| July
12 –July 18, 2006, Number 402
ParentNET
Moving in: I know many of you have already started to discuss (and maybe have even started packing!) what your student will be bringing with them then they make the big move to Michigan Tech. You will be receiving more information in the mail about orientation week and what to pack soon, but until then, I wanted to provide a little more insight on some of the little things you might not think about bringing (or not bringing). Let’s start with one of the recently hot topics from the email list… bedding. Bedding Bedding can be a tricky situation. Bottom line: the residence halls are much warmer than you would think. Your student will not need a heavy comforter with blankets and sheets underneath. My preference was a sheet set with a fleece blanket on top. There were many nights in the summer and fall months when I hardly even used my fleece blanket. Just remember, no matter where you buy them, make sure they are the “XL” size. Our residence hall room mattresses are longer than standard mattresses. As many of you have discussed, many chain stores such as Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and even K-Mart sell XL sheets. I only used one set while I lived in the residence halls (I just washed the same set every week). The residence hall rooms have limited storage space, so additional sheet sets just take up extra space. You will also need to purchase an XL mattress pad, as they are not provided for students.
Speaking of storage, it was a form of art I mastered by the end of my freshman year. I highly recommend buying storage crates to store any dry food, dishes, etc. in. These crates are fairly inexpensive and can be found usually in the back to school section in stores. The key is to remember the ceilings are fairly high in the residence halls, so anything stackable is good. Any type of storage unit (especially for shoes or seasonal clothing) that can hang in a closet is also good. Douglas Houghton Hall and McNair Hall rooms have closets. Wadsworth Hall has armoires, so also keep that in mind. I tried to hang as many of my clothes as possible, so plastic hangers are a must. Collapsible storage units are also very useful. Decorating Maybe it’s more of a “girl thing,” but when I moved into my residence hall room, all of the girls in my hall were hard at work decorating their rooms. The first thing I decorated with was a fan. Box fans are nice for the windows (depending which hall your in will mean you’ll need different sizes) and then a smaller oscillating fan is great to put on a desktop. Our residence halls are not air conditioned because the weather is usually very comfortable, especially at night. Another thing that many students buy or bring is an area rug for their floors. Not only does it help spruce up the room, but it protects the carpet beneath that can become damaged when moving furniture around, etc. Many times an area rug can save your student from getting fined at the end of the year for carpet damage. Removable sticky hooks, non-acidic poster putty, and NO duct tape are important things to remember. Make sure the removable hooks are safe for painted surfaces and that they really can be removed without damage (3M makes a great line of these hooks and you can usually find them in the hardware sections of stores). Poster putty that won’t leave behind residue is also great. And absolutely NO duct tape is to be used at any time! Garbage cans do come with the furniture in the rooms, so you don’t need to bring your own. My roommate and I did buy a shoe mat to put at the front of the door, however. This helped during the winter months to help keep the sand (Houghton County mostly uses sand, not salt, for roads) at bay.
Although your student may not want to admit it, they most likely will experience some home-sickness during their first semester. I would advise them to bring something comforting from home. J It’s just nice to make your residence hall room feel like your own comforting space. And along with staying comfortable, yes, your student will need winter gear (no, you cannot wear shorts all year long, although some students try!). I wouldn’t bring any heavy winter gear to MTU until Thanksgiving break just to save space. I wear hiking boots in the winter months, as full boots aren’t really needed since campus is always plowed out fairly well. However, that is up to your student, and they will find what works best for them in a few short months to come. Food Food is another topic I will touch on in a few ParentNet articles to come. Each of the residence halls has their own dining hall. And in Wadsworth Hall, they also have the Campus Café. However, if your student likes to snack or just likes to have their own food on hand, I would recommend buying plasticware such as Ziploc containers or Gladware, and plastic utensils. They’re inexpensive and easy to store. If your student likes to prepare their own food, they are welcome to bring smaller refrigerator and microwave for their room, otherwise there are lounges or kitchenettes for each hall to use. Showers/Bathrooms If your student is not in a suite room in Wadsworth Hall, they will be sharing the bathrooms with their hall. I recommend brining a shower “caddy,” a plastic and hangable container that your student can use to carry all of their toiletry items to and from the bathroom in. If they will be living in Wadsworth, there are also small lockers that are available in the bathrooms to keep their personal items in. And since your student will have to walk back and forth from their room, I also recommend they bring a robe and flip flops for showering. Computers & School Supplies Although computers could be a whole article on their own, I thought I would just touch on some things to remember. Most of my classes like when student shave Jump/flash drives or a memory stick. These are nice to store presentations on. I have found that it is not necessary to bring a personal printer, as the computer labs are a short walk away. Aside from the usual school supplies list, I would also recommend bringing a small bulletin board (that you can lean against the wall), a programmable and non-programmable calculator, an alarm clock (with battery back-up… don’t just let your student rely on their cell phone!), a telephone for the land-line available in the room, TV coaxial cable, and surge protectors. I would not recommend bringing a large stereo that could get damaged because there are noise rules in the halls anyway. Personal MP3 players are more common, and much smaller. Most students spend a lot of time on their computers, so headphones are nice to have as well, especially in the computer labs. Laundry Laundry facilities are available in each residence hall. Washers are free to use, and the driers only cost $0.25 each to use per load. Make sure your student has laundry detergent/fabric softener or drier sheets. Having a collapsible laundry basket is perfect for doing laundry in the residence halls. Emergency Information Once your student starts attending the orientation events, they will receive a student planner that contains every contact phone number that you would need to know. It also contains interesting facts about campus, where to go for what, maps, and many other pieces of information. Plus, the school calendar is built right in, so your student should always know what’s going on. It is also important that your student has their own copy of an insurance card and emergency contact info. I have also found that it is very helpful to keep a list of prescriptions in my wallet at all times. Also, a bottle of Tylenol or pain reliever is nice to have on hand, along with cough drops and Kleenex. Although this list is pretty extensive, it is not necessary to pack everything but the kitchen sink. Your student does have their first break at Thanksgiving to come home and get things they’ve forgotten. Also, we do have a campus store, ShopKo (it’s a store that is similar to Target), and super center Wal-Mart in Houghton if you’ve forgotten anything or can’t fit it all in the car. I will warn you that these stores are always busy during the freshmen move-in days, but at least you can have a back-up option when last-minute planning happens. Please let me know for future ParentNet articles if I haven’t mentioned something that you feel is important to bring. And if you’re wondering how you will get everything to fit into a small residence hall room, don’t worry, it somehow always works. There will also be Michigan Tech staff and student volunteers available during all move-in days to help you carry your student’s belongings to their new room. Until next week,
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Storage
Staying Comfortable