Getting Along with Your Roommate

Hey guys,

So I have been thinking about this a lot lately as people have been getting settled down in their dorms, apartments, and roommates for the rest of the school year. I thought it would be a good time to post about how to get along with your new roommate (whether you have known them before or not).

My freshman year, I was extremely lucky to have a really great roommate. She and I got along so well that now we are great friends. We didn’t fight much, and respected each other to a good degree. Now, I am in an apartment off campus living with three guys (including my brother). Although I now have my own room, I find it harder to get along with them than I did with my previous roommate. She also has a harder time getting along with her current roommate, as she lives on campus again this year.

So, if you find yourself having a harder time getting along with your roommate, try and keep these things in mind.

1) (if you’re a freshman) He\she is just as new and scared of the new campus as you are. They are also getting used to their new schedule and new lifestyle. Give yourselves time and be sure to console with your roommate. It will give you two a chance to bond and you may also pick up some good advice.
2) Be completely honest in your roommate agreement. If you don’t want your roommate borrowing your clothes, say no! It may be awkward at first but it will work out better for both of you in the end.
3) Listen to your RAs when they tell you to tell your roommate whenever you may have a problem with them. Is he being too loud getting ready in the morning? Do you not like falling asleep to the TV on? Let them know.
4) Don’t complain about your roommate to friends. This will give you more reason to not like them because you will be complaining to yourself and once you start telling people, it will become more than true in your mind.
5) Try to see from each other’s point of view. If she is going out late every night, find out why and don’t judge her. If he has depression, don’t beat up on him, just take a moment to try and understand where he’s coming from.

These are just five of many tips on getting along with your roommate. If you have any other questions about college roommate living, then feel free to comment or send me an email at northernazcollegelife@gmail.com. Even if you need some specific advice on getting along with your roommate, feel free to message me and I will respond to you privately. 🙂

Happy Independence Day!

Hello followers and readers,

I just wanted to wish everyone a fantastic and safe Independence Day. I hope that in whatever you do, you have fun with friends, family, and loved ones. Enjoy this day of freedom that we have won against Britain!

Also, enjoy this funny quote by Erma Bombeck:

You have to love a nation that celebrates its Independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.

Flagstaff Forest Flowers

Went on a beautiful mountain bike ride through the forest and found many gorgeous flowers like this!

Morton Hall

Click here for a 360 degree view of a room.

Morton Hall is a relatively small all female hall. It is three stories tall with rooms on all three stories. Most rooms in Morton are doubles, however singles are available as well. It also has a basement where there are laundry facilities and a door to the courtyard outside.

All rooms have two windows that either face the buildings courtyard or the north campus quad area where Old Main is located. All double rooms include 2 adjustable (not loft) beds, 2 closets, 2 chairs, 2 dressers, 2 desks, one recycle bin, one trash bin, a sink and a medicine cabinet (with mirror) above the sink. The room has three outlets, a heating unit, 3 lights (two on the ceiling and one above the medicine cabinet), and one light switch.

The dressers include three drawers and can fit under the bed if needed. The desks include three drawers to the right side and one directly in front of the chair (there’s a photo of the skinny drawer).The closets are both set into the wall with the sink between them. Outside attached to each closet is one towel bar wide enough for an extra large towel and a hand towel. Inside the closets there is a rod to hold clothing and a shelf (there is a lot of space above the shelf if you can figure out how to use it). Because of the small space shoe organizers help a ton.

The medicine cabinet above the sink has a mirror on the front and three shelves inside (the shelves are adjustable and removable). The light above the sink turns on with a switch on the side. Note that the sink is like most on campus EXCEPT that is has two spouts, one hot and one cold. The sink does come with a stopper. Above the door there is a little window  that really helps with ventilation in the room. If you open both that and the windows you get a great breeze! The black shelving units (from bed bath and beyond) are really useful and they fit over the bed or dresser. You can hang all sorts of stuff on them.

The room does include a 3-cubic foot refrigerator, the fridge includes 2 metal (adjustable) shelves and one plastic with a pull out drawer (we took one shelf out to fit our pitcher). The door of the fridge has a soda holder and two smaller shelves. The top half of the fridge is a freezer which has one shelf and a shelf in the door. Microwaves are not provided but are definitely useful. There is a kitchen on the first floor of Morton with a microwave, oven and sink that students can use.

It’s really nice to personalize your room. One thing about Morton is that it is an old building and can get cold. This almost never happens but its good to be prepared with lots of blankets etc. Morton is also rumored to be haunted, the story is available here.

There is tons of wall space in Morton rooms. The walls are normal walls so thumbtacks can be used but the command products are really useful. Everything in the room is hung with either command strips/hooks, poster putty and tape.

The room does include two chairs but since neither of them used our desks they put one chair under  one of their beds. The black scoop chair was not included in the room but purchased at a Bed Bath and Beyond. All rooms in Morton have wireless or Ethernet access, the ability to use the WIFI depends on the computer you have. Some computers will get better reception so be prepared to use the Ethernet if you need to.

Thanks to Kilara D. for all of the information and the pictures!

Thanks to NAU for the blueprint and the 360 view of the room.

Remember, send in your room tours and they will be put on the website for hundreds to see!

New FAQ Section

Hey guys,

Just wanted to announce that last night I put up a FAQ page (link at the top) for questions that people ask me. 

I plan to add more, but just wanted to get it started.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at northernazcollegelife@gmail.com and I will add them to the FAQ if I feel it’s necessary for others to know. If not, I will answer in an email back to you. If I post it, I will send you an email right after letting you know that it is on the page.

Thank you very much for all of your guys’ support. This blog is getting bigger and bigger every month. A year ago I would have never thought it would’ve become this successful.

If you have any tips or suggestions on what you’d like to see here, comment or send me an email. I appreciate any and all support from you guys!

 

Roseberry Hall

Roseberry apartments are one of the three female-only halls on NAU’s campus. Located on North Campus, they are well known for their quiet coziness and their participation in events such as Save Our Peaks.

Each apartment includes: 3 beds, a shower and bathroom (1 sink, 1 mirror), 3 dressers, 3 desks, 3 wardrobes, a bookshelf, and a kitchen (with fridge, gas stove, microwave, sink,  and table with 3 chairs).

One of the three beds is a loft with room underneath for a desk/dresser. Rooms on the west side of the building feature sliding glass doors. All apartments have carpet.

Each apartment also includes a bookshelf for all of your textbooks.

The community features a front desk, laundry facility, on-site mailboxes, TV and study lounge, exercise room, and a common balcony.

Exact dimensions can be found at http://nau.edu/Residence-Life/Housing-Options/Residence-Halls/Roseberry/

Information and room layout found here.

Thanks to Jamie for the pictures of her apartment!

Freshman Tips and Tricks

Spring semester of 2012 is wrapping up. Finals are right around the corner, seniors are preparing for graduation, and current freshmen are excited to finally move up from the bottom of the food chain. 

Throughout my first year here at NAU, I’ve learned a few things that I’d like to pass on to you future freshmen who are so excited to come here. If you have any additional questions, email them to me at northernazcollegelife@gmail.com or comment. 🙂

1) Try to get along with your roommate. It makes things so much easier. 

2) Along with number 1, don’t talk crap about your roommate behind his/her back. It just gives you more reason to dislike them and creates more complications. Besides, it’s just wrong and it’s annoying for those passers-by who get to hear all about how your roommate likes to walk around naked in the middle of the night. 

3) Transfers are not only used for the Hotspot. Many restaurants around campus use transfers. Look out for signs stating exactly what you can get as a transfer.

4) Get involved…meet people who are interested in the same things as you!

5) Your RA is going to try to plan activities to get you to meet people on your floor and in your building. Get involved in those. I regret never getting to know anyone on my floor.

6) If you run out of nail polish remover, your neighbor will have some.

7) As nice as they are, don’t wear NAU t-shirts every day….they make you look like a freshman.

8) Late classes are fun because you get to sleep in. However, what about that job you’re looking to get? You won’t get hired if every day you’re not done until 6pm. 

9) NAU transportation sucks. 

10) Freshman year is a whole new experience. It’s nothing like high school. You will lose friends and you will gain new friends. You will change, so be prepared. Everything is going to be new, different, and great. If you’re scared, talk to someone who already attends NAU and ask them questions. We’re here to help. We’ve all been through it.

A Difficult Conflict Caused by a Viral Video

Joseph Kony is one of the world’s worst war criminals and I support the international effort to arrest him, disarm the LRA and bring the child soldiers home.

– Invisible Children KONY 2012 Pledge

This morning, I ran into the Student Media Center in the Communication Building (where I work for NAZ Today), excited about an idea for a story I could do. I ran up to my producer with my eyes wide open. She looked up at me and greeted me. Without even a beat, I told her I had an idea for a story to do today. That’s when I said two words: Joseph Kony. She looked at me like I was crazy. “Who is that?” She asked.

That’s when I explained to her the viral video going around that was uploaded to the internet on Monday, March 5th. This video has almost 12 million hits at this point and that number is constantly rising. It explains Joseph Kony and the things he has done in Uganda, Africa to the children. It was created by a famous non-profit company called Invisible Children. Their claimed goal was to reach out to the public and tell everyone about the horrible monstrosity who abducts kids in Africa in the middle of the night and turns them into child soldiers and sex slaves.

As soon as it was uploaded, people jumped all over it. Viewers shared the video on social network sites including Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. The hashtag #StopKony has been number one worldwide since the widespread news. Everyone was shocked; everyone wanted to do something about it.

Well, not everyone.

When I told my producer exactly what I was planning to do with the story, she loved it. I was excited. I was finally going to cover a story that was huge. It was one that was popular and was most definitely going to be watched by most of Flagstaff. I began to work on my story, gathering interviews and talking with some people about it. My producer assigned a Photog (the videographer) to me and had me explain the story to him. My story was going to be simple. Explain Joseph Kony, then explain what Flagstaff is doing about the issue. He looked skeptical, pulled out his iPad, and began to do some research, asking me a question here and there. He then looked at me and said it wasn’t going to be as simple as I thought. There was another side to the story, one that I, 12 million people, and Invisible Children inevitably missed.

In a letter to Jason Russell, the person responsible for the film, a blogger named Amber strongly addressed this other side. It was titled “Kony 2012: Causing More Harm Than Good.”

Dear Jason Russell,

After being bombarded with your KONY 2012 crusade, I have no choice but to respond to your highly inaccurate, offensive, and harmful propaganda.  I realized I had to respond in hopes of stopping you before you cause more violence and deaths to the Acholi people (Northern Ugandans), the very people you are claiming to protect.

Firstly, I would like to question your timing of this KONY 2012 crusade in Uganda when most of the violence from Joseph Kony and the LRA (The Lord’s Resistance Army) has subsided in Uganda in the past 5 years. The LRA has moved onto neighboring countries like the DRC and Sudan. Why are you not urging action in the countries he is currently in? Why are you worried about Kony all of a sudden when Ugandans are not at this present moment?

This grossly illogical timing and statements on your website such as “Click here to buy your KONY 2012 products” makes me believe that the timing has more to do with your commercial interests than humanitarian interests. With the upcoming U.S. presidential elections and the waning interest in Invisible Children, it seems to be perfect timing to start a crusade. I also must add at this point how much it personally disgusts me the way in which you have commercialized a conflict in which thousands of people have died.

Secondly, I would like to address the highly inaccurate content of your video. Your video did not leave the viewer any more knowledgeable about the conflict in Uganda, but only emotionally assaulted. I could not help but notice how conveniently one-sided the “explanation” in your video was. There was absolutely no mention of the role of the Ugandan government and military in the conflict. Let alone the role of the U.S. government and military.  The only information given is “KONY MUST BE STOPPED.”

I would like to inform you that stopping Kony would not end the conflict. (It is correctly pronounced “Kohn” by the way). This conflict is deeply embedded in Uganda’s history that neither starts nor ends with Kony. Therefore, your solution to the problem is flawed. There is no way to know the solution, without full knowledge of the problem itself.  We must act on knowledge, not emotions.

Joseph Kony formed the LRA in retaliation to the brutality of President Museveni (from the south) committing mass atrocities on the Acholi people (from the north) when President Museveni came to power in 1986. This follows a long history of Ugandan politics that can be traced back to pre-colonial times.  The conflict must be contextualized within this history. (If you want to have this proper knowledge, I suggest you start by working with scholars, not celebrities).  President Museveni is still in power and in his reign of 26 years he has arguably killed as many, if not more Acholi people, than Joseph Kony. Why is President Museveni not demonized, let alone mentioned? I would like to give you more credit than just ignorance. I have three guesses. One is that Invisible Children has close ties with the Ugandan government and military, which it has been accused of many times. Second, is that you are willing to fight Kony, but not the U.S. Government, which openly supports President Museveni. Third, is that Invisible Children feels the need to reduce the conflict to better commercialize it.

This brings me to my third issue, the highly offensive nature of your video. Firstly, it is offensive to your viewer. The scene with your “explanation” of the conflict to your toddler son suggests that the viewers have the mental capacity of a toddler and can only handle information given in such a reductionist manner. I would like to think American teenagers and young adults (which is clearly your target audience) are smarter than your toddler son. I would hope that we are able to realize that it is not a “Star Wars” game with aliens and robots in some far off galaxy as your son suggests, but a real world conflict with real world people in Uganda. This is a real life conflict with real life consequences.

Secondly, and more importantly, it is offensive to Ugandans. The very name “Invisible Children” is offensive. You claim you make the invisible, visible. The statements, “We have seen these kids.” and “No one knew about these kids.” are part of your slogan. You seem to be strongly hinting that you somehow have validated and found these kids and their struggles.

Whether you see them or not, they were always there. Your having seen the kids does not validate their existence in any shape or form or bring it any more significance. You say “no one” knew about the kids. What about the kids themselves? What about the families of the kids who were killed and abducted? Are they “no one?” Are they not human?

These children are not invisible, you are making them invisible by silencing, dehumanizing, marketing, and invalidating them.

Last year I went to Gulu, Uganda, where Invisible Children is based, and interviewed over 50 locals.  Every single person questioned Invisible Children’s legitimacy and intention. Every single person. If anything, it seemed the people saw Invisible Children as a bigger threat than Joseph Kony at the time. Why is it the very people you are trying to “help” feel more offense than relief with your aid?

“They come here to make money and use us.”

“It makes us feel terrible to be presented as being so stupid and helpless.”

These are direct quotes. This was the sentiment of the majority of the people that I interviewed in varying degrees. I definitely didn’t see or hear these voices or opinions in your video. If you are to be “saving” the Acholi people, the very least you can be doing is holding yourself accountable to them and actually listening to what they have to say.

This offensive, inaccurate misconstruction of Ugandans and its conflict makes me wonder what and whom this is really about. It seems that you feel very good about yourself being a savior, a Luke Skywalker of sorts, and same with the girl in your video who passionately states, “This is what defines us”. Therefore, I can’t help but wonder if Invisible Children is more about defining the American do-gooders (and making them feel good), rather than the Ugandans; profiteering the American military and corporations (which Invisible Children is officially and legally) than the conflict.

Lastly, I would like to address the harmful nature of your propaganda. I believe your actions will actually bring back the fighting in Northern Uganda. You are not asking for peace, but violence. The fighting has stopped in the past 5 years and the Acholi are finally enjoying some peace.  You will be inviting the LRA and the fighting back into Uganda and disturbing this peace. The last time Invisible Children got politically involved and began lobbying it actually caused more violence and deaths. I beg you not to do it again.

If you open your eyes and see the actions of the Ugandan government and the U.S. government, you will see why.  Why is it that suddenly in October of 2011 when there has been relative peace in Uganda for 4 years, President Obama decided to send troops into Uganda? Why is it that the U.S. military is so involved with AFRICOM, which has been pervading African countries, including Uganda? Why is it that U.S. has been traced to creating the very weapons that has been used in the violence?  The U.S. is entering Uganda and other countries in Africa not to stop violence, but to create a new battlefield.

In your video you urge that the first course of action is that the Ugandan military needs American military and weapons. You are giving weapons to the very people who were killing the Acholi people in the first place. You are helping to open the grounds for America to make Uganda into a battlefield in which it can profit and gain power. Please recognize this is all part of a bigger military movement, not a humanitarian movement. This will cause deaths, not save lives. This will be doing more harm, than good.

You end your video with saying, “I will stop at nothing”.  If nothing else, will you not stop for the lives of the Acholi people? Haven’t enough Acholi people suffered in the violence between the LRA and the Ugandan government? Our alliance should not be with the U.S. government or the Ugandan military or the LRA, but the Acholi people. There is a Ugandan saying that goes, “The grass will always suffer when two elephants fight.” Isn’t it time we let the grass grow?

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Amber Ha

In this angry letter, it is clear that a conflict is arising here. Are Invisible Children’s intentions really as good as they seem? Is Uganda really in trouble? Is defeating Joseph Kony really going to change anything?

This is something that people cannot ignore. Many Kony 2012 supporters are still rallying, not caring about the controversy that undoubtedly faces them. They believe Kony must be stopped, no matter what country he is in. NAU students have even started a group to help stop Kony and get the word out. On April 20th, 2012, they plan to put up as many posters as possible all around town to let the citizens know what is going on.

Problem is, we don’t know what is going on anymore.

What we do know is this: People in Africa are suffering.

We also know (or should know) that they aren’t simply suffering because of Kony or even the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). They are suffering because of many things including the lack of food, water, money, and education.

What about TOMS? The company who donates one pair of shoes for every pair bought? How come we aren’t rallying for them? Shoes are important. Shoes save lives.

What about the many other companies out there that are doing everything they can to help people in Africa and even all over the world?

This is when I realized there was no way I could do this story for NAZ Today. It was too large and too controversial for a 1 minute 30 second episode. I ultimately dropped it.

What do you think? Are the Invisible Children actually helping those in Uganda? Or are they in it for their own reasons?

Edit: Invisible Children’s reaction to the controversy

A Bug Strikes NAU…and There’s No Car Named After This One!

Coughs, sniffles, and the inevitable sore throat; NAU has been hit with a horrible bug.

Students all over campus have been stuck in their rooms, “forced” to ditch class and mumble to their pillows how much they hate their lives; a cough or two in between each word.

With the snow storm this past week, more and more people have fallen ill with a rough cold or even the dreaded flu that many fliers warn us about all throughout campus. My roommate and I are two of the people who have caught this illness, and we have been practically locked in our dorm room all week, forcing tons of vitamin C down our throats in attempt to get better.

If you have been one of those lucky enough to not have gotten sick yet, be sure to wash your hands plenty and take your vitamins. Try not to be one of the unlucky ones!

-Ash

All American Rejects Are Coming to NAU!

So in case you haven’t yet heard, All American Rejects will be NAU’s free spring concert this semester.

The concert is going to take place on March 31st in the Walkup Skydome. *This has been confirmed.

Now, many people are pretty angered by this. Why? Well I’m not sure. ASNAU picked All American Rejects based on student polls that were sent out a couple of months ago. Students were asked to vote on different comedians and bands to come this spring semester and perform. All American Rejects won out by about 100 students. Many people aren’t very happy about this.

First, let me take the time to point out that not very many people voted. For the many people who go to NAU, only a couple thousand voted. It’s not like ASNAU rigged the polls to make All American Rejects won. Many people that I have talked to voted for them. However, they were voted mostly for the nostalgic feel of hearing them again. People who are against AAR coming are arguing that this band is dead when in fact they are supposedly coming out with a new album this year.

So, for the students who are against AAR coming to town, who are they wanting to come instead? Kid Cudi and Wiz Khalifa. These two artists were the two runners-up (with AAR being 932, Kid Cudi at 851, and Wiz Khalifa at 719). It’s no doubt that these polls ended up pretty close. However, unfortunately for hip-hop and rap fans, the alternative genre won and the other guys will simply have to suck it up and not take advantage of this semester’s free spring concert.

Update: Tickets will be available in the Union at the ticket center on March 25th at 8pm.

Let’s take a second poll, shall we? Who did YOU want to come to NAU this semester?

-Ash