ManeLine
Welcome to ManeLine, the Student Housing Online Newsletter! Here you will find articles about the on-campus housing experience directly from LMU students as well as other Student Housing Office staff members. Make sure to check in every once in awhile to find out about what's happening, upcoming events, applications and life on campus.
Preparing for Selection
Felipe Ruiz Ricagni | Resident Advisor, McKay Hall, Film and Television Production Major
One of the scariest moments of the Housing Selection Process is actually preparing for it. Who are you going to live with? Which building do you want to live in? Which number will you pull from the random drawing? These are just some of the variables to take into account. Nevertheless, there is no need for panic! We’ve all been there and done it, and let me tell you, the experience can be very positive and rewarding.
Choosing who to live with will eventually make a difference for the next year you live on campus. These are the people you’ll most likely see and be with for most of the day, so make sure the choice is right. I was fortunate to have incredible roommates for both years I lived on campus, and overall, they added a great deal to my college career. Be aware though, sometimes rooming with a friend can be more difficult than you can imagine. If issues do arise, remember that you chose each other for a reason, and there is nothing better than positive conflict to find an even better resolution.
Where should I live? Now that’s an easy one…Initially, I’d say go for the apartments if you would like to have a kitchen and a living room for entertaining people. Living in an apartment gives you great benefits in terms of accommodations, but it might also take away some of the typical college “dorm” experience. Generally, students who live in apartments tend to keep more to themselves rather than visiting others around the hall. This year, I returned from the apartment I lived in last year, to a suite-style residence hall (as a Resident Advisor), and I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed the residence hall more than my apartment lifestyle.
Which number am I going to get? This is the tough one. I’ve seen all kinds of tricks by students trying to fool the system. I’ve seen counting numbers through interpreting the site’s IP address… trust me, none of that works. You’ll face a scary web page full of boxes with a small “?” inside, and no matter what you do, the number WILL be random. Scary, huh? Unfortunately this is the part where you have no control. You can pray or perform a sacred ritual but the result will be the same. On the flip side however, if you are part of a group of 4 students, your group will be assigned the lowest number that each person draws, so there’s a higher chance one of you might pick a low number! Remember though, it is your choice of roommate(s) which will make or break your housing experience!
As a final tip, I would like to impart some words of wisdom. Above all, aim to make the best out of your college experience. A positive attitude can grant you more than you can imagine! Who knows, even if you end up in your least preferred choice for housing, you will still be rooming with your friends! Remember, there are ways to make your housing experience better if you encounter any issues or concerns. Talk to your RA’s, get to know your RD’s; our goal is to make your housing experience as awesome as it can be, and it should be your goal too!
Feel free to contact me with any questions, I’ll be more than glad to help! Best of luck in the process!
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Living in the International House
Lucia Cash | Senior, Communications Studies Major
When I first transferred to LMU I was offered a chance to live at the International House, one of our Theme Housing options. I didn’t fully understand what the purpose of the house was and had the wrong impression that I would be closed off to the American population here at LMU if I lived there. After all, meeting new people from different cultures was one of the things that attracted me to move to a different country in the first place. However, I couldn’t have been more mistaken and fortunately for me, the opportunity to apply for it presented itself again my junior year.
To live at the International House, students have to apply at the Office of International Students and Scholars during the spring semester and go through an interview process. Several international office events such as Super Sushi Social and Lunar New Year take place at the house, which is why being sociable, mindful of different cultures, and open to meeting new people are important qualities to have. We also put on an event each semester as a house. Since I’ve lived there we have done movie screenings and the very successful “Pancakes of the World”.
Living at the house is like having the best of both worlds. It’s considered on-campus housing so it comes furnished just like any other apartment on campus, and it is located right outside of the back gates on Loyola Blvd., which is very convenient when you punch your alarm off and end up waking up 15 minutes before class. But it is also big enough to house seven people, with a great back yard, two living rooms, a big kitchen and four rooms (6 people room together and the house manager has the privilege of his/her own room).
But most of all, unlike what I had thought before, living at the international house provides the opportunity to meet people from every continent and learn about different cultures from all over the world. Currently we have North America, Asia, and Latin America represented, without counting all the people that stop by to hang out and relax between classes and during the weekend. Since coordinating the schedules of seven people is very difficult, once a month we have a dinner all together with the heads of the International Office. I now know how to make Thai noodles, Canadian poutine, and Japanese mocha, among many others!
You can live at the house for up to two years and I was fortunate to get in my senior year as well. Living at the international house has greatly enriched my experience here at LMU and I encourage everyone to apply!
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Resident Ministers
Patrick Furlong | Resident Minister, McKay Hall
Dive deep! If there’s a reason Resident Ministers work with students living in on campus housing, it’s to be a resource for those students who seek the opportunity to take what they learn on and off the bluff and apply it to their lives at home. Resident Ministers support students in all aspects of the formation of their faith. In the freshman areas, ministers are there to journey with students as they adjust to life on a college campus. Sophomore Resident Ministers often accompany students who are often seeking ways to identify their mission through the mission of LMU. Finally, our ministers work with juniors and seniors assist them as they begin to wrestle with questions about what comes after LMU. Resident Ministers are a working collaboration of religious and lay people with a diverse set of theological interests. Above all, Resident Ministers exist to encourage our LMU community find God in all things and to really think about God and the Church a little more deeply, a little more often.
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Attending the Pacific Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls Conference
Christine Kubeck | Sophomore, Biology Major
On November 4th 2011 I embarked on the Pacific Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (PACURH) conference. This is a Resident Housing Association (RHA) regional conference that took place in Pullman, Washington at Washington State University. I was excited, but was not sure what to expect since this was my first time going. Groups of students from various schools from California, Washington, Oregon and even British Columbia, Canada among others, came together at Washington State University to share programming ideas, to promote school spirit and exchange leadership tips. I thought it was so empowering to be in a huge room with other people who were just as passionate as I am about programming for students and improving their communities on their respective campuses.
I was a part of a seven member delegation of LMU students who are members of RHA and National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH). Prior to leaving for the trip, our delegation worked diligently to make a spirited Roll Call video that every school had to submit. We also made clothespins that were decorated as lions (our mascot) in order to exchange with other schools while at the conference. Additionally, we made a care package for a soldier that we brought with us on the trip. When we got to the conference we got to select a solider to send our package to as a part of a philanthropy project. In addition, we also submitted a program proposal to present at the conference. We were crossing our fingers in hopes that we would be selected!
Out of the 90 programs that were submitted only 40 were accepted and we were one of them! We presented an activity entitled “Values Auction”. In this exercise we auctioned off values using imaginary money. This sparked further conversation on how we can incorporate our residents’ values into our programming. At the closing banquet of the conference we received a “Top Ten Program” award for the program we presented. We were thrilled to win this because we worked very hard and were excited to bring it back to LMU and proudly display it in the RHA office.
I was so glad that I was able to attend this regional RHA conference because in addition to bonding with my fellow LMU students, I got to learn from students attending different universities and their unique program ideas. After attending PACURH, I feel more confident as a leader and want to share these ideas with the students I work withm, whether it is a RHA program or another organization I am a part of on campus. PACURH gave me an experience that I will always remember and ultimately improved my skills as a student leader here at LMU.
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Home for the Holidays
Lucia Cash | Senior, Communications Studies Major
Winter break is almost here and I bet, like me, you couldn’t be more relieved! I know I’m not just speaking for myself when I say that this semester has been as busy as the 405 freeway during the 5pm rush hour on a Friday. But we will soon be enjoying some time with family and friends, drinking eggnog, eating non-microwavable food, and resting by the fire (or at the beach if you live in the southern hemisphere like me). Oh, the wait!
LMU residence halls will close at 8:00 PM on Friday, December 16, 2011. Fortunately, we don’t have to go through the hassle of taking our entire belongings home. That would take away precious time from studying for finals and enjoying the rest of the week with our LMU friends before tearfully parting ways for three weeks! If you’re too far from home to fly back, or would rather have a quiet break to relax and re-energize for the spring, you can always apply to stay on campus for winter break. Just complete the online Winter Break Housing Application by Friday, December 2, 2011. If you are one of the lucky residents of the apartments or LMU owned houses, you are allowed to stay in your room during winter break and don’t need to complete the Winter Break Housing Application.
Residence Life staff members will be on duty every night in the buildings that remain open to make sure that you are staying safe and having wholesome fun! I don’t know about you, but I’m usually torn between wanting to stay at home and desperately needing to be back at LMU. The rules and curfews at home get old very quickly after living alone! The residence halls will reopen on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 1:00 PM. You only need your OneCard to check in at your assigned check in station. These will be open from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Saturday, January 7th and from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Sunday, January 8th.
But, checking back in for the spring semester is a long way away. Good luck with finals and Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year……..such a great month ahead!
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Spring is in the Air…
Nick Watkins | Junior, Political Science/Sociology Major
Hey LMU Students,
Are you currently studying abroad for the fall 2011 semester? Are you transferring into LMU in the spring? Are you tired of living off campus and braving the LA traffic every morning? If so, then you may want to consider applying for housing on campus for the Spring 2012 semester! Here are a few things you will need to know:
- 1. If you do not have access to the online application you will need to send the Student Housing Office an email from your LION email account with your full name and LMU ID number, requesting access to the application. The Student Housing Office email is Housing@lmu.edu
- 2. Spring housing is not guaranteed and is first-come first-serve, so if you are interested in applying, please do so NOW! It’s best to complete everything as soon as possible.
- 3. Once you have been given access, the spring housing application can be found online through your MyLMU account. Go to System Logins>Student Housing Online Services>Apply>Spring Housing Process. From there, simply fill out the online application and make sure you pay the $400 non-refundable processing fee to the Student Accounts Office.
With regard to roommates, if you know someone who is applying for spring housing with whom you want to room, or you know of an open spot in an apartment or room that you would like to request to be placed in, both the new applicant and student will need to complete the “2012 Spring Housing Roommate Request” also found in MyLMU. Please email the housing office at Housing@lmu.edu if you have any questions making the request.
Please keep in mind that the roommate request is not guaranteed, but we will do our best to provide the best living accommodations for you! Just remember, if you have any questions at all about the spring housing application, you can always give our office a call to talk to one of our enthusiastic student staff members. The Student Housing Office number is (310) 338-2963.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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Help! My On-Campus Apartment Has a Kitchen!
Willow Miller | Senior, English Major
Don’t panic! Those knobs on top of the strange box set into the counter (it’s called an oven) – if used appropriately – can turn raw, unappetizing food into completely edible, college-friendly cuisine!
To Cook or Not to Cook:
Many college students grew up at home, where most of their meals were prepared by a parent or family member. When going straight to college, they then have a meal plan and their meals are prepared by a Sodexo employee. If they no longer live in a traditional residence hall room and live in an on-campus apartment, that can change. Students who live in on-campus apartments have the option to cook for themselves rather than have a meal plan. Oftentimes, after a few weeks, the novelty of cooking every night wears off and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches become the norm until Thanksgiving! This can be avoided with a little preparation, practice, and lots of patience (for the times you burn the chicken you were broiling, set off the fire alarm and have to stand outside in the cold at midnight).
My mom made sure that I practiced cooking the summer before I moved into my on-campus apartment. She taught me how to steam vegetables, bake chicken, make Eggs Benedict (so much more delicious than cold cereal), and a number of other things I didn’t realize she did almost every day when making meals for our family. I watched cooking shows, scoured the internet for easy, college-friendly recipes and even received college cookbooks for my 19th birthday. The most important thing she taught me, which I never would have thought of on my own, was how to shop for groceries. She helped me figure out the times I should or should not use coupons, when produce was fresh and affordable, and that the sandwich bread on the “1 day old” rack was just as good (and a whole lot cheaper) as the bread put out just that morning. Her tips and tricks definitely made a difference when I started shopping on my own for food to cook.
But what if you don’t have a car? What if you run out of eggs or butter on Tuesday and don’t have time to run to Ralphs until Thursday? Fear not! LMU seems to have thought of everything… Behold, the C-Lion! Our on-campus convenience stores stock kitchen staples and household items. They stock eggs, milk, butter, string cheese, bagels, bread and hummus. They even carry fruits, veggies, organic lettuce and mushrooms! (Surprisingly, mushrooms are great on homemade pizza, so I’m all for it.) The best part is that they take Flexi and LION dollars. If you’re operating without a meal plan, they also take cash and major credit cards. If cooking is not your style, the C-Lion offers pre-packaged foods, which include a variety of fresh salads, fruit cups as well as frozen entrees (Hot Pocket anyone?). Let’s not forget their most popular item: ice cream. For convenience items, the C-Lion stocks foil, tissues, toothpaste, soap, napkins, plastic cups and standard snack foods like chips and dips, candy bars, soups and stove-top dinners in a box. Also, the C-Lion is open until 2 AM every single day, so you can go at almost any time of the day! My personal favorite is the slushy machine. It’s a great stop between UHall and St. Rob’s on those extra hot days in the early fall and end of spring or after a particularly rough class. Plus, every person who works there is super-friendly and always helpful.
Sure, there are days when I don’t feel like cooking. That’s when having some frozen meals comes in handy. There are days I’m too tired to cook or don’t have enough ingredients. Those are days when having a secret stash of Mac’n’Cheese (blue box only) comes in extra handy. But more often than not, I prefer to set aside a little time to cook myself a real meal. If in doubt, talk to your RAs about setting up some cooking programs where you learn/teach how to make something new, or even ask the staff at the C-Lion what they might suggest. College is a time for creativity, so even if what you try making tonight is a flop, there’s always tomorrow night to master it.
For a look at cookbooks on my kitchen counter, check out these fantastic college-friendly cookbooks:
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