RESIDENCE LIFE & HOUSING NEWSLETTER

One is the loneliest number SPETEMBER 2009 — VOLUME 2 photo by misteraitch on Flickr.com

EMBRACING THE LONELINESS our internal emptiness, but solitude is an aloneness that brings us peace and fills us up. It A warm welcome to new nature I‘ve learned that it‘s number of friends available. may seem counterintuitive to and returning students at really common and at some Interestingly, loneliness is choose to spend time alone Messiah College! The point almost all of us will most often felt when we are when we feel lonely, but when beginning of the academic face periods of loneliness. dissatisfied with our that aloneness leads us to year is upon us, bringing Here are some tidbits that I friendships, rather than with intimacy with the Lord, this is with it a flurry of activity. hope will be helpful to you in family or dating often the very thing that Some of you will be your transition to (or back relationships. However, the remedies the sting of loneliness. reuniting with old friends, to) college. quick fix that we often seek If you encounter loneliness while others will be forging First, we typically feel as a cure for our loneliness is early this semester, be all new ties. In a recent lonely when there is a a romantic relationship. comforted by the fact that these conversation I had with a discrepancy between our The bottom line in our feelings are typical when making new employee, he pointed social network and our social times of loneliness is that a transition. Also, know that out that even though the needs. In other words, the they are always painful and almost everyone faces this start of a new year is exciting friendships that we have often makes us feel ashamed, emotion at some point and it is and full of possibilities, it leave us feeling like as if something is wrong with completely normal. As you may also be tinged with something is missing. This is us. build and deepen new and loneliness. a completely subjective As Christians, the beauty existing friendships, and as you This reminder struck a definition. Others may of loneliness is that if we seek the Lord, the twinges of chord with me and spurred believe that you have tons of embrace it, the experience loneliness will naturally me on to include this topic in friends, but if you feel like can be a catalyst that pushes decrease. the housing newsletter. I your friends are not meeting us to seek the Lord and -Rhonda Good, director of housing know that my own times of you at a deeper level or discover intimacy with him. loneliness have been . . fulfilling your need for There is a fine line between INSIDE THIS ISSUE: well . . . lonely and yet as intimacy, then you will loneliness and solitude. I‘ve read about this experience a very real sense Loneliness stirs up an aching 2 phenomenon of human of loneliness, despite the in our hearts that focuses on HALL/APT MEETINGS FILLING OUT YOUR 2 RCI/ACI STORAGE Many of you have left September 1 (other than things in storage over the those things left by students 2 OFF-CAMPUS summer and you‘ll need to studying abroad) will be HOUSING remove those things now donated to a local charity or that you‘re back on campus. thrift store. FIRE SAFETY 3

Items may be removed Items such as boxes or FAQS 3 from storage on Sunday, luggage may be placed into FAMILY WEEKEND 3 August 29 thru Tuesday, storage Saturday, September 1 between 7:00 September 5 thru Tuesday, Themes 4 – 9:00 p.m. Any items September 8 from 7:00 – HOMESTEADING 4 left in storage after 9:00 p.m. SURVEY Photo by Jesse Michael Nix on Flickr.com PAGE 2 RESIDENCE LIFE & HOUSING NEWSLETTER

MANDATORY HALL & APARTMENT MEETINGS

Mandatory Hall/Apartment Photo by Joe Shlabotnik on Eight O’Clock Meetings: & Special Interest House Flickr.com 8pm—Mellinger Meetings will be held on Apartments— Hitchcock Monday, August 31 at 7:00 8pm—Smith Apartments— and 8:00 p.m. At this North Complex Lounge meeting the RAs and RDs (Fishbowl) will give you all kinds of Seven O’Clock Meetings: 8pm—Fry Apartments— information about the year 7pm—Bittner Hall—Hitchcock Brubaker Auditorium ahead. 7pm—Grantham Hall—North Complex Lounge 8pm—Mountainview Hall— Please see the schedule to (Fishbowl) Alexander Auditorium (Frey find the location of your 7pm—Hess Hall—Alexander Auditorium (Frey 110) 110) meeting. 7pm—Miller Hall—Brubaker Auditorium 8pm—Kelly Apartments— 7pm—Naugle Hall—Miller Auditorium (Climenhaga) Hostetter Chapel

7pm—Sollenberger Hall—Hostetter Chapel 8pm—Witmer Hall—Miller 7 pm—Special Interest Houses—Boyer 130 Auditorium (Climenhaga)

FILLING OUT YOUR RCI/ACI

Before you arrived your RAs went can write down any additional Filling out and returning the RCI/ through your room or apartment and damage they may not have noticed. ACI is your safety net to prevent you wrote down all the damage they from being charged at the end of the You will need to go over the RCI/ could find. They will give you a copy semester or year for damage you are ACI, sign it and return it to your RA of the Room or Apartment Condition not responsible for . within the first week of school. Inventory (RCI or ACI) so that you

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT & OFF-CAMPUS CHANGES

As you may or may not level Residence Directors in gradually been scaling back know there is a residency each building, the training the number of students who requirement for Messiah that is given to the RA staff can live off-campus because College students. This and the personal attention of our commitment to be requirement states that all that is given to many good stewards of our single, full-time students students. The college has resources and keep the under the age of 23 must live also made commitments to residence halls and on- on-campus. The decision to provide housing for all campus apartments full. For have a residency requirement students by building the 2010-2011 school year was made long ago based on residence halls and we will not be soliciting the college‘s strong belief in apartments on our campus. applications for off-campus the value of living in In past years we have living. If you have a medical community on our campus. allowed students to apply for reason that necessitates that This value is evidenced in the an exception to the residency you live off-campus, please hiring of full time master- requirement. We‘ve contact the director of housing, Rhonda Good. Photos courtesy of Les Weiand RESIDENCE LIFE & HOUSING NEWSLETTER PAGE 3

ROOM DECORATIONS & FIRE SAFETY

We encourage you to make your Lamps with plastic lamp shades Bed risers are allowed as long as they room and apartment a space of are a fire hazard because they can are made of high density polyethylene your own. We have a very diligent melt, especially the 5-arm lamps that holds 1,200 lbs. and the bed is not local fire marshal who visits our raised more than 6 inches. Bed risers Please be careful when hanging residences every year so it‘s may only be used on metal beds and things on the walls. Tacks and important that we stay safe and may not be used when bunking beds. follow the guidelines set out for us. nails are not allowed because they leave holes in the wall. Also, the Here are a couple fire hazards and 3M tabs that should work on all decoration issues we need you to surfaces will peel the paint off the be aware of . . . buildings that have been painted Extension cords must be UL recently (Fry, Mellinger and approved and cannot be ―daisy- Naugle). Please only use white chained‖ (one plugged into sticky tack in these buildings, so another). you are not charged at the end of the year for ruined paint. Photo by Jeremy Burgin on Flickr.com

FAQS This section contains common questions Design triples are sometimes confused roommate, the best thing to do is to talk about housing and living on campus with supplemental triples because in to your roommate about the conflict. If Mountain View & Grantham the design you need help talking to your roommate What do I do if I lose my key? triple rooms are the same square or if things don‘t get better, you should You will need to report your key loss to footage as the double rooms. The involve your RA and/or RD . your RD and he or she will order you a difference is the design triple rooms new key. You will be charged $60 for a have wooden furniture that can be Do I have to add water to Easy replacement key. configured in a variety of ways that Mac? Yes! If you don‘t you may set create more space for three people. off the fire alarm. What is the difference between a supplemental (“forced”) triple & What if I don’t like my roommate? If you have other housing questions a design triple room? We encourage to you to follow the please email them to Only first year students live in model of conflict resolution found in [email protected] supplemental triple rooms, which are Matthew 18. If you are experiencing considered to be temporary housing. conflict or disagreement with your

FAMILY WEEKEND

If saying goodbye to your planned for the young and old midnight roller skating and an family was tough for you, alike. Here is a small SAB Coffeehouse. you‘ll be happy to know that sampling of the events you To register your family or get Family Weekend is just can take part in with your more information about around the corner on family: canoeing on the family weekend go to September 18—20, 2009. Yellow Breeches, the family www.messiah.edu and search fun fair, the movie Up on the The Student Programs Office for family weekend. lawn or in Parmer Cinema, has a full, weekend menu

Picture from freespace on Flickr

HOMESTEADING THEMES, T-SHIRTS & BOOKS SURVEY

In the past the residence life department implemented a housing sign-up process called homesteading which meant students were given priority to live in the same room or on the same floor from one year to the next. This method enabled halls to develop hall and floor traditions as well as longer lasting friendships.

The advent of first year housing brought an abrupt end to homesteading as we knew it. Over the past few years we‘ve Nothing signifies the beginning of spaces on campus that allow been trying to find creative and fair ways the school year like new t-shirts and themselves and others to stretch and to bring homesteading back. We‘ve books. Before the semester even grow by being willing to face already started talking to a few students begins you‘ll be sure to notice the uncomfortable situations and about these ideas, but we‘re looking for Welcome Week t-shirts that questions. more feedback from the larger student encourage you to ‗Press On‘. This body. Later, this fall we‘ll be sending out theme is based on Philippians 3:12 – an online survey about homesteading . 16. Here are verses 12—14 that When you receive the survey please take a remind us of the importance of few minutes to fill it out and give us your fixing our eyes on the Lord and input on this topic. letting that motivate us to persevere. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

This year‘s common reading is Photo by torremountain on Flickr.com Mountains Beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder. HOUSING Paul Farmer is a globetrotting NEWSLETTER infectious disease specialist who makes radical changes wherever he goes. The Residence Life & Housing You may also notice the chocolate If you‘re not one of the first year Newsletter will be published brown shirts the residence life staff is approximately once a month. If there students who is required to read this wearing that boasts their tome, this is a must read that you‘ll are topics you‘d like to see addressed in (un)comfortable theme. The RAs here, please send your questions or want to add to your personal reading and RDs are on a quest to find how list. thoughts to [email protected] they can create comfortable living