Writing at Home
There are many things that students do each day that define them as individuals, whether this is done on purpose or not. A students’ dorm is a place that defines them. There are often posters up in rooms belonging to different music groups, actors, or even quotes. The students’ dorms are also filled with pictures of high school friends, new college friends, and family. Then as you head out into the common area on the floor you began to see traditional get involved posters, activity calendars, rape awareness, and vote for me posters. These posters you find in every dorm on every floor and they are generally the same. Then you have items that will differ from floor to floor and dorm to dorm.
There is one bulletin board with information written across the top. This board is filled with brochures on eating disorders, self esteem, drinking, rape, and tutoring just to name a few. My floor has a wall of colored Disney princesses done by the girls on the floor. On the white board is left over math problems from a study group the night before. Then there is a wall dedicated to one single girl on my floor that is supposed to be a joke but may seem inappropriate to anyone who did not know about the joke. All of these examples show that students are very busy and going through a hug change in their lives. The information board tries to make the student feel like there is help out there for them and that they are not the only one going through anything they have to go through right now. The joke wall and Disney princess wall are there to give the dorm a sense of personality, to make it our own and to make us feel at home. The white board filled with left over math problems shows students working together to obtain the same goal.
Again all of these things show students adjusting to their new lives and trying to find where they belong in their new world. These are some of the first connects that will be made with them and the university. Some of these writings will be forgotten, others will temporary, and a few will become part of who the student will be at their university.
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