21 Off-campus

KELSEY BENACK Staff Reporter @kelseybenack

Imagine living with 30 other people in one house. For some, this situation is ideal; for others, it may sound like a personal hell.

Members who decide to live in their fraternity or sorority house experience memories that can stay with them long after graduation. Listed below is a compilation of some of the funny and memorable stories shared by MSU sorority and fraternity members.

Marshall McCarl, Pi Kappa Phi’s president

Photos by BRENNA LUMLEY/ THE STANDARD returned from the bars around 1 a.m. looking for people to keep him company. The problem was that it was a Wednesday night, or Thursday morning, and most people were already asleep in their rooms. One unsuspecting member of our chapter had left his trumpet lying in the open in his room, and our downtown adventurer saw his moment of opportunity. “He used his lack of experience to wake up the other members of our house walking up and down the hallways blaring what could possibly be the most horrific sound a trumpet could make. When he finished his rounds, he laughed, returned the trumpet to our brother’s room and proceeded to go straight to bed.

“This year, one of our in-house members returned from the bars determined to go straight to sleep.

“In fact, he made as far as the pool table before climbing on top and cuddling a lonely pool cue before nodding off.

“We once thought that the idea of covering a brother in barbecue sauce and having a group of cavemen and a man in a dinosaur costume chasing after him would be hilarious for a recruitment video.

“It got as far as the videotaping, but sadly the footage was never used for a promotional video.”

Emily Groce, a junior in Delta Zeta

“Last year before mystery sports, a homecoming event, my roommates and I decided it was a good idea to move everyone’s mattresses out of their rooms into all the common areas of the house.

“There were beds in the hallways, TV room, laundry room and on the stairs. It only took about 30 minutes to do all of this.

“Let’s just say, some weren’t happy when they came home.”

Abby Falgout, Alpha Sigma Alpha president

“Over the three-day weekend, we had a Mario Kart tournament between some of the girls that live in the house. It was a fun way for the girls to reconnect after a long winter break.” These stories are only a couple of the unforgettable instances that come with the livein experience.

Greek life emphasizes the importance of brotherhood and sisterhood in each chapter. When a member lives with their brothers or sisters, they may have a better chance to more thoroughly bond with them and create lasting memories.

What to know before moving off campus

DIANA DUDENHOEFFER Staff Reporter @kisstein

“Before moving into my apartment, I wish I had made a plan,” said Heidi Facklam, junior exercise movement science major.

After living on the Missouri State campus for two years, Facklam was ready to make the switch to her own place. She and her roommate moved into Coryell Crossing Apartments, lo- cated on the corner of Kansas Expressway and Sunshine Street before the fall 2019 semester began.

Facklam loves her new place and said it feels like home. It only takes her about 15 minutes to get to campus, and she enjoys that Coryell Cross- ing has a lot of college-aged residents.

But it hasn’t been easy. There’s plenty that she wishes she knew before deciding to move off-campus.

“This year has been the hardest just because I’m more on my own,” Facklam said. “[I’m] living on my own in an apartment and I’m pay- ing rent. It’s like, ‘oh, crap, I can’t just spend money. I have to save it.’”

Facklam’s rent is $450 a month, and she splits that payment halfway with her father.

“I’m very glad that I have that support,” she said.

While $225 of Facklam’s monthly earnings go to rent, she has other financial obligations. Nearly all of her money goes to pay for rent, utilities and gas, she said.

“You have to be responsible with money,” she said. “Having a budget is very important, and I wish I knew to do that before.”

Facklam isn’t the only MSU student expe- riencing a new and unfamiliar world with new and unfamiliar financial obligations.

Ericka Peppers works as a marketing man- ager at a number of properties including Bear Village, a student housing complex located just west of campus on Kimbrough Avenue. She said plenty of students struggle with rent and other contractual obligations.

“I think (students) know that they’re signing up for a monthly agreement, (but) knowing I have to pay my $600 rent every month can be a huge shock if you’ve never done it,” Peppers said.

She said late fees often incur for Bear Village residents simply because the monthly payment is out of sight and out of mind. However, Pep- pers considers student housing a great “purga- tory” between on-campus living and adult housing because all the bills associated with living there are combined.

“Bear Village is just an awesome step in-be- tween because you get that independence; you get to come and go as you want,” Peppers said. “But all those bills (are) lumped into one pay- ment, one contractual agreement, instead of having to go to City Utilities and having to go to Republic Trash and going to AT&T and all those different things.”

Of course, Facklam’s financial obligations aren’t the only thing she wishes she knew before taking the leap off campus.

Since Facklam and her roommate are two young women living on their own for the first time, this can come with its own unique chal- lenges that require extra steps to stay safe.

When she was growing up, Facklam’s father was always the one to lock the doors and turn off the lights before going to bed. She said it’s a big change to learn to do those little things. As another safety measure, Facklam always calls her roommate when she’s on her way home after a late night. She does this out of courtesy to make sure she doesn’t startle her roommate upon entering their home, but she also does it as an accountability measure: Facklam wants her housemate to know when she expects to be back in case something happens.

Another way the two stay safe is with a guard dog. She said her roommate’s Labrador retriever, Beau, is ready to defend the home from any unwelcome guests.

A pet may sound like a great way to make a house feel like a home, but Peppers gives a word of caution to her residents at Bear Village. “If you don’t have time – if you have a full school schedule and you have a full workload, you should not have a pet,” she said. “It is a commitment. I feel really bad for some of these dogs because residents will leave them for hours and days on end.”

Peppers said it’s not fair to the furry friend when the owner can’t commit to being a pet parent. She advises students to wait until after college when they can devote more time to having a pet.

“Don’t sign up for a commitment if you’re not able and ready to fulfill the terms of the commitment because it’s just not fair to the pet, and it’s really not fair to the apartment,” Peppers said, citing floor and furniture damage that she frequently sees in resident apartments.

Thankfully for Beau, Facklam and her room- mate have different break times throughout the day to give him attention.

“He gets to play all the time,” Facklam said. Even if residents don’t have dogs, Facklam said there are plenty of other measures students

Graphic by KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD

can take in order to stay safe. One often overlooked element is choosing the right roommate. “I think who you have as a roommate is a big part,” Facklam said. “Are they responsible? Are they doing to lock your doors? You have to trust the person you live with.”

She also said to make sure the place you pick is one you actually want to live. Do your research. Don’t pick a place just because it’s cheap or just because it’s close to campus.

She said it’s okay to have non-negotiables. “If you don’t want to live on the first floor, then don’t settle for an apartment on the first floor if that’s not what’s going to make you feel safe,” she said. “If that’s all they have, then don’t live there. It’s not worth it to not feel safe every night.” One of the biggest tips Facklam said she can give to stay safe is to not leave cars unlocked – and to not leave valuables in the car. Peppers couldn’t agree more. “One of the problems that arise is that sometimes students are a little too trusting, and they’ll leave their car doors unlocked,” Peppers said, citing a high occurrence of reported break-ins in the area.

She said the biggest concern for everyone working for Bear Village is safety. She explained the complex keeps its residents safe through the use of security officers, 24-hour locked doors and a “buzz-in” system for guests. Peppers said she wants her residents to feel that same safety they felt while they lived on campus.

While safety is Peppers’ biggest concern, she knows there are a lot of other things students should know before making the decision to move off-campus.

Practicing cleanliness and not being afraid to ask questions are at the top of that list.

“I wish that students would give some attention to what it means to ‘adult,’” she said. Facklam is optimistic about her living situation, despite all the learning she’s had to do. “I think I’ve gotten into the groove for sure,” she said. “At first it’s tough, but after a while I got used to it.”

How you can start moving toward a minimal-waste lifestyle Zerowaste

GRETA CROSS Digital Editor @gretacrossphoto

The zero-waste lifestyle has become increasingly popular with the recent em- phasis on environmental issues. Products such as metal straws, cloth shopping bags, on-the-go utensil kits and glassware for bulk shopping are particularly trendy.

The idea of living green is appealing to many, but just how easy is the switch from a disposable world to zero waste entirely, especially as a college student?

Amber Holko, a graduate speech lan- guage pathology student, began her zero waste journey in August of last year.

“I saw YouTube videos about it and I had heard a lot of stuff about people going zero waste and with all of the political stuff going on and climate change, it made me want to do something,” Holko said. “Going zero waste is something I personally have control over.”

Holko has swapped the majority of her single use items out for more sustainable ones, including a water bottle, utensil kit, collapsible metal straw, silicone zipper bags and glass and metal containers. She also made the decision to start purchasing some of her groceries in bulk at stores like Mama Jean’s Natural Market.

Holko said, in addition to reducing her disposable product usage, shopping at nat- ural food stores has improved her diet.

“I have definitely seen a change in my dietary habits,” Holko said. “Most people who live a low-waste lifestyle tend to have a very veggie-based meal prep. There’s been a lot of stuff in the media about how meat is super consuming of our natural resourc- es. I’ve been more interested in trying to eat more fresh fruits and veggies and buying more food from the produce aisle.”

According to Smithsonian Magazine, “livestock-based food production causes about one-fifth of all global greenhouse gas emissions.” Compared to other food sourc- es, beef requires 28 times more land, six times more fertilizer and 11 times more water.

This being said, altering one’s diet is just one way to leave a smaller carbon footprint. Besides Mama Jean’s, Holko visits SOAP Refill Station downtown to eliminate her plastic use in the bathroom.

SOAP Refill Station’s mission is to re- duce single-use plastics, shop manager Kori Smalley said. Customers can bring in their own containers to refill with the station’s soaps or purchase containers provided.

The refill station not only provides bath- room-use soaps but also laundry soap, lo- tion, essential oils and other zero waste products.

SOAP Refill Station offers a “Bring Your Own Container Refill” 10% discount to students living in specific apartment com- plexes and a “Neighbor” 5% off discount to students who live in the downtown area, Smalley said. The refill station also offers bulk discounts to customers who purchase over 24 oz or over one gallon of soap.

Along with taking steps to remove dis- posable waste from her life, Holko began a small countertop compost bin to recycle kitchen scraps.

Once her bin is full, Holko said she takes the scraps to a communal compost bin be- hind Ott’s Pasta on Cherry Street.

Photo submitted by Amber Holko Amber Holko’s small compost bin rests on her countertop in her kitchen out of the way. When her bin is full, Holko takes the compost to Ott’s Pasta’s community compost bin, which the Springfield Compost Collective picks up on a regular basis.

The 32-gallon compost bin is provided by the Springfield Compost Collective. Springfield Compost Collective founder and executive director Justine Campbell said she understands recycling and composting can be overwhelming at first, but there are steps college students can take to do their part.

For those living on campus, Campbell said students should slow down in the dining hall and only take servings they’ll eat completely. Chartwells, Missouri State’s dining service, composts in all of their dining halls on campus, which removes the stress for students.

When composting off-campus, Campbell recommended addressing one’s trash area first.

“Can you make your trash can a little smaller, so you can maybe fit a few small containers, where you could start separating plastic and glass?” Campbell asked hypothetically. “Your waste station can’t just be one bag that you mindlessly throw stuff in and forget about. It needs to be something pretty and structured like the rest of your house.”

After making adjustments, learning about what types of items and food products can be recycled and composted is important, Campbell said. The City of Springfield offers a “Recycling & Yardwaste Centers” guide, which includes information regarding what is accepted at their recycling centers and how to manage a personal compost bin.

“It’s hard being a college student and doing low waste,” Holko said. “Start small. It’s really easy to get overwhelmed thinking you have to do it all and be perfect. It is a transition, and you can’t just go and throw away all of these perfectly good things you have and switch them out for glass and metal because you still need to use what you have before you transition to things that may be better for the planet.” “It’s hard being a college student and doing low waste. Start small.” - Amber Holko, graduate student