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Outside observer examines dorm lifestyle - Page 3

Low-cost decorations add personality, creativity to home - Page 6

Students turn to of f-campus housing to avoid rules- Page 8

Freshman says goodbye to dorms, hello to independence- Page 10

Thorough cleaning helps avoid fi nes, re-turns full deposit - Page 4

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Ben MullinFE ATURES EDITOR

To an outside observer, the native habitat of the dorm-dweller may seem confusing.

First of all, there seems to be some kind of elaborate screening ritual by which the dwell-ers ascertain who belongs in the tribe and who needs to be kept under close watch at all times.

Foreigners are marked with a large, sticky band around the wrist, inscribed with some kind of primitive lettering, and sent on their way in the close company of the natives, many of which yowl and yip at the most inopportune moments.

Once inside the lair of the dorm-dwellers, you are quickly made to follow their harsh customs. Absolutely no drinking of spirits, movement must be kept to a jaunty walk and one must never injure another, lest he or she incur the wrath of RA, which I have concluded is some kind of deity.

During my stay with the dorm-dwellers, I had the opportunity of sampling their native dishes, which appear quite miraculously on colored plates in a brightly-colored hall.

Dorm-dwellers undergo an elaborate pre-meal ritual in which they stand, one behind the other, for fi ve to 10 minutes before collect-ing their plates and resuming their meal.

During this time, it is custom to disparage both the meal one is waiting to receive and the various garb of those in front of you, especially if they look “grody.”

Having spent my time among the female dorm-dwellers, I can say with confi dence that their language resembles ours in many aspects, with the notable exception of speed. The ear can hardly keep up with the high-pitched chatter, although the broad-sweeping gesticulations do help.

While there are many diff erent tribes of dorm-dwellers, it is clear from a few days of observation that they rarely interact with one another, preferring instead to remain clois-tered in their individual shelters. The Esken tribe, which took me in during my stay, seldom

deigned to associate with the Konkow, Shasta or Mechoopda tribes and generally ridiculed them whenever they were mentioned.

However, all three tribes seem to fear the agents of RA, who distinguished themselves with red T-shirts, lavishly decorated living quarters and an air of paternal authority.

At the end of my stay among the Esken tribe, I found myself torn between the comforting familiarity of home and my love of the simple, pleasant culture I’d discovered. I must confess, I’d fallen for the leader of the Esken females, one whose beauty dwarfed even the most comely outsider I’d ever seen.

Filing this report from her bower, I can most assuredly say that experimenting with life among the dorm-dwellers was one of the most rewarding studies I have ever done.

When they take my large, sticky band away at the door, I will regret my all-too-short stay, but I can at least take solace knowing that I will no longer be subject to the agents of RA.

Ben Mullin can be reached at

featureseditor@theorion.com

Outside observer examines dorm lifestyleHousing Guide 3

Housing Guide 4

Thorough cleaning helps avoid fines, returns full deposit

Allie ColoskySPORTS EDITOR

It’s that fi rst huge chunk of change that has you grimacing as you try to convince your parents that you will be cleaner than ever and obviously get it back.

Say hello to a deposit and good-bye to any thoughts you had about getting it back in full.

Most housing agencies will charge double your fi rst month’s rent or rent-and-a-half. Either way, at the end of the lease you probably won’t see a whole lot of that check returned to you because of the cleaning fees you overlooked.

So while you are scrubbing the kitchen sink a million times over and the smell of bleach in the bath-room is making you nauseous, here

are some quick tips to prevent your landlord from charging you.

Air vents Even if you didn’t blast your air

conditioning or heating unit for months at a time during this bipo-lar year, the dust particles and gross human-created dander made their way into the vents in your house or apartment.

Unscrew the vent cover and make sure to wipe around the opening of the vent and the cover itself.

Your landlord will thank you for going the extra few inches on that one, and hopefully it will earn you a couple more dollars back from your deposit at the end of the lease.

Mini blindsGood job washing the windows

and wiping down the windowsills.

I’m sure washing windows is some-thing you thought would earn you a gold star.

What you didn’t think to do, which will get you that gold star, is taking a little time on the mini blinds on all your windows.

It might be a hassle, but even a quick wipe down can earn you brownie points. If you feel like going above and beyond, break out the Windex and wipe them down thoroughly.

Now you’ve earned the right to wear that smug look when you see even more money back on your deposit.

Anything whiteThis should probably go without

saying, but I was surprised when former roommates didn’t think to wipe down the wall under the win-dow that was left open during a

rainstorm.The walls, bathroom tile or lino-

leum, and even the front of the refrigerator can use a good dose of bleach.

If your whites look whiter and the walls can pass a fi nger swipe from a paranoid landlord, add a couple more dollars to the paycheck.

These are just a few places my former landlord suggested when I moved out of my apartment last year. My best piece of advice is to contact your landlord before you start cleaning to see what they think needs to be done. They will tell you the truth, because no one really likes deep-cleaning that much.

And fi nally, invest in large fl oor rugs. They could save your soul.

Allie Colosky can be reached at

sportseditor@theorion.com

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Low-cost decorations add personality, creativity to home

Housing Guide 6

Jen MorenoARTS EDITOR

The spring semester is just about halfway through, and the time to start looking for a new street address is here.

You must decide to renew your lease and put yourself through another year of messy roommates and ridiculous house rules or to branch out and start your own nest.

Whatever the case may be, it’s probably about that time to throw out your Batman or Hello Kitty twin bed sheets and step up the decor. Whether you’ve got a closet of a room or a place to yourself, you’re going to want to make it your own.

You want people to remember your pad as a refl ection of you, not as a place as poppin’ as an 8 a.m. Monday calculus class.

There are many ways to give your space some fl air without break-ing the bank. With a little legwork and creativity, you’ll be hosting the next get-together in no time.

FurnitureEither you have it or you don’t.

No, lawn furniture and furniture on your lawn don’t count. Check with any friends who are also mov-ing to see if they’re getting rid of anything you can use. Don’t worry about ugly print or stains, because you can always get a furniture cover later. If that route doesn’t turn any-thing up, check Craigslist. I bought

a couch and chair for $15 total, plus $10 to have it delivered.

PicturesWant to re-live the birthday you

don’t remember in 4-by-6 form every day but don’t want to pay for printing? No problem. York Photo will give you 20 free prints when you sign up and become a member of the website. You just pay a few dollars for shipping and handling. If you want to print more than the fi rst 20, simply sign up for a membership with one of your other email addresses. OK, maybe we are cheating the sys-tem just a tad, but we’ve all done it before and come on, we’re col-lege students.

DecorNow that your living quar-

ters are starting to resemble an actual home, you want to add just the fi nishing touch — your personality. Take old things you have lying around and give them some spunk. I had some artifi cial roses left over from a wedding, so I took some black spray paint to them and put them in a sea-sonal, empty wine bottle. If you can’t think of anything on your own, go to The Orion’s website and check out the arts section’s DIY columns for steps on how to create your own coasters, storage jars or army men photo frames.

Jen Moreno can be reached at

artseditor@theorion.com

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HousesLocation 619 Cherry 612 Cherry 504 W. 7th St. 368 E. 8th St. 581 E. 8th St. 585 E. 8th St. 80 Cherry St. 715 Flume St. 1427 1/2 Hobart 1826 Magnolia Ave. 1745 Palm Ave. 820 Walnut Ave. 1048 Warner St. 620 W. 3rd St. 139 W. 3rd St. 540 W. 4th Ave. 698 E. 8th St. 633 Hazel St. 604 Ivy St. 1224 Ivy St. 682 W. 3rd St. 718 W. 6th St. 1427 Hobart St. 606 Cherry St. #1 719 W. 6th St. 1205 Warner St. 1600 Arcadian

Apartments/Townhouses/DuplexesLocation 1175 E. 8th St. #5,6 1161 Citrus A,B,D 1245 Esplanade #1,2,11,12 801 W. 1st Ave. #3,4 619 W. 3rd St. 668 E. 4th #1,2,3,4 742 W. 6th St. #A,B 742 W. 6th St. #C 371 E. 7th St. #1,2 1161 Citrus #C,G,K 925 Chestnut #4 1245 Esplanade #4,5,6 238 Hazel #1,3 618 Rancheria #B,C,D 339 1/2 W. 1st Ave. 620 W. 3rd St. 238 Hazel #4 1144 Hobart 606 Chery St. #2,3 638 Chestnut A 709&711 Flume 308 Hazel 527 Cherry St. 528&536 W. 7th St. 14&15 Klondike 803 W.2nd Ave #1,3,4

Studio/Apartments/Duplex/TownhouseLocation 607 W. 3rd St. 668 E. 4th St. #5 706 W. 6th St. #B 706 W. 6th St. #C742 W. 6th St. #D 540 W. 4th #A,B 353&359 E. 7th St. 371 E. 7th St. #3,4 925 Chestnut #5 1050 Warner 1048 Warner

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Rent50050057567590070080082575058568562580062562512001000950675675

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Housing Guide 8

Pedro QuintanaSTAFF WRITER

Some restrictions to living on campus have Chico State students turning into house hunters.

University housing is at 100 per-cent capacity, and it’s expected that residents will exceed capac-ity in fall, said David Houchin, associate director of University Housing and Food Service.

The university provides housing for 12 percent of the student popu-lation, Houchin said. About 1,950 students will leave residence halls and look for housing outside cam-pus at the semester’s end.

Freshmen are often attracted to fi nding their future roommates while living in the dorms.

It’s a great transition to live in the dorms, and it is a good way to meet new friends, said Courtney

Arestad, an undeclared freshman.The residence halls do a great

job of planning socials for the resi-dents, Arestad said. Dorm life helps with picking out roommates when making the move off campus.

Location is often important when moving, but some students are wary of the costs.

Price is a big factor for students when searching for a place to rent, said Carmela Ronas, a transfer student.

College students’ lives include worries of money, she said.

Ronas lives in University Vil-lage, where a zero-tolerance drinking policy is enforced.

“We can’t even cook with cook-ing wine,” Ronas said.

Chico State’s housing policy states that no rooms can contain alcohol or alcohol paraphernalia. Students who post photographs

on social media of other students drinking alcohol inside the dorms can also face disciplinary actions from the university.

Some students of the legal drinking age feel like they never left home, making it an uncom-fortable situation, Ronas said.

Living restrictions have put students on the lookout for out-side housing sooner than some predicted.

The housing policy is too strict, leaving little room for students’ say on their living conditions, said Max Kessler, a freshman econom-ics major. Kessler and his friend started looking for an apartment for fall before spring semester started.

Village at the Timbers, a gated apartment complex on Nord Ave-nue, has reached out to appeal to students with promotions,

assistant manager Nicole Wagoner said. Promotions include $200 in credit for a resident’s fi rst month.

The apartment complex is close to campus and has appealed to stu-dents, Wagoner said. The complex makes sure to let tenants know about the referral program that also gives monthly rent credits.

Every year more students start their housing search earlier to fi nd a comfortable place to live, Wag-oner said.

“Start looking now,” she said. “Don’t wait until May. It will be the last pick.”

Wagoner expects to have a high renewal rate in March and has already started a waiting list for future tenants interested in reserv-ing an apartment for fall.

Pedro Quintana can be reached at

pquintana@theorion.com

Students turn to off -campus housing to avoid rules

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Housing Guide 10

6/16/12

6/16/12

6/16/12

Quinn WesternOPINION EDITOR

“I want this room.”“I want the room with roof access.”“We’ll share the master.”Oy vey.It’s that season again — house hunting sea-

son. It is hard enough to scramble a group together and fi nd a residence to get ready for the fall semester. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to avoid such a headache when I moved into Esken Hall last semester.

I will not miss having to check guests in at the front desk any later than 8 p.m., I will not miss the hassle of showing the desk attendant my key and ID to prove I am not a rapist and I will defi nitely not miss the charges I receive for other people’s stupidity.

Even though there are unappealing rules and regulations for those living on campus, I

will miss how safe I felt, and Sutter Dining.Many students on campus complain about

the food served in Sutter Dining, but they didn’t have the luxury of eating in Whitney Hall when it was home to dining for students.

But that is beside the point. The point is that I will miss the benefi ts of living on campus.

Not only have I made a majority of my friends from living in the dorms, but I have made a plethora of memories to take with me.

I have participated in light-saber battles against my resident adviser, stolen mattresses — one of which is hidden in my room right now— and been chased down the hallway by a guide dog named Keystone. I’m so grateful to live on the second fl oor.

To the residents who live below me, I’m sorry for the stomping and noise my friends and I cause. I can’t help that people like to throw random “dougie” parties in my room or that I practice hitting golf balls indoors when

it’s raining outside.I hope I am fortunate enough to continue

making these memories in my future home. I’ll take with me memories of dancing in the pouring rain in Stadium Lot with my friends while I blasted Usher from my car, stealing my friend’s betta fi sh named Brutus to battle with another betta named Caesar and watch-ing “Singing in the Rain” to entertain a drunk friend.

At least I didn’t have to hold her hair. But I would have.

It is time for me to say goodbye to the residence halls and say hello to more responsibility and another step toward independence.

Although, if I see another person in a red sweatshirt outside of my bedroom, I’m grab-bing my nine-iron.

Quinn Western can be reached at

opinioneditor@theorion.com

Freshman says goodbye to dorms, hello to independence

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