The Orion - Spring 2013, Housing Guide

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HOUSING GUIDE Contents

Home decor tips

4-5

How to pick roommates wisely

6

Living with new foreign friends

7

The resident adviser experience

8

Keeping pests out of your house

10

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Design tips help create relaxing space Jenna Fujitsubo Ne ws Designer

Creating a home away from home on a college student’s budget is a struggle, because we are all used to living in a home with our family, guardians and siblings in different ways.

When I moved to Chico from Sacramento three semesters ago for school, the apartment I rented was bare and cold.

From my experience of living on my own since moving to college and being an interior design major at Chico State, I've found that there are three easy steps to succeed in making any apartment or house a place to call home.

Organization The key to organization is to make areas in your home have a purpose.

Some ideas are buying cheap baskets or storage boxes to hold items in them so they can fit on shelves, go inside your closet or fit under your bed. Space is key to utilize the hidden potential of odd areas in your apartment and furniture.

Zoning This coincides with the organization by making every area have a purpose and making the furniture pieces interact with one another.

For example, a large rug can be used to go under part of your couch to make the area more cozy. Also, items like an entertainment center,

shelves and a side table will easily find their way to make the zone of the living room. Areas in your apartment are used for different purposes, so making these zones helps your stay organized.

Wall space The most neglected area in a college student’s home is the wall space, because it’s not easy to fill.

Many people have picture frames that sit on a night stand, dresser or shelves, but taking these frames and making a collage of them on a large, bare wall turns it into an art piece.

Some people have the misconception that pictures have to be symmetrical, but having them a little asymmetrical creates interest.

Teenagers and college students also come across a lot of posters. An affordable and easy way to create art out of them is to purchase discounted frames that appeal to you and cut your poster accordingly. The apartment will soon become more homely with the utilized wall space.

The main thing to do when decorating your home is to use what you have and only buy what you need. If you keep up with the organization of your space, all of the areas will come together. Remember to look at your walls as a canvas, and don't neglect the vertical ground you have in your home.

The Orion can be reached at editorinchief@theorion.com

the orion •illustration BY jenna fujitsubo

needing space This space layout utilizes its wall space and ensures that each piece of furniture and appliance has a purpose in each room. The living room sports a large floor rug to give a warmer atmosphere than the hardwood floor provides, and the shelving around the TV in the same room also livens up the space. Without shelving for the walls, the room would be less cozy and more bare. The couches are positioned in an efficient way for people to sit and watch TV without taking up too much space.

Friends may make lousy roommates Trevor Platt Sports Editor

As graduation approaches, I have been reflecting on my time and experience as a Wildcat.

I can say with utmost certainty that roommates can be either the best or absolute worst part of a college experience.

I currently love my housing situation and couldn’t be happier with the people I live with, but six months ago, it was a different story.

I had a roommate who couldn’t comprehend the definition of clean, and this same roommate also found it acceptable to have her boyfriend, who was a convicted felon, just move in with us.

It was an interesting six months, but that time has come and gone and I can say I have collected a wealth of knowledge about living

with roommates.

Freshmen, let’s start with you, because the urge to move into your own apartments and out of the dorms is encroaching.

I'll be blunt — your friends in the dorms are not your friends.

These are people you know based on a living situation. While some will make great roommates, most won’t. You do not really like each other, you just like the person down the hall a bit better than your dorm roommate. I promise, it’s simply a situational friendship.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 20, you might not want to live with your friends, at least not your very close friends. I lived with one of my best friends when I was younger and although we remain friends, the experience was horrible.

Neither one of us really had the courage to express household

complaints because we feared offending each other. This occasionally continued until emotions blew up. I felt like I was walking on eggshells for a while.

By the time you reach your last year of college, you will know who your best friends are. These friends will be people to turn to once you fully comprehend how to communicate like an adult. Until then, I recommend avoid living with your best friend.

Don’t fear Craigslist. One of my best friends was previously a roommate who I had not met prior to the start of the fall 2012 semester.

I know may people who have found success living with strangers, which can be a learning experience.

It will also be incredibly easy to talk to them, because you probably won’t have the fear of offending

them like you would a friend.

Lastly, apartments suck. So when it comes to living with people, avoid apartments.

Messes accumulate fast, as does the tension you will face, so always aim to secure a house to rent. They make living with people more bearable and generally lead to many fun shenanigans that a small three-bedroom apartment would not be able to provide space for.

So remember when living with people, do not pay attention to what they are like or whether they are your best pals, but rather pay attention to how they live and really ask yourself if you can handle it.

Best of luck of luck with your roommate searching. I hope most of your decisions don't suck.

Trevor Platt can be reached at sporteditor@theorion.com

Value

Convenience

I am a hunter of truth, but I am not alone.

It takes a team.

The Orion is accepting SPRING2012.

2013 applications for Fall

Quality

Respect

www.epmchico.com

Visit Plumas Hall 001 for more information.

Spring 2013 Studios, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments in great locations in Chico 341 Broadway #307 Chico, CA 95928 530.624.1530 (phone and text) The Hunters of Truth

Living with exchange students provides culture Carly Caumiant Opinion Editor

Finding roommates can be challenging.

Fortunately, for me I have had luck with Chico State Study Abroad Program. The program is more than willing to link students with roommates venturing from overseas.

The exchange makes for an exceptionally refreshing housing experience.

Students studying abroad in Chico bring a certain amount of appreciation with them that the average American student can lack. They are living in our country, sleeping in our homes and making use of our resources for the first time.

The last thing they want to do is take long showers or leave out dirty dishes.

In my two years of living in Chico I have shared a home with three exchange students, and all three have been respectful, clean and delightful housemates.

Last year I lived in University Village with two young women, Kim from Vietnam and Aya from Tokyo.

Kim only lived with us for a semester, but in that time I learned much about her culture and divulged into many plates full of home-cooked Vietnamese cuisine.

Kim was courteous with our shared living space at the Village.

She had a certain regard for others that I have yet to witness among my American peers.

Kim, as well as Aya, were in America to learn and experience the American culture and were continuously curious about the English language. Their trilingual abilities made me feel shamefully illiterate.

Aya and I became very close friends after living together for a full school year.

Small touches like a Japanese incense holder placed atop our bathroom counter were quiet gestures that always reminded me of her tender-giving nature.

This year I am living with Janine, a beautiful blonde from Munich, Germany. Her hospitable nature has already begun to blossom. I anticipate this semester will be filled with many days of sparkling clean showerheads and fresh kitchen aromas.

Living with exchange students is a treat that will linger even after the boxes have been packed and the house keys have been returned. I'm sure my future will hold many trips to Asia and Europe, where my newfound friends will be awaiting my arrival.

It’s nerve-racking to walk into a new home full of strangers, but in the case of these three women, my home has always felt warm and inviting.

The following are a few suggestions to keep in mind when

embarking upon living endeavors with your new roommate who is studying abroad in Chico: •

•

Talk to them as you would a friend. Exchange students want to learn, and having full conversations with them helps them understand the English language better.

Remember, they are already bilingual, or even trilingual, and have an easier time picking up languages than you probably do.

Always be open for answering questions.

Foreign exchange students will ask if they do not understand a word, concept or idea. This makes for an opportunity to teach them a little something from an American’s perspective.

•

Ask questions about their culture. Just as you love to talk about your hometown with Chico friends, students studying abroad love to reminisce on the scents and smells of their hometown as well. It's going to be pretty interesting for you to hear as well.

•

Show them the town. Living

•

with a house full of Americans can be a real treat for exchange students, because they are able to learn the ins and outs of Chico with little to no struggle. Where else are they going to experience the chaotic bliss of the Madison Bear Garden?

Let them take you out, and make it a point to meet other students in the study abroad program. Exchange students are constantly attending outings put on by the university, and these are great opportunities to meet many students from numerous parts of the world.

The best way to get in touch with Chico State Study Abroad is by visiting its office on campus in Student Service Center Room 440.

You can also find them on Facebook by searching for Chico State Study Abroad. The Facebook page is constantly updated with students looking for places to live, as well as those simply introducing themselves to Chico and its students. You can post on the Facebook wall yourself to put the word out that you’re searching for a roommate.

Carly Caumiant can be reached at opinioneditor@theorion.com

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Advising job worth extra hassle Yzel Romo Staff Writer

While walking back to the resident adviser office after completing our nightly residential safety checks, my partners and I hear loud music booming from one of the rooms upstairs.

It is 9:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and the quiet hours at University Village have started. I look at my partners, and we immediately decide who will take the lead and who will take notes.

As we reach the source of the noise, we hear bottles clink and someone yelling, “Shots!” as the clapping in the background escalates.

My partner knocks on the door.

"RAs on duty! Open up, please!"

We hear scattered commotion on the other side of the door as someone whispers, “Crap, it’s the RA." Seconds later, someone opens the door with a look of fear in

$1,000 After one semester, the university pays off $1,000 of the resident adviser's university payment account. The university reserves the right to ask this amount be repayed if the adviser quits before the end of the year.

their eyes. After asking the basic “What are you up to?” questions and making the “The music is too loud” statement, we ask if we can enter the room. They say yes, reluctantly.

The stench of alcohol greets me like a slap to my face. My partner notices a can of beer on the desk.

Suddenly everything is moving faster than normal.

The pile of alcohol bottles in the middle of the room, the collection of IDs from six different residents, making sure everyone is safe and writing down observations for the incident report.

This is just another night living in the resident halls as a resident adviser.

I remember applying for this job and having people ask me why I would do such a horrible thing to myself. They advised that becoming an RA will end my social life, I will be tired all the time and that I won’t be able to do anything

1

Each resident adviser gets one room to his or herself in the area of the dorm he or she supervises. That room is equipped with a free telephone and voicemail, just in case the adviser's residents need to get in touch.

— overdramatic, yes. They were not 100 percent wrong, or fully right either.

This is my first year as a resident adviser, and the experience has been incredible. The people I’ve met have become my closest friends, I have overcome things that I thought I would never be able to even talk about and I have created a bond with my residents that no one but us can understand.

I actually love my job, despite some disbelief from others.

But yes, this job does have its downside.

Juggling school with work and my social life can be hard, especially with my terrible time management skills. Planning my schedule around safety checks has to be done weeks in advance.

Then there are those awkward moments after I have documented a resident when they see me and turn the other way. Some residents think RAs are out to get them and

2.5 Resident advisers must have a cumulative and semester GPA of 2.5 when they apply for the job. The adviser must also maintain that average throughout the duration of his or her job.

that we are watching their every move.

Well, sorry freshmen, we’re not.

Ain’t nobody got time for that. We are holding residents responsible for their own actions.

I think residents, as well as everyone else, have to realize that as resident advisers, we are held to higher standards. Someone is always watching us. The Resident Community Coordinator, the Assistant Resident Community Coordinator, people in housing and residents are constantly checking in. One big mistake can get us fired, and then we'd lose everything.

Being an RA is a talent. Not everyone can do this job, which is probably the reason not many people reapply. But I think it’s worth a try. Once you are an adviser, you start seeing the world completely differently.

Yzel Romo can be reached at yromo@theorion.com

30

To serve as a resident adviser, you must complete at least 30 units by the beginning of the academic year. Resident advisers with at least 60 units are preferred.

SOURCE • 2012-2013 Resident Adviser application

Maggot fight teaches lesson in cleanliness Quinn Western Ne ws Editor

Crunch. Step. Crunch. Step.

Crunch.

It’s 6 a.m., I have golf team workouts in a half hour and I can see little yellow specks across the kitchen floor through my gooey eye crust.

Flip. The light illuminates the room, revealing little devils worming and inching their way across the hardwood floors.

I panic at the sound and feel of the maggots squishing beneath my shoes and run for the door.

About a week before, my roommates and I had held a back-to-school party in our completely maggotless

house.

We slacked off on the clean-up for a few days because it was summer, and we wanted to enjoy being lazy while we had the time.

The small critters were a consequence of our biggest mistake. When the maggots arrived, our second consequence was getting rid of them.

I found my bare-footed roommate, Liam, baffled when I returned home from workouts. We called for back up.

Liam, my boyfriend Ben and I spent the next hour or so hunched over trying to vacuum every yellow dot.

Fortunately, Liam put on his flipflops. I still cringe at the thought of

maggot guts on his bare feet.

First, we attacked the dining area with the hose on the vacuum.

The kitchen was next. Luckily, we didn’t find any more surprises in our food or cabinets. But we did find some hiking up the molding on the walls.

Lastly, we had to perform feng shui in the living room to reach some maggots cowering in fear underneath the couches.

When we couldn't see anymore, we thought we were successful.

Two days later…

"Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

With two of my other roommates, Kym and Cammi, I poisoned the house with Raid and any other insect-

killing products we could find.

The house looked like it had spores, but at least spores don’t move when you try to swat them.

After cleaning up the mess, I was too scared to eat, sleep or even sit in the house for a few days. We also didn’t have any parties for a while to prevent ourselves from making maggot food for some “little maggot that could.”

So please take my advice and stick to cleaning up the day after your shindig.

An after-party disaster can happen overnight.

Quinn Western can be reached at newseditor@theorion.com

Maggots thrive in enclosed spaces such as garbage cans and feed off of rotten food or dead animals. They have a speedy life cycle, requiring less than a day to grow and feed on their host.

To prevent maggots, simply keep your garbage sealed off and use a kitchen garbage disposal.

To kill maggots, use sprays, powders and other insecticides. You can also use boiling water and salt.

SOURCE • pestcontrolrx.com

the orion •ILLUSTRATION BY Quinn western