Sibling’s Weekend!

Anyone who has a brother or a sister knows that feeling of irritation that only siblings can give each other. I have a younger sister and two little brothers, and I know that feeling all too well. But at the end of the day, my siblings are my best friends and my favorite time of the school year is when they come to Champaign to visit me.

Thankfully, it’s that time of year again. Sibling’s weekend starts Friday, November 14 with one of Newman’s most treasured events: Coffeehouse. Bring your sister or brother to see the talented residents of Newman Hall perform live in the Lewis Lounge (beginning at 7pm on Friday the 14^th). Also, the Illini will take on Ohio State that weekend, so be sure to treat the sibs to an authentic collegiate weekend at the game.

Mary Kate Norton

RA Applications Are Out

Monday Oct. 27th marked the last of three RA info nights. Around 60 students attended the meetings which were designed to provide information to students interested in becoming an RA at Newman. Katy Malley, Resident Director of Newman Hall, led the meetings and provided a pretty nifty power point presentation. Malley was joined by a team of RAs each night who helped take questions from the eager students in the crowd. One common piece of advice given to students was to "be yourself" when filling out applications. Another tip that Malley and the team provided was the encouragement to take this decision to prayer. Many current RAs feel that the role of an RA is very much like a vocation, or something they felt called to do.

If you are interested in becoming an RA the application is now available through the Newman website. Applications will be accepted until Nov. 10th. If you have any questions about the application or the application process, you can contact Katy Malley or one of the RAs.

Katie Gulas

Open Mic Night

Tuesday night was a good night to spend time in the Newman Dining Hall as community members shared their talents and passion for music at the first of a monthly series of "Open Mic Night". Passerby's gathered to watch and listen to this event organized primarily by resident Tom Almeida. Props to Tom for having a vision and seeing it through. This is a strong example of Newman spirit. When Tom wanted to see something new around the Dorm, he created it. It is exactly this zeal and love for St. Johns that brought you things such as nConnect and this bi-weekly Bag of Chips.

Continue reading the Monday Newsletter E-mail and your bulletin boards to find dates and times of the next Open Mic Night and other fantastically Newman events.

If you have ideas for new activities or improvements attend the Sunday evening meetings of the Residence Board at 10:15pm in the Monsignor Swetland Assembly Room of the South Building.

Pete Tigue

5K Run for Justice

Service and Justice Outreach held its annual 5K Run For Justice this past Saturday at Crystal Lake Park. Not being much of a "runner" myself I decided to bite the bullet and give a little time and money for this cause. I suppose I didn't expect to enjoy the experience as much as I did.

You are probably tired of hearing the C-word by now, but the community feeling on Saturday was amazing. Around every turn of the race I encountered a Newmanite proudly volunteering his or her time to help me understand the seemingly complicated path. They were people I had met from joining a choir, attending a Koinania retreat, or just sitting at a big table for lunch.

I can't say I achieved my humble goal time of eight minute miles, but I suppose giving a hug to the water station attendent during a race isn't the best way to stay under time.

After the race we gathered under the park pavilion to hear the results announced by Rachel Boss (a former resident and leader in the SJO organization) and many of us received raffle prizes. No prize or medal came my way but during a charitable event like this, the awards aren't always tangible.

Pete Tigue

Halloween Happenings

Halloween is drawing near, and that means things at Newman Hall are about to get spook-tacular. This coming Thursday at 7pm, Father Vince Lampert from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis will speak on his role as an exorcist. There are only 12 exorcists in the country, and this should be a very fascinating evening. Learn about the role of an exorcist, and the process of an exorcism. Father Lampert will also share stories of exorcisms he has conducted, so be sure to come to the Monsignor Swetland Assembly Room this Thursday at 7pm.

Another treat this week is a scary movie marathon on Halloween at 10pmin the Monsignor Swetland Assembly Room. If you’re a fan of scary movies, come out and watch some flicks with other residents.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Mary Kate Norton

Homecoming Winners!

It has been a very exciting spirit-filled week. Res Board thanks you all for participating and is pleased to announce our top 3 scoring floors.

Third Place with 40 points, led by RAs Megan Kelly and Ryan Miller is Third North

Second Place with 55 points, led by Anne Marie Brummer, Katie Gulas, and Chase Jones, is Third South

First Place with 65 points, led by Emily Saathoff, Art Hanley, Ashley Wisniewski, and Mary-Kate Norton, is the combonation of Fifth Sixth and Seventh

Congratulations to everyone for making Homecoming Week enjoyable for all.

Check back for picture and video re-caps.

Powderpuff TONIGHT

Meet in the Void (South Lobby) at 6:45 pm. We will leave from there to the fields near sixpack. The teams are divided as follows.

Team Pink: 5,6,7, 1S 2S 4N

Team Purple: 3N 3S 4S 2N

Winning team earns HC points for their respective floors. Which means the men of Newman better be out there to cheer on their ladies!

Work Orders

http://workorders.sjcnc.org

A previous article explained how to use the work orders, however I neglected to post the link.

Reminders

Room and board third installment is due November 1st. Payments, with the first and last name of the resident, can be dropped off in the "Payment" box near the entrance to the Hall Office.

Secondly, Newman hall is asking residents to give feedback on how the first few weeks have been going. You can access that survey by clicking here. Cash prizes are up for grabs!

Hallway Decorations Contest

Eight competed, but only four placed.

4th Place: Third North


3rd Place: First South

2nd Place: Fifth, Sixth, Seventh


1st Place: Three South

Check nconnect.us in the next few days for photo albums of more hall way decs.

Room Decoration Contest 2008

The most well decorated room have been selected. Here are the standings:

ILLINI PRIDE- 3115 Eric Verdeyen, John Block, Daniel Reiter, Brendan Ryan

MOST COMFORTABLE - 436 (South Quad) Adam Kelley, Lee Wells, Paul Schmitt, Mark Schmitt

THE TLC ROOM - 5123 Laura Rayman

WALL COVERAGE - 4123 Eric Giesing

PRINCESS - 7111 Jennah LaHood, Melanie Willi

AUDIO VISUAL ROOM - 2216 Estevan Carranza, Ryan Nesbitt, Jake Marganski, Andrew Kleczek

THEMED - 126 Stephen Barany, Larkin Crain


We have several Honorable Mentions:

Emily Saathoff was a close second for Most Comfortable while Kate Anderson is runner up for the Princess award thanks to her awesome fairy tale-esque chair. Steve Zazeski, Alex Wood, Joe Candido, and Nathan Martin had impressive entertainment set up with several video game systems, a projector, and surround sound. Other impressive themed rooms included 6115 by Steve Marciniak and Nick Yakich and room 3218, a jungle paradise, by Bridget Sheehan, Alex Henkels, and Monica Chan.

Look for more photographs to be posted soon on nconnect.us

Work Orders

The online work order system is ready to be used for all routine maintenance, repair, and cleaning requests. You can address issues you find in your room and also in common areas of the building.

Work orders for you room would be things such as a broken towel bar or wanting your bed lofted. Also, any network, phone, or cable problems can be reported. If you find a picture frame off the wall in a common room or a broken chair, please submit those online as well.

If you have an urgent request such as unsecured doors, a spill, or a door alarm sounding, you should contact that hall office by dialing 0 on your room phone or 217-344-1266 from your cellphone.

For serious emergencies of course call 911 if appropriate, but remember if you call from you room phone you'll need to dial 9-911.

If you have lost or broken your room key or Newman Card, you need go to the front desk. You card can be replaced only during business hours. After business hours you will be given a temporary key that you may use only until the next business day.

Get to Know: Katy, Brock, Eric

What would you do if you were stuck in a room with a girl who claims that Christ took her heart before he took her head (but still graduated summa cum laude from one of the most prestigious universities in the country AND is hilarious), a guy who crashed face-first onto a wall which you're supposed to jump over (amid cheers of Brock! Brock! Brock!), and a guy who peed in his pants in the first grade during a spelling bee-in front of everyone (and also happens to be the female heart-throb of Newman, enthralling his audiences and wooing all the women with his crazy awesome impersonation of the Beatles). Well that's basically what happened to me last Saturday and I realized that Katy Malley, Brock Perkes, and Eric Nyberg are all people you MUST meet during your stay at Newman. All of them have a great sense of humor and diverse interests, and are all Resident Advisors on different floors at Newman, so you know that they're responsible.

As Resident Director, Katy Malley is always looking for cool, innovative ways to reinvigorate the lives of each and every Newmanite so that we may all develop close-knit relationships with God and our peers, enabling us to experience the awesomeness of Newman, which has captivated her so much. About her team and her overall experience in this profession, she feels as if she couldn't have asked for a better job Where else can you find an occupation that lets you hang out with your friends all day, every day? Her faith and love for God is evident in her life but I really encountered it-not when I saw her at RCIA meetings, but when she told me that her time at Newman has totally changed her perspective on life. When asked why she is always so happy, she responded by saying, "I'm full of joy because of God; my heart longs for the things that are good. He changed what I want for myself, what I want for other people, what I want for my future." Seriously, I think everyone living here should take an hour out of their busy schedule to meet this straightforward, humble girl whose office is impossible to avoid when walking into the building, and whose favorite date was not when someone spent tons of money on her but rather when she went on a long walk and stopped at a coffee shop for a cup of tea.

Brock Perkes is a character; if you look him up on Facebook you'll find groups attempting to take him out and trying to corrupt his innocent mind in a multitude of ways. This guy, whose proudest moment was getting rejected from Notre Dame (more on that later), is the Assistant Resident Director of Newman Hall and organizes a wide variety of activities for the enjoyment of all the residents here. When he says that his proudest moment was getting rejected from Notre Dame, he means that because it was his childhood dream to go there. He spent hours and hours practicing for the ACT taking classes and practice tests, just to get into Notre Dame, but it was all in vain. This dude, in a moment where the rest of us would probably lose all hope and try to find ways of running away from home, saw that as a turning point in his life. In his own words, he realized that, "In life, all you can control is the effort. The challenges you face and all the other circumstances you encounter are unchangeable and must be accepted for what they are. All you can control is the way you respond to those challenges by the effort you continue to put in to persevere and achieve your goals…A lot of times, college kids live in a paradigm; they think they know what's best for them. For me what I thought was ideal was getting into Notre Dame, but looking back I realize that God has a way of showing you what you are truly called to do, and it doesn't always line up with what you want at the time." This guy, whose favorite color is sky blue (and who just got back from sky-diving AND sailing last weekend) considers his ideal date to be one in which he would go out for a cup of hot chocolate and, after a long walk on the quad, and play ping-pong ALL night long. If you happen to have a sudden urge to listen to classical music, play softball, golf, chess, or ping-pong, or just do something crazy, don't be afraid to hunt down this awesome human being.

Being an RA, Eric Nyberg is in charge of making sure that all Newmanites live a life of discipline and abide by the rules, but also have fun. He likes softball, volleyball and swimming, acting and music. He feels that Newman has given him the best possible environment to grow socially and spiritually. According to him, "Those two go hand in hand because the people I end up hanging out with tend to have strong faith lives, which leads them to have healthy relationships with friends and a good sense of morality." Eric Nyberg, who ran for Mr. Newman Hall twice, said his proudest moments are usually ones when he has let go of something in order to let someone else get what they wanted. "Sometimes it's hard," he said. "But when I'm able to do that for someone, I feel good within myself." Like Brock and Katy, a good date for Eric would be pretty simple, as long as there's a lot of time to just talk together. If anyone ever wants to discuss classical music or classic rock, movies, and even swing dancing, don't hesitate to contact this hot blond.



God Bless You,
Jerry George Vachaparambil

Mom-Away-from-Home

Our parents send us here, hoping, wishing, and praying that we’ll be okay; that we’ll remember to do laundry once in a while and not mix our whites with our colors, that we’ll eat right, clean our rooms once in a while, study, get good grades, and yeah- even that we’ll have fun. It’s a parents’ job to worry. But here at Newman, the weight is off our parents’ shoulders. Why? Because we have an awesome housekeeping staff.

They won’t tell you what to eat or make sure that you study, but they’re just as friendly as the folks back at home, and they wash your sheets too! A lot of us know them as our Moms Away From Home and even some staff members like Melodie Ounkham and Sheila Butts like to consider themselves as our second caretakers. They keep our bathrooms spick ‘n span, take out our trash, vaccuum, clean our personal sinks, and they manage to always do it with a smile.

“I enjoy serving the students. I especially like when someone will confide in me when they’re having a bad day and I can talk with them and just cheer them up a little,” said Melodie Ounkham, a housekeeping staff member who has worked here at Newman for 9 years. Melodie also loves the friendly environment and being our second-mom.

Ounkham’s most frequent lunch buddy, Sheila Butts, another housekeeping staff member here at Newman who has worked here for 4 years next month, also admits to liking the students. “I’ve made a lot of friends here: students and co-workers. Here at Newman, everybody cares about everybody. The employees as well as the students. We’re a big family.”

Both Ounkham and Butts will usually start the day at Newman at 6 a.m., bright and early. The friendly work environment, amiable students, as well as the manageable hours are what keep these two ladies coming back every year. They also optimistically added that they both love the new cafeteria and rennovations that were done to the building this summer, as they ate lunch together.

For the most part, we might take our parents for granted back at home, but let’s try and appreciate our housekeeping staff for all that they do. Because you gotta love knowing you’ll never run out of toilet paper, that your sheets will never go unwashed, and that there’s always someone to give you a nice smile at 6 in the morning to start your day.

So next time you see one of our Moms-Away-From-Home, say hello because there’s no doubt, she’ll say it right back.

-Annie Pie

Move Over Zuckerberg, nConnect is Here

Facebook may very well become a thing of the past, well, at least for Newman residents. N-Connect is a social networking website designed for Newmanites by Newmanites. Andy Kraus and Steve Zazeski are the masterminds behind this website designed to make connecting with Newman Hall and its residents easier and more fun.

Upon entering the site, residents find the homepage. One of the many features of the homepage is the list of links that it provides to websites that students may use throughout the day including, the UIUC homepage, Compass, Enterprise, the Daily Illini, Facebook, and well… would you look at that, Bag of Chips. The homepage also features local daily weather.

Every resident has a profile page ready and waiting for them, complete with a picture (you know, that one that you took when you moved in?). If you don’t like your pic then change it, and while you’re at it, update your profile. List you interests and what classes you are in or have been in. In turn, you can search for other residents who share your similar interests, are taking the same course as you, or who have already taken that course.

The profile pages “allow you to find out people’s interests so you can start conversations,” said co-creator Andy Kraus.

N-Connect also features a calendar with hall wide events. “You can keep on top of what’s going on,” said Kraus. “Any student can post their event on the calendar.”

Anything else? You bet. Supposedly, we were told that there is going to be a Dining Hall Menu. “Coming soon, I promise!” said Kraus. “We will have meal voting so you can have a say in what you want to see in the dining hall.”

In case you haven’t made N-connect your homepage yet you can do so by visiting nconnect.us.

-Katie

How To: The Balanced Diet of Champions [Newman Style]

This year I plan to write a biweekly “How To” column for Bag of Chips, including issues and topics that I feel would be relevant to you both as college students and Newman residents. My hope is that the column not only entertains you but provides you with some useful info and gives you insight on a variety of topics you may have never considered before.

With that said, I would love to hear your feedback. What type of stuff would you like to learn “how to” do? E-mail me any of your thoughts and you may just see your suggestion posted (properly accredited, of course).

Now to the important stuff: what we will learn “how to” do this week. Whether this is your first experience with Newman’s Dining Hall or your third year eating fried chicken and biscuits for lunch on Wednesday, we could all use a few reminders on how to maintain a healthy diet in college. Yes, most of us will grab the chocolate chip cookie instead of the apple and it is important to remember that is okay…sometimes. We often are not aware of the nutrients we need to keep our body healthy and give us the energy we need to crank out those papers at 1:00 a.m. on a Tuesday. Now I am not hear to preach about eating 5 servings of veggies a day and avoiding refined sugars, but I am hear to teach “How to eat healthy in the Newman Dining Hall.”

1. Be Creative with all the options: We are spoiled at Newman…really. We have so many great options at each meal that it may be hard to choose just one (and therefore you choose all of them). I suggest you get creative with the various food choices and create your own meal. For example, when there is grilled chicken in the Home Classics line, cut it up over a healthy salad full of veggies from the Garden of Eden. Or add heart-healthy olive oil, veggies, and parmesan cheese to your spaghetti noodles instead of meat sauce one night. Yes, it may take some additional preparation, but you will get additional nutrients and add variety to your diet.

2. Moderation, Moderation, Moderation: Did you know that a typical serving of meat should be the size of a deck of cards? I would be willing to bet most of us eat far more than that in one meal. Our culture has taught us that more is better; but when it comes to food that should not always be the case. It is quite a challenge to restrain how much food we eat, especially when we have the ability to put as much as we want on our plates. One helpful tip is using a smaller sized plate or bowl for the not-so-healthy items, which will help you naturally take a smaller portion. Or instead of taking an entire waffle for yourself, split it with a friend at breakfast and then have a piece of fruit and yogurt with it. You do not need to go cold turkey and avoid all greasy and fatty foods; that is unrealistic and will likely just make you eat more in the end. Just watch your portions and try to fill your plate with the more nutritious choices.

3. Eat Breakfast: Yep, mom told you it everyday in high school…and I’m telling you now. Eat breakfast! College students are notorious for waking up 7 minutes before class starts and running out the door without getting any nutrition in their body. Eating breakfast will allow you to focus in class and will also jump start your metabolism for the day. Research has proven that breakfast-eaters typically maintain a healthier weight than those who do not eat breakfast. If you have the time, stop by the dining hall (before 9:30 when they stop serving breakfast!) before class for a bowl of cereal and yogurt or scrambled eggs and toast with peanut butter. And if you are running late, you can always grab a piece of fruit and a granola bar with a to-go cup full of orange juice. Not only will you be more alert in class, but you will not be famished and overeat when lunch time rolls around.

I could go on and on forever with this list, but when it really just comes down to it, EAT SMART. You know what is healthy and what is not, you know if your pants start fitting a little tighter to maybe back off the 3 pieces of pizza a day. But you also know that it is not a good idea to deprive yourself and eat ONLY healthy things. I hope my advice has been useful to you and that you truly enjoy your breakfast, lunch, and dinners at Newman Hall. Bon appetite!

-Ashley

*Editors note: Comments can be emailed to bagofchipsnews@gmail.com.

A Groovy Kind of Place [to Study]

Regardless of the numerous ways the undergraduate population can attempt to get kicked out of school, failing courses should not be an option, at least for us Newman Hall residents, due to the numerous study lounges available. For instance, if you are feeling like a group study would suit your needs, check out the study lounge on the 6th floor. There’s enough table room for King Arthur and his knights.
If you are the type of student who succeeds by being a hermit, and secluding yourself from civilization, you should take a journey to the Bishop O’Rourke library in the south building, or the 3rd floor study lounge in the north building. Either room presents a tiny taste of humanity, which offers the possibility of increasing your social life. If you are feeling a chill study time, grab a cup of coffee, a few friends and venture down to Lewis Lounge, to relax, read, and share stories.
Maybe you don’t fit the profile of a hermit, or a social butterfly, but it’s guaranteed that there is a place for you to study here at Newman. From the Dining Hall to the Social Hall, the TV Lounge to the game room, or even your room to someone else’s room, there is somewhere for you to be comfortable enhancing your education. Some of the greatest memories of college are made trying new things and taking adventures with your friends, so take advantage of what is being offered to you, and try something new.

-Jackie

*The Bishop O'Rourke library is still in construction, check back for updates.

Do Good, Feel Good. SVdP Society needs your help.

Helping others? Winning idea! Helping your floor at the same time? Even better!

The Champaign St. Vincent De Paul Society is feeding the Hungry of our local community. The floor that finds the most sponsors will earn an advantage on Hall-Decoration Day, the 5th of October, which will be the kick-off of Newman Homecoming Week competitions.

A Walk-A-Thon, including lots of food and big-screen TVs showing the Penn State game will be held at St. Thomas Moore High School this Saturday the 27th. Service and Justice Outreach will be able to help drive students back and forth. Registration is from 6-7p.m. with the Walk from 7-10. Attendance at the Walk-A-Thon is not required. The person from Newman getting the most sponsors will win two basketball tickets for the IL/Missouri game December 23rd.

To help feed the hungry and get an extra half-hour to decorate your hallway you just need to pick up a sponsor sheet from the front desk and return it by 7pm Friday the 26th. Be sure to write your room number on your sponsor sheet, and remember that its the number of sponsors you find that counts not the amount they donate. Non-perishable food is also being collected and can be placed in the bin at the back of the Chapel.

Room Dec Competition

The Bag of Chips wants to find the best dressed rooms in the building! We think there are a few outstandingly decorated rooms around Newman Hall and we want to reward them.

Submit nominations for your room or your friends room to bagofchipsnews@gmail.com. Include the room number and contact information for at least one of the residents for us to plan a time to judge the room.

We will be going around to see the nominated rooms on the first four days of October. Expect the winners to be announced on the Fifth to start off Homecoming week. Winning rooms will be receiving much more than bragging rights. They'll have the opportunity to have a picture of their room on the Bag of Chips along with various prizes, such as a gift certificate to the Cookie Jar. Most importantly, each winning room will earn 5 points for their floor in the Homecoming week competitions.

CATEGORIES:

Illini Pride
Your room is bleeding blue and orange pride.

Most Comfortable
Hospitality is an essential skill, are you ready?

The TLC Space
Worthy of TV designers, yours is the catalog dorm room.

Coverall
Your guests don't have a chance to know the paint color with all those many posters.

Princess
Newman Hall is your palace, or at least a great place to display your affection for Disney.

The Audio
Video Center - Your friends call your room the "third TV lounge".

Themed
You might be tired of the over-theming by now, but we still think its cool.

We have eight groups of floors competing in this years Homecoming Week events, but only seven rooms can give their team a head start!

Homecoming Week '08

Homecoming Week!

The University hosts Homecoming Week every fall and each year Newman Hall brings the excitement home. This October we will be celebrating from the 5th of October to the 11th. Homecoming week is a time to take pride in your residence floor and get to know your neighbors better. At the end of the week we will announce winners of hallway competitions. The hallways will compete in hall decorations Sunday the 5th, Newman Jeopardy and food eating contests on Tuesday the 7th, and a powderpuff football game on Thursday.

The floors will be separated into eight groups as follows. First South West (short) and First South East (long) wings are together, the same is true for Second South, Third South, and Fourth South. Second North West and Second North East wings are together, just like Third North and Fourth North. Finally, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh North East will all be in one group.

Lookout for updates on the events and scoring process as Homecoming week approaches.

I-L-L => I-N-I

S-J => C-N-C

Stewards of the Earth

Newman Hall does have a recycling program in place. There are recycling bins on each floor for resident use. First through fourth floors can find bins in the walkway between the main stairs and the South wings. Fifth and up will see their bins near the stairs. Housekeeping will empty your trashcans but recycling is your responsibility.

Recycling is not new to Newman Hall as the dorm has always been committed to minimizing waste. In recent years student volunteers would empty the bins and haul the recyclables to an area recycling center. Before the student volunteers the waste company would take our recycling, however, it was discovered that the company was actually dumping the blue bins into the same garbage truck as the dumpsters.

Bike Permits

Bike Permits are now available for purchase at the Illini Market. They are being sold at $4.00 each to residents only. Be sure to leave your bike on the racks on the quad side of the building. Katy Malley said that the need for more bike racks was seen and a new one is on its way.

Who's eating our food?

Newmanites aren't the only ones excited about the great food in the Newman Dining Hall. Presby Hall, which does not have its own food service, has worked out a program with other dining programs on campus to feed their residents. The Presby Hall residents are receiving meal cards like ours, though their cards are not registered in our lock system. The more people that see our building the better!

More on the Retreat

This year's freshman retreat is led by a team of sophomores who after enjoying the experience last year knew that the wanted to offer that same retreat again this year.
They have been working for several months to prepare activities, food, and talks for the freshman. Leading the team is a handsome red head, Ned Zerwic. He has written a brief description of what to expect.

_________

The retreat is this upcoming Friday, We will be meeting at 4:30 in the Lewis Lounge and hopefully leaving at 5:00. Rides will be provided to St. Mary's in Pesotum, which is about 20 minutes out of town. You don't need to bring much, just a sleeping bag or some type of blanket to sleep on the floor), toiletries for the one night, and probably a change of clothes. I guarantee it'll be a blast, we'll have games, activities, a little free time to play some frisbee or just relax, praise and worship songs, and a couple of talks about college, relationships, and relationships with God. If you put your name on the list you should have received a reminder email about it. We need to know ASAP whether you can make it or not. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I hope to see you on Friday!

God Bless,
Ned Zerwic
_________

Dorm Sweet Dorm

Whether you are a returning resident or a first-year student, being away from home and getting settled into your dorm room can be stressful. Here are some helpful tips on making a dorm at Newman feel more like home.

1) Display photos of family and friends. It could be the Christmas card picture from last year, or a few pictures of a summer bonfire with some pals; these snapshots serve as a comforting representation of the people that you care about most. I make a collage of pictures every year by printing off my favorite pictures and arranging them in a standard poster frame with some double-stick tape. They are lightweight and easy to hang with 3-M™ hooks.

2) Put a mural of posters on your wall. This worked really well for me last year. I purchased about ten reasonably priced posters from the “Beyond the Wall” poster sale at the Union at the start of first semester, and I arranged them on the wall behind my bed. All of the posters reflected my interests and personality, so it gave the room my own personal touch. (The annual “Beyond the Wall” poster sale will be held Monday, August 25 through Friday, September 5 from 9AM to 6PM in The Pine Room at the Illini Union. Posters are ridiculously inexpensive, but I strongly recommend that you buy your school books first and spend whatever you have left over on posters).

3) Bring a good blanket. When the air conditioner is up too high, or you just want to get cozy and watch a movie in bed, a blanket from home will keep you warm and comfortable, as if you were back on your living room couch.

4) Stock your fridge with comfort food. I realize that everyone panics about the “Freshman 15”, but I keep chocolate bars, carrot sticks and (most importantly for me) Diet Coke at all times because my fridge at home is stocked the same way. It’s nice to have your favorite foods easily accessible for times of stress or homesickness or just plain hunger.

5) Make your room smell fantastic. This can be a little difficult with a smaller living space. Boys (and girls), Febreze™ works wonders on closets, hampers, bathrooms, etc. I like to stick lavender-scented dryer sheets in my dresser so that my clothes always smell nice. Febreze also makes wall plug-ins called NOTICEables ™. They last for thirty days and release a pleasant aroma into your possibly otherwise not-so-pleasant smelling room. Having an environment that smells good is not only beneficial to your friends and/or roommate but will also make you feel more at home.

The first few weeks can present a few challenges when it comes to being away from home, but by doing whatever you can to make your space a nice place to relax, the more you will be making Newman Hall your home-away-from-home.

By Mary Kate Norton