Housing Guide Spring 2018 - The News Record at University of Cincinnati

UC HOUSING: KNOW YOUR OPTIONS PAGE 2

TEN WAYS TO JAZZ UP YOUR DORM ROOM ON A BUDGET

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UC HOUSING : KNOW YOUR OPTIONS BEFORE DECIDING

BY JESSICA TOMAK

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he University of Cincinnati offers traditional housing and two different styles of luxury housing to meet the needs of its students. This article is your guide to understanding the difference between them and the amenities all residence halls have so you can be better informed about where you choose to live.

TRADITIONAL LIVING Traditional residence halls include Calhoun, Dabney, Daniels and Siddall halls. Residents who choose to live in these halls can have a private room or share a room with up to three roommates. Traditional residence halls have community bathrooms that are shared with the residents on each floor. Because of the communal bathroom, these halls are often considered the most social. Units in these halls have a mini-fridge and a microwave. UC Housing provides students in all residence halls with furniture, common lounge areas, laundry facilities and other services that help make every experience positive.

UC Housing also offers apartments on campus or nearby. (Photo by Abby Shoyat)

SUITE-STYLE LIVING The first style of luxury housing is suite-style residence halls that include the CRC, Schneider Hall, Stratford Heights and Turner Hall.

Marian Spencer Hall will be available for suite-style living in fall 2018.

These halls are considered suite-style because of the setup of each unit.

Depending on the hall, students can have a private bedroom or a shared bedroom with one or two roommates.

Suite-style units often have multiple bedrooms that are connected by a common living room area and a bathroom. Just like the traditional residence halls, students in these units have a mini-fridge and access to a microwave.

One difference between suite-style halls and traditional residence halls is the bathroom facilities, which are shared with significantly fewer people.

Residents in suite-style units share a private bathroom with one to three other roommates or suitemates.

Morgens Hall was ranked No. 9 on design curial’s list of America’s Most Luxurious Residence Halls. (Photo by Abby Shoyat)

APARTMENT-STYLE LIVING Other luxury housing options for students are “twin buildings” Morgens and Scioto Halls, which offer apartment-style living. In 2015, before the newly renovated Scioto Hall opened, Morgens Hall was ranked No. 9 on design curial’s list of America’s Most Luxurious Residence Halls. These halls are comparable to apartments because of their additional amenities.

Apartment-style units can either be studios or have multiple bedrooms connected by common living space.

Units can include one or two private

bathrooms, depending on how many residents share that specific unit. The apartment-style units also include a kitchen with cabinets, counter space, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a cooktop/oven combination.

UC Housing also offers apartments on campus or nearby such as UPA and USquare. In all apartment-style housing options, alcohol is permitted for residents who are 21 years of age or older. Conveniently, all residence halls are in the center of Clifton nightlife while still on campus.

There are many options for finding the perfect residence hall to spend your time at UC. So now what? Head to https://uc.edu/housing to get started on your on-campus housing selection!

ABOUT THE GUIDE Stories and photos in the spring/ summer News Record Housing Guide were produced by students in UCommunicate, a communication services firm housed in the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Communications.

Writers: Maddie Evans, Grace Maxwell, Jessica Tomak and Noelle Zielinski Photographer: Abby Shoyat Designer: Jared Thornton Adviser: Autumn Miller

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TEN EASY FOODS TO MAKE IN YOUR DORM

BY MADDIE EVANS

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our freshman year of college is the first time you’re living on your own, and it feels great to have so much freedom. Unfortunately, getting all your meals from the dining hall can get old quickly. Luckily, Kroger and Target are less than a mile away campus, with everything you need to make your own delicious meals. Here are 10 simple foods you can make in the comfort of your dorm room that will help keep off the dreaded freshman 15.

1. MICROWAVED SCRAMBLED EGGS If you wake up too late to get breakfast at the dining hall, there is an easy solution.

All you need is an egg, a coffee mug and a microwave. Simply whisk an egg or two in the mug. Then add cheese or vegetables, such as peppers or spinach. Microwave the mug for 2 minutes, and it’s ready to eat.

2. BAGEL SANDWICH To spice up microwave scrambled eggs, you can simply put your creation on a bagel with a slice of cheese and avocado.

Toast the bagel, add a slice of cheese or avocado, and add the microwaved scrambled egg. For extra spice, drizzle on some hot sauce.

3. MAC AND CHEESE IN A MUG Sometimes all you need is comfort food.

Make your own mac and cheese in a mug by putting 1/3 cup of your favorite pasta in ¾ cup of water. Microwave for about five minutes, or until pasta is cooked. After the pasta is done, pour out the remaining water. Add as much shredded cheese as you want. You can add milk, but it’s not necessary. Mix up your mac and cheese and enjoy!

4. SPAGHETTI IN A MUG Forget SpaghettiOs from a can. All you need is 1/3 cup of macaroni, ¼ cup of water, 2½ tablespoons of tomato sauce and ¼ cup shredded cheese. Microwave the noodles and water for about 5 minutes.

Add the sauce and cheese and microwave for another minute. Easy and delicious.

5. BAKED POTATO Everyone loves baked potatoes. Did you know you can easily heat them in your microwave? Pierce the potato with a fork and microwave it for about 5 to 7 minutes.

After it’s cooked, add butter, sour cream, cheese or some local flare: Gold Star or Skyline chili.

When living in a dorm, a mug can become your cooking medium, your serving dish, and your best friend. (Photo by Abby Shoyat) 6. CHEESECAKE IN A MUG After a long week, you need a sweet treat.

An easy dessert to make in your dorm room is a cheesecake in a mug. Even in the microwave, it creates the same texture as oven-baked cheesecake! This recipe is more complicated than the first few, but it is so worth it.

Here is what you need:

• 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

• 2 tablespoons fat free sour cream

• 3 tablespoons low fat cream cheese

• ⅛ teaspoon lemon juice

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ egg, beaten fluffy

• Mix-ins of your choice (if

desired) • Vanilla wafer

In a bowl, mix the sugar, sour cream, cream cheese, lemon juice and egg. Add a mix in, such as chocolate chips or blueberries. Microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds.

Add a crushed vanilla wafer on top and enjoy!

7. MICROWAVABLE KALE CHIPS This is a good alternative for chips or pretzels. Buy a bag of kale and layer pieces of it on a microwave safe plate. Drizzle on olive oil and salt. Then just pop them in the microwave for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

8. PITA PIZZA Instead of greasy dining hall pizza, make your own tasty pizza in your microwave. All you need is one pita, ½ cup baby spinach, mushrooms (if desired), grape tomatoes and ½ cup shredded cheese. Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes and dig in!

9. NACHOS By topping your favorite tortilla chips with some shredded cheese, you can make an amazing plate of nachos. Just microwave them on a plate for 1 to 2 minutes and top with salsa, refried beans, sour cream and guacamole. Yum! 10. FRENCH TOAST The best thing you will learn today: You can make French toast the microwave. All you need is two slices of bread, ½ tablespoon of butter, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of milk, a little cinnamon and vanilla extract (optional). Melt the butter in the mug, then add the cubed bread. Next pour all the ingredients over the bread and microwave for 2 minutes. Make sure to add syrup if you have some!

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SPRING/SUMMER 2018 | TNRHOUSING.ORG

TEN WAYS TO JAZZ UP YOUR DORM ROOM ON A BUDGET

BY GRACE MAXWELL

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n 2017, U.S. consumers spent about $5.9 billion on back-to-college dorm or apartment furnishings. According to USA Today, most college students plan on footing the cost for more than half of their back-toschool items. You can help shrink your bill while jazzing up your dorm room by considering these 10 tips: 1. USE WHAT YOU HAVE You clearly bought the things in your room at home for a reason, so look at what you have before buying new decorations. Plus, you’ll be reminded of home; a great way to combat homesickness if you’re far away and don’t get to visit family as often as you want.

2. LOOK FOR SALES If there is something that you really want for your dorm room, wait for it to go on sale.

You don’t have to have your room completely decorated the first day you move in. Decorate throughout the year and continue to change the look and feel of your room.

3. AVOID THE IMPULSE BUY After you’ve done your Pinterest boards and brainstormed your dream room, check out the Dollar Store and other bargain shops before you buy that $80 tapestry you must have online. You can also find good buys at Target or Anthropologie. The key is to plan a little and avoid buying something on impulse when you can find it (or something like it!) for less money elsewhere.

4. CLOTHES PIN YOUR PICTURES It’s great to have pictures on your phone.

But don’t you want to show some off in your room? Yes, picture frames are expensive.

An easy substitute is using some string, tape and clothes pins (cheap and readily available at discount stores). Just tape the string to the wall and clip your photos to the clothes pins. This is also a great way to change pictures easily.

Washi tape is colorful, decorative tape that can spice up any dorm room. Create cool patterns to put on your wall, your door or your fridge. (Photo by Abby Shoyat)

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Washi tape can spice up any dorm room. Let your creativity run wild.

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9. CREATE A MOTIVATIONAL WALL In your school supply list, you probably have written down “sticky notes” or “post-it notes.”

Buy a few more in different colors and use them to create a motivation wall for yourself.

College is hard, so take time to write some inspiring quotes, encouraging words or funny phrases. Put them in a place that you’ll see every day. Remember to work hard and have fun. Everything will be OK.

7. THINK ABOUT STORAGE With the average dorm room only 130 square feet in size, you have to be wise and thrifty about storage space. Choose clear containers that make it easy to see what you 5. MAKE A PENCIL HOLDER have, they can be purchased from $3 to $6 Don’t throw your Tissue box in the recycling at Walmart. You can also use boxes you albin. Instead, take some paint, markers, colorful tape, construction paper or wrapping ready have to store the things you need. For paper and turn it into a creative, DIY pencil example, shoe boxes are great for storing small items and electronics. holder for your desk.

10. SHARE ROOMATE COSTS Chances are, you will have one or more roommates. Get in touch with them before school starts and see if there are any costs you can share. Maybe you can buy the posts-it notes, and they buy the string and clothespins. Having these conversations can help break the ice before the semester starts and be a fun way to get to know your new roommates.

8. MAKE A T-SHIRT BLANKET Yes, you can sew a blanket from your old shirts. This is a great way to not only get rid of some T-shirts you don’t wear anymore but also have another remembrance of home.

And you’ll get that warm fuzzy feeling when you use it.

BRING IT ALL TOGETHER Moving into your dorm room can be a fun and exciting experience. By planning a little and thinking strategically, you can have a room where you and your visitors feel comfortable, and you can save a little money as well.

6. EXPERIMENT WITH WASHI TAPE Washi tape is colorful, decorative tape that can spice up any dorm room. Create cool patterns to put on your wall, your door or your fridge. Let your creativity run wild and make your room the coolest hang out. It’s also easy to remove and can be changed out when the seasons change or you want to try something new.

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HOW TO HANDLE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR ROOMMATE

BY NOELLE ZIELINSKI One of the most exciting things about moving into a new dorm is meeting your new roommate or roommates. Often times, your roommates become some of your best friends in college and they become the people you create some of the best memories with. But what happens if your roommate isn’t whom you expected? Here are a few pieces of advice as to what to do if you and your roommate are having some issues.

MAKE ROOMMATE AGREEMENTS This is one of the most effective ways to prevent a conflict from happening. Creating a list of agreements between you and your roommate can take a lot of pressure off of talking about individual conflicts as they arise. Some of the things that you may want to discuss in the list of agreements are topics like having guests in your room, how loud someone can play music while the other person is in there, designated quiet times to study, and personal space specifications.

Making this list together can also serve as a sort of bonding experience for you and your roommate.When your list of agreements is done, tape it up on the wall as a reminder of the terms you both have agreed to.

TALK TO YOUR ROOMMATE If you are having an issue with your roommate, the first thing to do is to talk to them about it. Remember to stand your ground and speak your mind, but also listen to what your roommate has to say. Your roommate will appreciate the fact you are listening to their side of the situation, and this will also allow you to understand the situation better.

For small issues that you and your room-

Creating a list of agreements between you and your roommate can take a lot of pressure off of talking about individual conflicts as they arise. (Photo by Abby Shoyat) mate are facing, talking it out is the best solution. If you aren’t the confrontational type, start with a phrase such as “Hey, I noticed something earlier and I wanted to talk about it with you.” This phrase does not blame or assign fault to either of you, which may make the conversation with your roommate easier to start.

TALK TO YOUR RA Finally, if the issues between you and your

roommate are escalating, turn to your RA for guidance. Your RAs are there to help you, and they will have no problem talking to you about any issues you may be having with your roommate. This is also another alternative if you are not a confrontational person but are still having issues with your roommate that need to be resolved. Your RA will also handle the situation in a professional way and will try to find the best solution for both you and your roommate.

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