 |
TCU
dorms: our second home
By
Holly Johnson
Skiff Staff
At a school like TCU, where more than 3,000 students live
on campus, it makes sense for incoming freshmen to be
concerned with the adjustment to dorm life.
But fear not, students and faculty in residential services
say. They assure residents are well taken care of.
“There’s so many people here that care about
their experience and want to make them feel at home,”
said Barbara Hawkins, associate director of residence
life.
Hawkins admitted that sharing a small space with another
person can pose challenges, but she said that students
are carefully matched with one another based on preferences
they indicated in an online form.
Karin Lewis, coordinator of assignments, “spends
hours and hours” pairing roommates, Hawkins said.
Even with a compatible roommate, students still face the
task of adjusting to living in a large community —
with community showers.
Senior Abbey Jones, a resident assistant in Sherley Hall,
said this is probably the most overrated worry, explaining
that all residents have sinks in their rooms and can keep
their feet protected in the bathrooms by wearing shower
shoes.
She added that any other worries can usually be calmed
by getting to know the dorm and the people in it.
“Leave your door open when you’re there,”
she said. “Go meet your RA. Get involved in Hall
Council. Go to wing events and hall events.”
Hawkins also advocated the open-door policy, and said
she loves to peek in the rooms when visiting residence
halls and see the unique decorations that make each room
a home for the people living in it.
She said residents also should not forget about safety.
Locking doors and escorting all visitors are key to keeping
residence halls safe.
“You are responsible for everyone who lives in your
building,” Hawkins said.
As long as students make the effort, residential services
officials say the years living in a dorm can be some of
the most memorable of a lifetime.
“I think they need to look at what a great experience
it will be,” said Koleta Hatfield, hall director
for Brachman Hall. “Look at the friendships they’re
going to make, the freedom they are going to have.” |
|
|
|
|
Photo
by Sarah Chacko
|
| Sophomore
political science major Brett Grayson (left) reads
in his dorm room in Milton Daniel Hall while his
roommate, resident assistant and junior philosophy
major Kelly Achilles (center), and freshman English
major Stephen McPaul (right) converse. |
|
|
