The Daily Illini: Housing Guide Edition

HOUSING GUIDE

Twenty essential items under $20

Decoding your housing lease

Dorm room decorating

T H E D A I LY I L L I N I ’ STuesday, October 1, 2013

Ways to not overspend on your next trip to the store

Details to look for before signing on the dotted line

Tips on how to make those four walls home

PAGE 12 PAGE 5 PAGE 17

Tuesday, October 1, 2013 THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com2

GREEN

BY SAHER KHANSTAFF WRITER

Given that looking for housing can be a stressful and risky process, the Tenant Union equips students with the proper tools to help them pick the right apartment or house.

Christopher Boidy, senior in LAS, has been a housing counselor at the Union since early May. He said the Tenant Union provides various services, such as lease reviews and housing search advice.

“We do lease reviews so students can bring a copy of their lease, and we can go over it with them line by line, clause by clause, and explain everything they need to know before they sign their lease,” Boidy said. “We don’t provide legal advice because we’re not attorneys, but what we can do is make sure students don’t fall into traps in the complicated language of the lease.”

According to Boidy, landlords sometimes break lease agreements or the law and put in clauses in the lease that might not be legally enforceable. The Tenant Union’s job is to help students know their rights and that of the landlord’s.

“We are tenant advocates,” Boidy said.The Tenant Union provides lists of realtors

in the area and has records of landlord complaints. Although they do not do housing searches for students, the Tenant Union can help students prioritize what is important to them when looking for a home, pointing them in the right direction.

Crystal Ramirez, junior in LAS, said she

went to the Tenant Union during her freshman year to find an apartment. Employees provided Ramirez with information on various real estate agents and helped her search for places within her price range and desired location.

“I ended up picking housing that they helped me find,“ she said.

The Tenant Union also helps students who have problems with their landlords and sometimes make calls on behalf of students for major conflicts. They help settle issues between tenants and landlords as much as possible before the issue needs to be referred to student legal services.

Amna Owais, senior in Business, said she went to the Tenant Union last year when her apartment was infested with cockroaches. Although the Tenant Union was unable to

help her find a new apartment, she still recommended that students go to the Tenant Union to review their lease agreements.

“We try to resolve issues before the point of having to send a student to legal services because we understand that process is very long and time consuming,” Boidy said.

For students starting their housing search, Boidy said that while a home may seem great on the surface, students should look into the lease and realtors.

“It’s worth considering not just the property itself, but also the landlord,” Boidy said. “The majority of landlords in the area have an average number of complaints that is less than one, most have zero, but the maximum number of complaints we have on file right now is 36.”

The 36 complaints on file come from both Campus Property Management and The University Group, according to the Tenant Union.

Boidy said that although students do find sufficient housing without the Tenant Union’s help, there is an added benefit to visiting to them.

“It’s not to say that students who don’t use us don’t get good housing, but we are by and large an educational resource,” Boidy said. “If a student wishes to go in armed with the most knowledge they can have before signing onto a lease or searching for housing, they should come here.”

Saher can be reached at [email protected].

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, October 1, 20133

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BY MAGGIE O’CONNORSTAFF WRITER

If you have never signed a lease before, all its jargon might as well be in a different language. You might view it as another strenuous reading assignment you need to do before you can return to more important matters. But just ask yourself: Will you think it’s so unimportant when you are bundled up in 12 sweaters, trying to type a fi nal paper while wearing mittens because you realized your lease does not guarantee someone to repair your heating?

To ensure that doesn’t happen, one should learn how to read a lease.

Tanisha King-Taylor, director of Community Life and Tenant Services at the Tenant Union, gave some tips about frequently overlooked details students should pay attention to before signing on the dotted line, as well as some questions they should ask:

Know your landlord

Before even deciding where to apartment-search, check out the landlord’s complaint records, King-Taylor said. Knowing the nature of the complaints, i.e., whether there are breaches in the lease or breaches in the law, may be a deciding factor in choosing your apartment.

The signifi cance of a leaseAccording to King-Taylor, another important

factor to keep in mind is that once you sign, you are legally bound to the contract.

“Some students really have the idea, which is one of the myths we try to dispel, that they have a grace period after signing the lease,” King-Taylor said. “Students think that if they change their mind or fi nd something better within three days, they can change their mind, and that’s just not the case.”

Read every word carefully before signing

The Tenant Union has copies of leases from each management company on campus, King-Taylor said. The majority of them are the most up-to-date versions and have been reviewed and highlighted where the tricky clauses are so that if students come in before signing, they will know exactly what to look for. The Tenant Union can also prepare clauses and give the students the tools to negotiate unclear or unsatisfactory clauses, King-Taylor said. The best thing to do is to make sure it is taken care of before a particular aspect of a lease becomes an issue.

“It’s really easy to just sign and go on, but when issues arise or there’s things in that lease that you didn’t know about … students’ lives can be, I don’t want to be dramatic and use the word ‘ruin(ed),’ but it’s really inconvenient,” King-Taylor said.

Lease copies

Make two copies of the lease, and take one

with you after signing.The landlord should sign both copies of the

lease, and you should take the original, King-Taylor said. Do not sign until they have signed; this ensures that nothing will change without notifi cation after you’ve signed it.

Unit specifi cs

Look for a complete description of the location of the rental unit, including the street address and apartment number, King-Taylor recommended. For a house, look at the number of bedrooms and if garage services is included.

Verifying the meaning of language like “furnished” and asking for a complete and detailed list of what the unit includes can also prevent problems farther down the road.

King-Taylor said she once worked with a student who was excited to sign a place with an in-unit washer and dryer, but it turned out to only operate with quarters.

“Sometimes it’s hard to interpret what some of that stuff means,” King-Taylor said. “(The Tenant Union) already (has) highlighted diffi cult language and what it means, and we’re here to fl ush out what it means.”

Know start and end dates of the lease

The issue, King-Taylor said, is that sometimes there is a turnover period between when the previous lease ended and the new one begins, which can displace tenants for a period of time. Knowing this ahead of time

can prevent future issues.“If you point that (date) out in the beginning,

then you won’t be surprised,” she said. “Sometimes it does just sneak up on you.”

Renting and subletting fees

What are the fees for late rent payments? Are there sublet fees and how much are they? Both are important questions to ask.

Security deposits

When is the deposit due, how much is it and will it be returned?

Utilities

Who will you pay for gas, electricity, water and garbage hauling? Is it something you must set up with separate companies?

Parking spaces

Verify that the cost and space number are stated in the lease. Where is this spot? Is it diffi cult to park in or back out?

Repairs and services

Who handles pest control, snow removal, lawn care, etc.? How and in what time frame are maintenance requests handled?

SEE LEASE | 19

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For students on campus who aren’t involved in Greek life, it’s easy to assume that living in a sorority house

is a total free-for-all. When 50-plus college women are living in a house together, there’s no telling what could happen. Fortunately, for the safety of each chapter’s members, house directors live in each sorority and act as the superior figure.

House directors, or “house moms,” as they’re called, are in charge of making sure that all of the rules of the house are being followed. For example, sororities are “dry”, meaning alcohol should never be consumed inside the house or brought on the premise. Many sororities also have rules when it comes to having boys at the house. For some sororities, boys can’t be over until a specified time, or in some cases, boys aren’t allowed to be on the second floor of the house.

Of course, these rules seem pretty reasonable and are anticipated before living in any house. However, some rules vary from sorority house to sorority house. I’m a member of the Delta Gamma sorority, and our house mom, Teresa Mendez, always makes sure we wear shoes in the kitchen or dining room. There have been times when I just wanted to sneak downstairs to grab some coffee in the morning, and she sent me back up to my room to get shoes before allowing me to pour a cup — not the best way to start my morning.

“If you think carefully about where your shoes have been, you bring all that stuff into the kitchen, and if you go barefoot, then you touch whatever is on

the floor,” Mendez explained. “It’s more than anything a health issue.”

Besides enforcing the rules, Mendez — or “T” as we all call her — is also in charge of the cooking staff at my house. She makes sure that they know what to cook for the week and oversees everything that’s happening in the kitchen. Mendez will also pitch in and cook something delicious for everyone to enjoy.

Mendez has become a mother figure to many girls in the house. Whether it’s giving a hug when she sees tears or making us laugh at her crazy stories, Mendez is there for us. She’s become a staple for life at Delta Gamma and has also become a mentor to the members of our sorority. She gives us advice our own mothers would give us if they were in Champaign.

Mendez means as much to us as we mean to her. Each day, her face lights up when she sees a senior who hasn’t stopped by the sorority house in a few weeks. For many of the members, Mendez is the heart of Delta Gamma, and our house just wouldn’t be the same without her.

When asked about her favorite part of being a house director, Mendez said that the friendships are what matter.

“The friendships with the girls, the parents and the families,” Mendez said. “These friendships last for a lifetime.”

Despite having to be the bad cop in certain situations, house directors are there to protect the well-being of the sorority members. Whether or not a member decides to get to know her house director is really up to her, but I would highly recommend it; members will learn a lot and get to know the world through the eyes of someone with more experience.

Taylor is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected]

House moms enforce rules, turn sororities into homes

A music playlist to help you get in tune with the college experience

TAYLOR ELLIS

Staff writer

It’s been a month since we’ve flown from our nests and the warm, comfortable embrace of our

parents. We’ve managed to grab every-thing that we can from our rooms, our parents’ kitchen and our basement to try filling up our new living spaces with icon-ic posters, cheap furniture and somewhat durable kitchen appliances.

Whether it’s a dorm, an apartment or a house, we are compelled for the next few months to make the best out of these spac-es. While living in these cramped condi-tions are all part of the “college experi-ence,” this playlist may help you realize that there’s no place like home.

1. Luther Vandross — “A House is Not Home”

You’ve just moved into your new place, and it’s completely empty. The smell of Clorox and an old building overwhelms you, but you’re excited. As you begin to unpack, you find stacks of pictures that you want to display. Luther Vandross’ classic R&B song reminds you that your loved ones make your house a home, and you can’t wait to make new memories with your roommates.

2. Meek Mill — “House Party”

Finally, you and your roommates are all settled. The first weekend of school calls for a party. It’s a time to reconnect with

AMANDA TUGADE

Staff writer

SEE PLAYLIST | 22


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Of each living option on campus, liv-ing in a Greek house can be one of the most exciting. This campus

has many housing options, but if you’re a member of the Greek community, you are usually required to live in the chap-ter house. I can’t speak for the fraterni-ties on campus, but I’ve found that, as with any living option, living in a soror-ity has its pros and cons:

Pros1. Need something to wear? There are more than 60 closets to scavenge

When it’s time to get ready for an inter-view, a social event or a regular weekday, there are clothing options in every room. It’s a lot of fun to get ready with the girls living in the house, as we always turn up the music, congregate in one room and swap clothes.

2. There’s always someone to talk to and hang out with

Coming home from a difficult exam to find girls hanging out in the living room is one of my favorite parts of living in my house. These girls are always ready to talk about anything.

3. Don’t know how to cook? No problem

Having a chef who cooks lunch and din-ner is a definite plus to living in a Greek house. In my chapter, Alpha Omicron Pi, our chef works through Hendrick House Catering and always makes delicious meals. If you only eat vegetarian or glu-ten-free dishes, the chef will make some-thing that suits your lifestyle.

4. You form lasting friendships

This is my second year living in the AOII house. This year, I am living with a whole new group of girls. I love that I’m able to become close with the younger girls after already becoming close with my own pledge class. Girls who don’t

SEE GREEK HOUSING | 19

OLIVIA CATUARA

Staff writer

Greek housing can be exciting, also distracting!ere are both pros and cons of living in a sorority house

MICHAEL BODJA THE DAILY ILLINIAlpha Omicron Pi sorority members take pictures outside on the Quad before Bid Day 2013.


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College can be a penny-pinching peri-od for many, and frugal living is an art that takes time for university

students to master. Not everyone grew up accustomed to budgeting money, and so it makes it that much difficult when we are forced to take over the financial responsibilities mom and dad handled for us for so long.

Here are a few things you can do to assure you are spending your money responsibly:

Line up your expensesOrganizing your expenses should be one of the first things you do when trying to calculate them. Take half an hour to fill out an Excel spreadsheet with your expected bills and play accountant. Make sure you emphasize your real needs, like dorm room or apartment essen-

tials, before your social or entertainment splurges.

Plan fun, free activitiesCheap fun is always the best kind of fun. Chill on the Quad with a bag of gummy bears, some portable speakers and a boo-merang, and you are game to have an eventful time. Going to University-spon-sored events is also a great way to spend time with friends. The Illini Union has free events going on throughout the year. One example is Illinites that provides free activities for those who don’t want to drink on a Friday night. The Spike Squad at volleyball games is always rowdy, as are the soccer games, and it’s something free and exciting to do.

Brew your own coffeeCollege students tend to consume a lot of coffee, and rightfully so. We often need it for all-nighters during furious cram sessions or early 8 a.m. classes that would be unbearable without caffeine. To reduce your monthly spending, home brew your coffee and drink it in a travel

mug instead of spending $5 for coffee in a cardboard cup with a fancy sleeve logo.

Eat at home before going outIn 2011, the average col-lege student spent $765 eating off-campus food, according to the Huffing-ton Post. That is a stag-gering figure. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped at Second Story Pizza or Fat Sandwich for food after a late night out and have found myself with a depleted wallet by the end of the week. All of these late night meals add up, and by the end of the month, you’re looking at $100-$150 that could have been spent on dorm room decorations, concert tickets or even a skydiv-ing trip in Paxton (yes, it’s that cheap). Before going out, eat a couple of Nutella sandwiches and some Ramen Noodles; you’ll be set for the

night. But if you decide to go out and eat, bring your i-card and take advantage of the college specials many restaurants offer around campus.

Hit the books a little more oftenAccording to Forbes, college students spend only about 16 percent of their time in class and doing homework, while 51 percent of their time is spent socializ-ing. While socializing is essential to a balanced collegiate life, it often includes spending mon-ey in some way. Spend-ing a couple extra hours a week on schoolwork can’t hurt anyone, and you will conversely help equilibrate your budget.

Eliseo is a freshman in Fine and Applied Arts. He can be reached at [email protected]

How to be a penny pincher and live frugally on a limited, college budget

ELISEO ELIZARRARAZ

Contributing writer

In 2011, the average college

student spent $765 eating off-campus

food. That is a staggering figure. I can’t tell you how

many times I’ve stopped at Second

Story Pizza.

“Have a budget. Keep everything clean. Do the dishes often. Find an apartment with air conditioning. Especially if you’re staying over the summer, look for a place with air conditioning.”


“Every single place I shop, I get a saver’s card. It actually saves a lot of money. I have Walgreens, County Market, Meijer and a few other ones. The card only helps you if you actually look into what’s on sale that day. One time, I got a gallon of milk for $2, and I got a “buy one, get one free” pack of batteries. You have the card but their deals are rare, so you have to look at ads and see what’s actually on sale.”

“Get good roommates, and avoid clutter in your apartment. A cluttered room means a cluttered mind. Being in a dark area, you tend to throw stuff everywhere. But if it’s well lit, you can kind of see how disgusting it is. So keeping it clean is a good thing.”

“You have to really be independent and manage your time because when you’re by yourself, you have to buy your own stuff, you have to buy your own food and your mama is not going to be there doing stuff for you.”

COMPILED BY ALICE SMELYANSKYSTAFF WRITER

What tips do you have for apartment living?

Alice can be reached at [email protected].


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BY ANNABETH CARLSONCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Preparing to live in the dorms can be both expensive and overwhelming. Back-to-school sales seem to advertise every imaginable item for making the transition to college, from the essential to the most trivial. However, not all college shopping lists cover the best items or their best options (especially if it’s a store-provided list). Students don’t have to strain their bank account to cover the necessities. Here are 20 items under $20 that prove to be handy and worth every penny:

1. Desk lamp

A student’s dorm room becomes his or her office. Megan Naydenova, freshman in LAS, said her desk lamp is the most useful item in her room.

“I study late at night and don’t want to bother my roommate,” Naydenova said.

2. Adhesive hooks

Living in a dorm room can often feel like liv-ing in a small closet. With limited floor space, using the walls for storage is a great way to de-clutter. Removable hooks make it easy to hang coats, hats, jewelry and more without damaging the walls. Greg Danielson, fresh-man in Engineering, uses Command hooks in a unique way.

“I installed Command hooks and ran my (phone) charger cord against the wall, (so) my phone sits on the hooks,” Danielson said.

3. Tide Pods

For many, college can be a rude awaken-ing to the realities of doing one’s own laun-dry. It can be stressful enough to know which clothes to wash together, let alone how to mea-sure laundry detergent. Tide Pods are pre-measured plastic bags of detergent that dis-solve into the wash, making laundry that much simpler.

4. Hanging file folders

Organization can make all the difference when it comes to juggling college courses, especially with the amount of handouts and assignments professors give out. Keep all those papers in order with hanging file fold-ers, with each class assigned to a folder.

5. StaplerStudents need this more than they know.

This item is often overlooked while dorm shopping, but judging from the amount of papers written in college, it could very well be the item students use the most.

6. Shampoo

Anything jumbo-sized is great for the dorms, whether it is shampoo, packages of food or toiletries. More bulk means less trips to the store.

7. Over-the-door mirror

This mirror is great because it does not take up a lot of space and hooks onto a door without damaging it. The only downside to this mirror is it may cause students to change out of the pajamas they were plan-ning to wear to their 8 a.m. class.

8. Body pillow

Jorian Robinson, sophomore in Applied Health Sciences, swears by her body pillow.

“It is great to cuddle with and is super comfortable,” Robinson said.

9. Bin for under-bed storage

The majority of beds in dorms are raised, allowing space for storage underneath. Cluttered items can be neatly tucked away into these inexpensive plastic bins.

10. Magnetic dry erase board

A small dry erase board is great addition to any room. They can be used for writing to-do lists for the day or just drawing a nice picture while procrastinating.

11. Flip-flops

When asked why “shower shoes” were the most important item that Andrew Sta-warz, senior in Engineering, bought for his dorm, he said, “I didn’t want to take any chances.”

He’s right. Two words: Public showers.

12. Throw blanket

Chanedra Epps, sophomore in LAS, can-

not go anywhere without her fuzzy blanket. A small blanket is great when dorm floors use the same heating and cooling system.

13. Portable bathroom caddy

Whether it’s for public or suite-style liv-ing, a shower caddy is needed to transport toiletries to and from the restroom. A plas-tic caddy can carry everything you need and will not become ruined when wet.

14. Portable fan

Some of the dorms at the University do not have air-conditioning. A fan sometimes is the only thing to make the hot, muggy months bearable.

“I hooked a mini-fan to my bed to stay cool,” said Jake Lenihan, junior in LAS.

15. Air freshener

“I’m a guy, so my room doesn’t always smell nice,” Danielson said.

16. Mini steamer

A steamer is a great alternative to an iron. It uses hot water vapor to release the wrin-kles out of clothing. It also eliminates the need for ironing board, saving more space.

17. Water filter pitcherWhile living in a dorm, access to a kitchen

faucet isn’t as convenient as it was at home. Instead of spending money all year on water bottles, buy a pitcher that filters clean water.

18. Three-drawer cart

If one doesn’t have enough drawer space, consider buying a plastic drawer system. Many versions come with wheels, making it easy to transport items and rearrange in a dorm room.

19. Headphones

Living with a roommate can be distract-ing, especially if he or she is noisy. Head-phones can become a necessity to get any-thing accomplished.

20. University of Illinois poster

While having an organized space is impor-tant, do not forget to add personal touches.

Epps added decorative pillows and picture frames to her room to make it stand out.

“Your dorm should remind you of home,” Epps said. “You will be here all year.”

Annabeth can be reached at [email protected].

20 things under $20

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI


We’ve all been there. You’re in your room studying for that big calcu-lus exam, when something unex-

pected happens. You just spilled Coke all over your white pants. What do you do? If you’re like me, you don’t have Tide to Go in your desk drawer, so do you run to the store to get stain remover? Ain’t nobody got time for that! After hours of exten-sive online research and several test studies in various labs (my bedroom), I’ve found a few items that you probably have in your room that you can use to fight the unexpected, and a few fun ideas that might make your life a little easier:

1. Flat iron: Almost every girl has a flat iron or hair straightener, but you’d be surprised what else this tool can do besides straightening your hair. If you turn it to a medium tempera-ture, you can use it as an iron to get out those pesky wrinkles in your collar.

2. Newspapers: After reading your favorite section of The Daily Illini, don’t just toss it. You can use news-paper to clean your windows or TV screens for a streak-free shine.

3. Post-it Notes: After you finish your to-do list, take the back of the Post-it Note and clean your computer key-board. The sticky end can make it easy to pick up dust in between the keys.

4. Dryer sheets: If you have an offen-sive odor coming from your feet, you can solve the problem with dryer sheets. Place one in your shoes over-night and the next day your shoes will smell as fresh as spring.

5. Table salt: Remove those hard-to-get-out stains with a little bit of table salt and some hot water. Stretch the

shirt over a bowl and sprinkle the affected area with salt, then pour hot water over it and toss it in the wash.

6. Banana: Nothing is worse then watching a movie with a scratched disc. If you have some bananas on hand, it won’t be a problem anymore. Take a banana and rub it on the DVD, and then clean the disc.

7. Mayonnaise: If you have water rings on your table, use a dollop of mayo to get the stain out. Just rub

into the table and wash off with a damp cloth.

8. Toothpaste: We’ve all had that one pimple that just won’t go away. Take a pea-size amount of toothpaste, rub it into the pimple and let it dry. Then, rinse with warm water. The ingredients in the toothpaste will dry out the oil in the pimple and you will notice a decrease in redness and size.

9. Old CDs: Take your old beat-up CDs that you already have in your

iTunes playlist (and that you haven’t cleaned with the banana), glue them together, and ta-da: you’ve made some pretty awesome coasters.

10. Altoid tin: Grab an empty Altoid tin and use it to carry your credit cards, IDs and even your room key. If you’re going out for a run, or for a night of bowling at the Union, you don’t want to carry around a huge purse anyway.

Raymond is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].

Ten unusual uses for household itemsRAYMOND SOBCZAK

Contributing writer

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI


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“W ill I still fit into my skinny jeans?” To some, these words may signify the very greatest

fear one has about entering college: gain-ing weight.

Although late-night eating, snacking and access to unlimited soft serve in the dining hall seems like a recipe for nothing short of the “Freshman 15,” there are a few ways we can take our inevitable college eating habits and make them harmless to our waistlines.

Eat this, not that

Whether you’re cramming for a test, out with your friends or just watching TV with your roommates, odds are there is a snack within arms reach. We get it — you are hun-gry, tired and stressed. That’s okay! We just need to replace the bag of potato chips or gallon of ice cream with something a lit-tle bit better for you. According to Clarke University, college students aren’t usually eating because of hunger, but rather as a type of coping mechanism. Swap out some of your unhealthy, go-to snacks for some healthier ones. Here are a couple of easy suggestions:

Try dried fruit instead of gummy candy. It’s sweet and chewy, without being filled with sugar and dyes.

Swap out chips for unbuttered popcorn. Popcorn is 100 percent whole grain and packed with antioxidants. You’ll still satisfy your craving for something crunchy, but in a more nutritious way.

Instead of ice cream, try Greek yogurt. You can actually freeze Greek yogurt for up to three months before it goes bad. You’ll still get the taste of something cool and creamy, but you will be eating something packed with lean protein instead of saturat-ed fats.

Make meals a priority

The dining hall can be another danger zone. When you graze the cafeteria lines, all there seems to be are burgers, fries and an unlimited amount soft serve (yes, I suffer from a soft serve addiction). Even though the healthier options may not catch our attention, they are there. The Juvenile Dia-betes Research Fund suggests that “healthy eating” is often times more about when we eat, opposed to what we eat. For instance, don’t waste all of your caloric intake on one meal (this does not mean to starve yourself all day, and then eat six bowls of ice cream for dinner), but give yourself boosts of energy by eating throughout the day.

Make sure you eat breakfast. Yes, I sound like your mother right now, but she was right about this one. Try some whole grain cereal or instant oatmeal. These options are light and easy, and they will give you a spur of energy before your 8 a.m. class.

Don’t ever let yourself get too hungry. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and don’t be afraid of snacks. Just make sure you are not splurging and overeating at every meal. If you let yourself get too hungry, you’ll end up overeating and potentially using all your calories in a single meal. For an 18-year-old female, one’s daily caloric intake should be about 2,000 calories, and for a male 18 years old, about 2,400 calories. Calories that should be consumed per day are based on an individual and their activity level, as well as other health factors.

Stop by the salad bar and eat your fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, high in fiber and provide you with a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Be a conscientious eater

Finally, pay attention to what you eat all day. A University of Michigan Health Report noted that college students often don’t pay attention to what they have con-sumed the entire day because of irregular class and sleeping schedules. Think about the choices you made for breakfast before you order your lunch. Think about what you

ate for lunch before you load up on dinner. This is a great way to ensure you’re cover-ing all your nutritional bases. If you have a light breakfast, eat more for lunch. Consid-er the last time you ate. If your lunch was late, maybe aim for a lighter dinner. Your meals are not solo acts; all together, they make up an entire day of your nutritional needs.

Write down what you eat. If you’re not going to remember, just make a quick note in your phone. This will also hold you accountable for when you’re trying to justi-fy that third trip to the soft serve machine.

Try to incorporate something plant based at each meal. This could be fruit, some veggies or a side salad. This is an easy way to make sure you’re eating some-thing healthy and substantive during every meal.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been warned about this inevitable weight gain for sometime now. You’ve braced your-self for the day when your favorite jeans might be just a little to snug. Keep in mind that you can be smart about what you eat. Remember, college is not an excuse to be unhealthy. The Freshman Fifteen is in your control and quite honestly, nothing to fear.

Samantha is a freshman in Business. She can be reached at srothma2@ dailyillini.com.

SAMANTHA ROTHMAN

Contributing writer

‘Freshman 15’ fear: How to prevent weight gainUnlimited access to ice cream, snacks may prove too easy against healthy eating in college


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Each year, thousands of University stu-dents living in dorms have to create a cozy home for themselves within a

confined space. According to Kyra Lovely, senior in Business and third-year resident adviser, one way students can ensure they utilize their dorm space well is to plan in advance.

“Knowing what you want your room to look like before you move in definitely helps,” she said.

Whether you’re planning on living in the dorms again next year or ready to revamp your current dorm room, here are some tips for planning the arrangement and decor of a dorm room:

Arranging furniture:

You should arrange dorm room furni-ture in a way that takes up as little space as possible to allow for extra storage and living space.

Separate your dorm room into specif-ic living areas. For example, you can have beds on one side of the room, desk space on the other and a mock kitchen in the corner.

Loft or bunk your bed. If you live in University Housing and wish to have beds lofted, you can place a building mainte-nance request at www.housing.illinois.edu. Lofting one or more beds allows for greater desk and dresser space below the bed. Television sets can also be placed in the spaces underneath lofted beds. Bunk-ing the beds or arranging them in a lofted L-shape leaves more space for other furni-

ture as well.Bring portable furniture pieces. Otto-

mans, futons and collapsible, comfy chairs allow a place for both visitors and resi-dents to relax and can be easily moved.

Do not be afraid to provide alternative dorm essentials. Some students replace their desk chairs with comfier chairs, or install their own makeshift curtains. These touches further personalize your dorm.

Decorate your dorm with mirrors. Mirrors on doors or walls create the illu-sion of greater room depth.

Stack, stack, stack. To maximize space, stack things on top of one anoth-er — such as the microwave on top of the mini-refrigerator or the shelving unit on top of the dresser.

Accessorizing:

Having a color scheme and decorating your dorm with personal items can create a cozier, more home-like atmosphere.

Coordinate with your roommate(s) to decide on a color scheme. It does not have to be strictly followed; rather, the theme should be a loose guideline for buying dorm items. This way, the room is gener-ally cohesive.

Bring frames or homemade photo col-lages of friends and family and hang them up with Command strips. Simply taping your pictures directly to the wall is anoth-er option.

Hang up posters of favorite bands, movies, quotes and more. To really make the dorm personal, try to leave as little white space as possible (without the walls looking tacky, of course).

Adorn your room with strings of lights. Some students drape lights across their windows, wrap them around their bed frames or tape them to I-beams that

crisscross their ceilings.Bring lamps. Standing lamps or small

desk lamps are alternatives to the bright, fluorescent ceiling lights in the dorms. Also, clip-on lamps that can be attached to headboards are useful for when your roommate is going to bed and you want to keep reading.

Warm the room with a rug. Universi-ty Housing offers installation of custom-fit rugs for $74.95 or $109.95, depending on the size of the room. These rugs come in light blue, grey, green, beige, navy, black and burgundy. You can also buy your own throw rug.

Bring fluffy throw blankets and pil-lows to accessorize your bed.

Finding and capitalizing on storage space:

Organizing a room for general storage space can be difficult, especially with bulky books and school supplies. Sometimes it works to store away things you do not use on a day-to-day basis and keep those that you do use as accessible as possible.

If you do not use a certain toiletry every day, put it in the back of your closet or drawer. If it is something you need to use every day, such as lotion or deodor-

ant, place it out on a shelf that it is easily accessible.

Store all food items together near the mini-refrigerator and microwave. In this same way, keep all school items together within the same vicinity as your desk.

Utilize closet space as much as possible. Additional storage containers can be placed in the closet to act as extra dresser draw-ers. You can use closet hooks to hang sweat-ers, belts, bags and hats.

Shoe organizers of any kind are essen-tial. Some can hang over the insides of clos-et doors while others can slide underneath beds.

Put your hamper in the back of your closet. You will not need to retrieve it until you do laundry, so it is OK if it is difficult to pull out.

Bring a small washtub to carry dishes to the bathroom to wash. It also functions as a place to put your wet shower caddy.

Overall, your dorm will be what you make of it. Creativity is central to maxi-mizing and personalizing dorm space, and it often takes experimentation.

Bridget is a freshman in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].

Let your creativity shine, accessorize your dorm roomShow o! your personal style by improving, organizing

BRIDGET HYNES

Contributing writer

FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINIA lofted bed gives you more room to organize your dorm space.


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Returning after a long day of classes should be something to look forward to. Your home, after all, should be a

place to de-stress. Add difficult roommates to the equation, and your home away from home can quickly become anything but peaceful. Speaking from experience, there are some important factors to keep in mind when you have roommates. From the wild and crazy roommate who wants to party 24/7 to the homebodies, penny pinchers and everything in between, read on for the do’s and don’ts of living with roommates.

Come in with a realistic mindset

The first thing to remember when pick-ing roommates is to have a realistic mind-set. No roommate situation is going to be perfect, and every shared living space is bound to have conflicts. Having unrealistic expectations of a problem-free roommate utopia will only make the situation worse when problems do come up and ultimate-ly lead to a disappointing year. Instead of envisioning your apartment life as a sing-song, happy-go-lucky experience, brace yourself for the emotional roller coaster that is college.

Communicate openly

Maintaining open and honest communi-cation with a roommate is essential, both when looking for an apartment and when living together. And even though we are all guilty of it, good communication does not involve leaving passive-aggressive Post-it Notes lying around the apartment. Instead, try to remain calm, and approach your roommate in a considerate manner. By taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down and talk, your roomie should understand the importance of settling the conflict in a mature way.

Friends vs. roommatesKeep in mind that friends and roommates

are not always synonymous terms. The qual-ities you may seek out in a friend are not always the same for those whom you choose to live with. For example, you may enjoy a wild night out with friends on the weekends but would prefer a more calm and relaxed environment at home during the week. If your roommate is one who enjoys hosting parties and after-party parties midweek, you could be in for several sleepless nights. Or, conversely, having a lights-out-by-10 p.m. type of roommate may end up cramping your style when it comes to your social life.

Habits and routines

Another common roomie mistake is to assume your roommate understands how and why you like things to be done a certain way. Not everyone has the same background or upbringing. While some students grew up having a maid around the house, others were expected to do a set of chores each day. Your roommate may have grown up in a dif-ferent culture than yours, complete with varying living practices and priorities. This is why maintaining open communication is vital. Explain why certain ways of living are important to you, and request that there be a mutual respect established for one another’s preferences.

And, when all of my advice has gone out the window, and you absolutely cannot wait to move out and never speak to your room-mate again, it’s important to remember what college is all about. It’s an extremely special experience that you have chosen to share with this person. Why not make living together fun? After all, you only have four years to live crazily, pull all-nighters study-ing, party hard, make mistakes and grow both personally and professionally. Try your best to not let your at-home frustrations hin-der your college years. Instead, make an effort to smile and laugh it off because your college years are numbered and your room-mates are only temporary.

Anna is a junior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].

Make your place a home with these roommate tips and tricksDon’t let a bad roommate ruin your college experience

ANNA HECHT

Staff writer


live in the chapter house come to the house for meals and meetings, so I am always able to catch up with them.

5. There are always people to stay in with or go out with

If I have a busy week and want to stay in, I always have a group of friends who also want to relax at the house. On the other hand, if I am ready to go out for some fun after finishing all of my work, there are girls ready to do that as well.

Cons1. It is easy to get distracted

I’m not going to lie — sometimes it is easy to get distracted by having all of your closest friends living in one house. However, since I live close to the library, I can always run over to the library to finish my work if I have a lot to get done.

2. You might spend too much time with the same people

When you’re living in a house with your closest friends, there really isn’t much variety. Though I always enjoy hang-ing out with the girls in my house, it is a must to get out of the house and see other friends living elsewhere or in other chap-ters on campus.

3. There is not much independence

You don’t get the experience of liv-ing on your own when you are in a Greek house. There is someone cooking the food, cleaning the house and there are more than 60 other people living with you, give or take a few. In a chapter house, you don’t get to experience the independence that comes with living in an apartment.

4. LOUD, LOUD, LOUD

As expected, it can get loud. But all you have to do to get away from the noise is hang out in your room, sit out on the porch or go for a walk. Or, maybe you don’t want to get away from the noise. In that case—join it!

5. Girls encourage you to go out, even when you shouldn’t

There will always be those weeks when you have a lot of homework or exams. It’s important to remember to stick to your studying, so that when the time comes, you can join your friends and have fun once your difficult week is over.

Living in a Greek house has its ups and downs, but I personally don’t usually hear of anyone not enjoying the experi-ence overall. Next year I will definitely miss living in the AOII house. I know that I will come back to the house frequently for the meals, girl-talk and just because I will miss the AOII house, or as we call it, the AOII “mansh.”

Olivia is a junior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].

“Some leases have that they will not repair anything in the first 30 days because they have so much to do and there’s so much turnover,” King-Taylor explained. “(The Tenant Union) definitely (asks) that (the landlord) take that out; they’re saying that regardless of the issue, they’re not going to come out.”

Privacy rights

Can a landlord enter your apartment

whenever they choose?The most important thing to know is that if

any of the information is not included explicitly in the lease, it is not guaranteed. If the all-caps “Get it in writing” message on the back of the Tenant Union’s Lease Guide does not sum it up enough, King-Taylor also emphasized that this is the cardinal rule in lease signing.

“Generally you don’t have any rights unless it’s in the lease or if it’s the law,” she said. “So anything the landlord verbally tells you is null and void unless it’s written in that contract.”

Maggie can be reached at [email protected].


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BY JED LACYSTAFF WRITER

Moving into the first apartment often is a paramount milestone and a step toward adulthood. For many, having an apartment is their first time being responsible for paying rent, keeping track of utility bills and feeding themselves. New tenants no longer have access to University dining halls, where they can feast on a variety of meals throughout the week.

Brennen Williams, junior in Applied Health Sciences, said this was no easy transition for him. Williams lived in Forbes and Nugent Hall his first two years of attending the University, but this year he is living in an apartment for the first time.

“Going from the dining hall to having to shop for your own food definitely takes some getting used to,” Williams said. “It can be a time-consuming process going to the grocery store and definitely isn’t as convenient as having your meals catered to you.”

Grocery shopping can be time-inten-sive, but arriving at the store prepared can speed up the process.

There are a variety of unique grocery stores on and near campus. Within just a mile of the Quad is County Market, Straw-berry Fields, AM-KO Oriental Foods & Gifts, El Charro and World Harvest Inter-national & Gourmet Foods.

World Harvest International & Gour-met Foods offers a variety of foods from around the world. Mohammad Al-Heeti, University alumnus and owner of World Harvest, described his business as one of the most original stores in all of cen-tral Illinois.

“We don’t carry for just one ethnic group. At our store, we carry food from Europe, Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the

Middle East, Central and South America and African food. We are the only store in Champaign that puts all these items under one roof,” Al-Heeti said.

More grocery options off campus, including Walmart, Meijer, GFS Market-place and Schnucks. When choosing which stores to go to, it ultimately comes down to one of the following factors: how far away the store is, what type of food it carries and how much food costs.

Once a student narrows down their gro-cery store of choice, it’s time to go shop-ping. Generally, grocery shoppers have dif-ferent motivations for choosing what food they purchase. For some, the biggest fac-tor that drives their purchasing decisions is the desire to save money. Thrifty shop-pers relish in finding the best deal, putting coupons to use and saving as much money as they can. Kevin Morelos, junior in Busi-ness, is precisely this type of customer.

“As a result of being a broke college stu-dent, when I get to the store my primary motivation is to keep expenses to a mini-mum,” Morelos said.

Shoppers can keep expenses down by buying in bulk. Not only will customers get more for their dollar, but it also saves time on transportation. Buying in bulk means less trips to the store.

Another motivation that drives shoppers’ decision making is the health benefits of the food they consume. These shoppers often live by the creed “you are what you eat” and plan their meals accordingly. One word of advice for these shoppers is to look for “win-win items” that aren’t only rich in health benefits but are also enjoyable to eat, like a granola bar or hummus.

Lastly, there are those who make pur-chasing decisions based entirely on what looks most appetizing. Instead of follow-

ing their minds, these shoppers are lead by their stomachs. If these shoppers aren’t careful, they may end up getting home from the grocery store only to find their shopping bags are full of cheese puffs and Double Stuf Oreos, but nothing substantial. To fend off this kind of behavior, make sure to never go shopping for groceries on an empty stomach.

There are many opinions on the best way

to grocery, but in the end, it comes down to the interests of the person making the purchases.

As Williams puts it: “I usually don’t know exactly what I’m going to buy until I get to the store, but once I’m there the whole pro-cess kind of takes care of itself.”

Jed can be reached at [email protected].


Grocery shopping doesn’t have to be a daunting taskTransition from dorm to apartment gives students freedom to choose what they eat


S tudents living in dorms, apartments or houses all face the same challenge: Finding some way to eat three bal-

anced meals a day that don’t require too much time or money. First-time apartment owners might view cooking a meal as a daunting task and resort to buying take-out food each night. Dorm-dwellers can survive on dining hall food but might be craving to try cooking something on their own. Whether you’re testing out the kitch-en in your residence hall or attempting to use the kitchen in your apartment for the first time, here are some tips to guarantee your cooking experience is a success:

1. Keep it simple. Simplicity is essen-tial in the kitchen. Oatmeal takes min-utes in the microwave, and add-ins like brown sugar or blueberries make it an easy breakfast option. If you want to make chicken for dinner, cooking chicken breast can be painless by grilling or sau-téing it on the stove. Students don’t need to spend hours to make a good meal.

2. Mix it up. Hilary Lohman, junior in LAS, believes that combining a wide vari-ety of ingredients is key to making her meals delicious.

“I mix whatever I have on hand to make some sort of pseudo-casserole,”

Lohman said. “My most recent one had boxed macaroni, tuna and peas, and it wasn’t too bad.”

3. Plan ahead. Haris Karajic, junior in Fine and Applied Arts, said time manage-ment is essential when planning to cook meals.

“What I do is spend one day cooking, and then just heat (the leftovers) up for meals throughout the week,” he said.

To ensure you have all the ingredi-ents you need to cook the meal, create a detailed grocery list before you head to the store.

4. Shop smart. Searching for the best deals and buying in bulk are two ways you can get quality food at an affordable price. Try planning a trip to Walmart or Sam’s Club where you can buy items in bulk.

5. Have balance. Part of feeling good comes from eating well. Students should make sure their diet consists of all the five food groups. Teighlor Traywick, freshman in Applied Health Sciences, tries to eat a variety of food while living in the dorms.

“My roommate and I cook a lot of noo-dles, but we put our own spice to it, like we added chicken from the dining hall, or other sauces,” Traywick said. “We have balanced meals by drinking milk in cere-al and eating a lot of fruit, so that’s how we keep it balanced, or try to, at least.”

Michelle is a freshman in DGS. She can be reached at [email protected].

How to cook well-balanced, healthy meals for dorm, apartment livingMICHELLE ROLF

Contributing writer

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friends that you didn’t see over the sum-mer, and so you invite them to your new crib. The party gets a little out of hand, but the memories make it all worthwhile.

3. Aaron Carter — “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)”

The aftermath of the party isn’t nearly what you expected. It’s worse, and you and your roommates have a huge mess to clean. This year is going to be epic, and so you’ve decided just to throw small get-togethers with your closest friends from now on.

4. Blues Brothers — “Sweet Home Chicago”

Play hard, work hard. As the semes-ter begins, homework continues to pile up. Assignments, projects and tests constantly occupy your time. The days morph into nights, and the semester feels like an endless cycle of stress and caf-feine. You’re starting to feel homesick. You miss your dog, your friends and your family. All you want to do is go home to sweet home Chicago (even if you’re just from the suburbs of the Windy City).

5. Dear Landlord — “I Live In Hell”

The toilet won’t fl ush, and there’s water dripping from the living room ceiling. The water from the kitchen fau-cet suddenly turned brown and large crickets have become your new room-mates. You call your landlord with your complaints, yet your emer-gencies don’t seem to phase him. You’re starting to realize that a cheap rent equals cheap living conditions, or that you’re paying too high for an unsatisfac-tory place.

6. Drake — “Hold On, We’re Going Home”

(Sigh) Finally, a semester break. It

didn’t come fast enough. You need a break from this place and from your roommates.

7. Descendents — “Suburban Home”

You’re back at home, and you’ve made plans to hang out with the old high school crew. You dedicate three days to see-ing everyone you know, and during the rest of the vacation, you sleep, enjoy home-cooked meals and watch countless hours of TV.

8. Arctic Monkeys — “Still Take You Home”

The break ends, and you return to your college living space. You’re the fi rst to come back, and the place looks exactly the way you left it.

9. Pitbull — “Hotel Room Service”

Your living situation remains consis-tent. You still have problems with your roommates, and every now and then, something doesn’t work in your apart-

ment. If only you had enough money to just go to a hotel

room for some peace and quiet.

Instead, you just learn to deal and

adapt.

10. Al Green — “Call Me (Come Back

Home)”As the year fi nal-

ly comes to an end, Al Green’s lyrics accurate-

ly sum up our feelings: “What a beau-

tiful time we had together /Now it’s getting

late, and we must leave each other / Just remember the time we had…”

Amanda is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].

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