Residence halls 101

Freshmen, take it from two experienced dorm dwellers: There are certain things you do and don't do while living in the residence halls. Through our past few years in the dorms we've learned a thing or two, from personal experience and observing others. Here are a few of our favorite tips.\n• Do keep your door open. You'll meet more people on your floor, and you'll open yourself up to interesting conversations with passers-by.\n• Do pick your battles. Why risk feeling alienated in your own room just because you wanted the top bunk or the desk closest to the window? But ... \n• Do stand up for yourself when it counts. Remember you paid just as much to live in your room as your roommate did.\n• Do change your sheets more than once a semester. You don't want to send floormates running from the odor of the unwashed.\n• Do invest in Febreeze. It's a smelly room's best friend.\n• Do wear shower shoes. You never know what's running around on those floors.\n• Do budget those meal points.\n• Do be as nice as you can to the floor "psycho." Every floor has one, and you don't want to upset him or her, whatever you do … unless you want to be awakened at 4:30 a.m. by a pounding stereo system.\n• Do expect fire drills ' at the most inconvenient time possible. On the same note, don't pull the fire alarm at 3 a.m. just for kicks and giggles. You'll be the only one giggling.\n• Do eat off campus occasionally. Your taste buds will thank you, and it's a real treat to sample some of the amazing cuisine around town.\n• Do be nice to your janitors. Get on their good side, and they can make the year pass more smoothly.\n• Do treat your roommate the way you would like to be treated. Chances are, if you don't want your roommate's sweaty gym socks on your bed, your roommate probably doesn't want yours on his or her bed, either.\n• Do lock your door when you're not there. Crime happens everywhere.\n• Don't expect lounge furniture to be comfortable while you're up all night studying. Trust us. We have firsthand experience on this one.\n• Don't assume you and your roommate will agree on everything. It can be difficult at first, but part of living with another person includes making small concessions and compromising. No one is perfect. Not even us.\n• Don't assume the resident assistant "won't find out."\n• Don't bring a significant other home to play while your roommate is trying to sleep. Nothing is more rude than ignoring your roommate's feelings and their right to sleep in peace.\n• Don't assume the elevator will always work. No matter what floor you live on, when you're in a hurry, it's always stuck on the floor above or below you.\n• Don't assume your roommate will clean it up.\n• Don't be careless with University-owned property (i.e. pillows). You will be charged.\nAnd most importantly, don't let the unknown keep you holed up in your dorm room all the time. There is so much to do, see and experience at IU, and you don't want to miss it. Don't be afraid to go out. Live it up!