Rez survival guide
By now, students moving into
Fanshawe's residences have just
started to unpack and settle into
dorm life. Roommates have been
met, posters have been hung and
rooms have only just begun their
descent into the mid-semester
entropy of class notes, textbooks,
leftover pizza and dirty laundry.
Residents still have plenty of
time to adjust to campus, roomies
and the Fanshawe way of life
before school starts. Here are some
tips to help you survive what may
be the biggest challenges of living
in rez.
Organization
Sorry guys, your mom (probably) isn't going to be picking up after you. It's not that hard to keep your room clean and organized, leading to a more pleasant space to study and hang out with friends.
Heather Burke, owner of the Ottawa-based Smart Space Organizing and member of Professional Organizers in Canada, is a trained professional organizer who is full of tips on how to organize a dorm room. She recommended creating five zones in your bedroom: study, relaxation, clothing (as she says, use your wardrobe, not your "floor-drobe"), meal and sleep.
She said she believes that every item you own should have an easily accessible, functional home. Her best advice: "Don't bring everything you have! Keep things simple and take what you need." Keeping your room to the essentials leaves less clutter and more room for fun ... and studying. To avoid an overstuffed closet, Burke advised keeping only seasonal clothes in the dorm and leaving the rest at home.
Though she's not a big fan of buying specialized organizing products, Burke highly recommended a laundry basket with sorting bags or bins. Her ideal laundry basket has three bins: "(One each) for darks, lights and colours — each bin holds one load." This saves time and energy when carting your duds to the laundry room.
Roommates
Organization may also be a key to better roommate relations. Burke recommended students each have a plastic basket to carry everything from shower items to snacks back to their bedrooms when they are finished using them in common areas. "The only things that should be in the bathroom are extra toilet paper, towels and soap ... not 20 different shampoos and 70 types of toothpaste," she said. Keeping your bathroom kit in your bedroom is also an easy way to avoid arguments over stolen toiletries. It all boils down to keeping common areas clean, said Burke.
Another way to ensure a dramafree year is to talk early and often with roommates before serious troubles arise. Robert Kitchen, a Student Success Leader from the Student Success Centre at Fanshawe, recommended setting out guidelines and expectations for quiet study time before the year begins to prevent a lot of trouble down the road. He advised that students "be respectful about people's right to study versus others' right to socialize."
Homesickness
Adjusting to a new life on campus may leave some residents yearning for home. Becky Maidment, Residence Life Manager, recommended going to Resident Assistants and roommates for support. She said experiencing what life on campus has to offer might also take students' minds off feelings of missing home. "Get out of your room and get involved in residence life activities and FSU activities."
Emergencies
Though living on campus is pretty safe, it can be a good idea to prepare for emergencies. Burke recommended keeping an "in case of emergency" list of phone numbers posted in your common room that includes the telephone numbers of all roomies' parents, doctors and emergency contacts. This will come in handy if one of you gets sick or injured.
Burke also recommended leaving a photocopy of your driver's licence, passport, health card and credit cards at home. That way, "If your wallet gets lost, you've got a reference," she said.
Maidment said there are front desk staff available 24/7, as well as security personnel roaming the rez buildings. In case of emergencies, RAs are usually the first person you should contact.
For more information, including residence handbook and code of conduct guide, visit www.fanshawec.ca/residence
Rez events
Residence BBQ
September 5, 5.30 p.m.
SUB Courtyard
Residence Pub feat. DJ Skratch Bastid
September 5, 9 p.m.
Forwell Hall, Student Union Building
All-ages with valid Fanshawe student card, 19-plus without
Organization
Sorry guys, your mom (probably) isn't going to be picking up after you. It's not that hard to keep your room clean and organized, leading to a more pleasant space to study and hang out with friends.
Heather Burke, owner of the Ottawa-based Smart Space Organizing and member of Professional Organizers in Canada, is a trained professional organizer who is full of tips on how to organize a dorm room. She recommended creating five zones in your bedroom: study, relaxation, clothing (as she says, use your wardrobe, not your "floor-drobe"), meal and sleep.
She said she believes that every item you own should have an easily accessible, functional home. Her best advice: "Don't bring everything you have! Keep things simple and take what you need." Keeping your room to the essentials leaves less clutter and more room for fun ... and studying. To avoid an overstuffed closet, Burke advised keeping only seasonal clothes in the dorm and leaving the rest at home.
Though she's not a big fan of buying specialized organizing products, Burke highly recommended a laundry basket with sorting bags or bins. Her ideal laundry basket has three bins: "(One each) for darks, lights and colours — each bin holds one load." This saves time and energy when carting your duds to the laundry room.
Roommates
Organization may also be a key to better roommate relations. Burke recommended students each have a plastic basket to carry everything from shower items to snacks back to their bedrooms when they are finished using them in common areas. "The only things that should be in the bathroom are extra toilet paper, towels and soap ... not 20 different shampoos and 70 types of toothpaste," she said. Keeping your bathroom kit in your bedroom is also an easy way to avoid arguments over stolen toiletries. It all boils down to keeping common areas clean, said Burke.
Another way to ensure a dramafree year is to talk early and often with roommates before serious troubles arise. Robert Kitchen, a Student Success Leader from the Student Success Centre at Fanshawe, recommended setting out guidelines and expectations for quiet study time before the year begins to prevent a lot of trouble down the road. He advised that students "be respectful about people's right to study versus others' right to socialize."
Homesickness
Adjusting to a new life on campus may leave some residents yearning for home. Becky Maidment, Residence Life Manager, recommended going to Resident Assistants and roommates for support. She said experiencing what life on campus has to offer might also take students' minds off feelings of missing home. "Get out of your room and get involved in residence life activities and FSU activities."
Emergencies
Though living on campus is pretty safe, it can be a good idea to prepare for emergencies. Burke recommended keeping an "in case of emergency" list of phone numbers posted in your common room that includes the telephone numbers of all roomies' parents, doctors and emergency contacts. This will come in handy if one of you gets sick or injured.
Burke also recommended leaving a photocopy of your driver's licence, passport, health card and credit cards at home. That way, "If your wallet gets lost, you've got a reference," she said.
Maidment said there are front desk staff available 24/7, as well as security personnel roaming the rez buildings. In case of emergencies, RAs are usually the first person you should contact.
For more information, including residence handbook and code of conduct guide, visit www.fanshawec.ca/residence
Rez events
Residence BBQ
September 5, 5.30 p.m.
SUB Courtyard
Residence Pub feat. DJ Skratch Bastid
September 5, 9 p.m.
Forwell Hall, Student Union Building
All-ages with valid Fanshawe student card, 19-plus without
