Alex Mosher

Staff Writer

Living in both the dorms and on-campus housing, former ISU student Nikk Kroon made more friends during his college years than he ever thought he would make. His social skills and ability to communicate effectively with his peers increased, as well as his knowledge on other cultures.

“I would not change my on-campus living experience for anything else,” he said.

Kroon loved living on campus so much that he even became a resident assistant and was promoted to building manager at Schubert Heights.

“When I would give tours, parents and future students would ask questions like ‘Why here instead of off campus?’” Kroon said. “I believe almost any incoming freshman would greatly benefit from living on campus. The advantages are overwhelmingly worth the uncomfortable moments that may arise.”

Unfortunately, not everyone has had the same experience as Kroon, and for some, their uncomfortable moments outweighed the good.

Cloe Muir, an ISU student, and her roommate decided that one day they wanted to rearrange their room. They collaborated on the idea of pushing their beds against the window in order to give them more living space. After a week, Muir went to move her curtains and noticed that they were completely frozen to the window.

“Later that week, my bedspread was frozen to the window and when we peeled it off, there were chunks of ice stuck to my blanket,” Muir said. “We couldn’t figure out why they were freezing to the window. We noticed that our room was much colder than the others and realized that our heat in the room didn’t work.”

Merisa Olufson, an ISU student, also lived with ice on her windows more times than none due to lack of heat. But Olufson’s bad luck didn’t stop there. When she was living on campus, she often encountered issues with the other women that lived on her floor, as well as the director of her dorm.

“The girls on my floor toilet papered the boys’ floor in Turner Hall and [the resident director] told us that if no one confessed to the damage, then we’d all be charged a $200 fine for vandalism,” said Olufson. “It was at that point that my roommate told on the girls because she didn’t want to have to literally pay for their actions. Also, after my roommate moved out, I moved my stuff on her side of the room. The director told me to remove my stuff immediately otherwise I’d be charged double. I thought that was a bit unnecessary.”

Lack of privacy and thin walls are also a common issue that residents are faced with, both in the dorms and on-campus apartments.