home for the first time. The only thing they are not allowed to do is to have alcohol in the dorms or overnight guests of the opposite sex," Stamps said. " The houses and the CAC are geared for students who have matured and are of legal drinking age. They have their own separate rules just like the dorms," Stamps said.

For some students this concept of freshman/sophomore housing is not hard to deal with. "I loved both Woodcrest and Xavier. I met all of my friends in Woodcrest because we lived there together, we hated it together and at the same time we never knew we were making such a bond together," junior Kate MacDonald said. "I would never take any of it back, I had some of the best times in both Woodcrest with all the girls and in Xavier with all the guys," MacDonald said.

"I liked Xavier. It isn't as bad as everyone said it was going to be," freshman Paul Archambault said. "It's kind of homey but the triples are too small and the visiting hours are no good;' Archambault said. A customary initiation right for freshmen is to stick them in triples. However, as a sophomore on up you can choose how many people you want to live with. Dorm rooms hold anywhere from two to three people. The houses range from singles to quads and the apartments are broken down into four, five and six person apartments.

Although it may seem like the upperclassmen have a much better campus living situation in the houses or CAC because they do not have to deal with visiting hours, overnight guest policies and alcohol policies, it is not all peaches and cream living there either. " People know we can party in the houses and CAC so they come here to party. We are the ones who have to clean up, get written up if busted and deal with damages to the house if it happens though," junior Kate Kempton said.

"People don't realize that you are secluded from the rest of campus in a house because you live with just your housemates and that's it," junior Stacey Gregoretti said. Of course there are lots of benefits to the houses and the CAC. You can choose your roommate or mates, pick which room or apartment you want and ultimately live with all of your friends in the same location. The houses and apartments resemble independent living. They are an opportunity Cabrini gives its students to learn how to live on their own.

" I love living in the apartments but sometimes I miss the pillow talks in Woodcrest. I think every year gives you one step up towards female first-year students. adulthood as you move through the different living faciliti~s," junior Megan Gallagher said. " Every freshman should have to go through dorms, we all had to. It's really not as bad as it seems," Gallagher said.

At times students have complained that there is too much security in the dorms, no where to put their trash, the washers and dryers are always broken, the showers are too small and that the houses on campus need a lot of work. However, Residence Life is aware of all the problems that need fixing and they are working on it. In the meantime, however, students need to sit back and realize what they have before them.

No matter what your take is on the living facilities on campus, they all have their own positive sides and negative downfalls. Some people have no problem with campus housing while others do. The office of Residence Life has a suggestion. "We can't fix anything unless we know it's broken. We can't make living accommodations here any more comfortable unless someone suggests something," Stamps said. "If you have a suggestion or you think something needs work, speak up and tell us so we can try to fix the situation," Stamps said.

When selecting primary choices for housing, keep in mind how different aspects of the variousliving facilities may suit personal needs. It is important to understand the positives and negatives of housing options while planning for next year.

DEPRESSION continued from page 1 Circle K

Cabrini's counselors are working on methods to better prepare students for their first year away from home. They are currently planning a program or programs that would be held during orientation. Rasco would like to run a program that would also prepare parents for their children's departure from home. She acknowledged that it is a difficult experience for the parent as well as the child.

A student's physical health is also in jeopardy during their first year. Students surveyed who rated their health "above average" dropped from approximately 51 percent to 41 percent. Many things cause this drop. Students exercise less frequently after the first year, students drink alcohol more regularly and many even pick up the habit of smoking.

A student's spiritual health is also affected. Students who attended religious services dropped from approximately 85 percent to approximately 60 percent. This drop is also evident at Cabrini.

Campus Minister Mary Laver notices that masses in the earliest weeks of school are the most attended. As the school year progresses, attendance fluctuates. Ash Wednesday is a day when Campus Ministry sees the highest attendance in the chapel. Almost the entire campus is in attendance. She also notices a higher attendance just before finals.

She believes that college is a time in a student's life when he or she begins to qqestion what he or she was taught to believe by their parents and their schools. She thinks that students use their time here to decide ·what they really believe.

Laver's theory seems to be sup- ported by the data collected within the survey. Before their freshman ·year, only 47.7 percent of the students surveyed felt that "integrating spirituality" into their lives was important. By the end of the year, the number jumped to 56.7 percent.

A student's first year of college is a difficult time. The changes of lifestyle and academic expectations are no doubt causes of this stressful time. Their health suffers but there is hope. Sophomore year is just around the comer.

Circle of Love Dance Saturday, Feb.23 9 p.m. - 1 a. m. $3