Sunday Socializing

In residence center life, your floormates often become your family and best friends. In residence centers like Read, the boys down the hall from you often become your brothers. Last Sunday, the girls of Landes 2 and the boys of Curry 2 had a chance to socialize over free wings from Buffalouies.



The social started off as roommates came in together, then found familiar faces from their respective floors. Before long, people made new friends that they never even knew lived down the hall. Residents found out what they had in common with their new friends, including similar roommate stories, their favorite wings flavor, or the conversation sparked by my RA's music choices for the event.





As the wings ran out, the crowd thinned out as residents began to return to Sunday homework, studying, and laundry. The social was both a nice study break and a foundation for future plans and friendships.

Making the Most of IU Football

Being an IU football fan is not always fun and games, but the games themselves are an excuse to make your own fun despite the final score. Here are some of my favorite tips on how to enjoy the games and feel like a true Hoosier.


Sit near the band. The Marching Hundred are sure to set the gameday spirit, and if you are unfamiliar with the chants, cheers, and dances, there are enthusiastic people surrounding you who you can learn from. There is no more collegiate feeling than the one you get from hearing the IU Fight Song played live, only a few rows of bleachers away.


Come prepared. Depending on the crazy Indiana weather, you might need anything from sunscreen and sunglasses to a sweater and a scarf. Eating and hydrating beforehand are good ideas too, especially if the weather is hot; avoid pricey stadium food by eating at your residence halls before the game (Gresham Food Court at Foster is conveniently on the way to the stadium from most residence halls!) It is always fun to see food courts packed with people in cream, crimson, and face paint on gamedays.


Show your spirit. Dressing up in IU gear sets the tone for the game; from a simple hat to painting yourself with logos and letters, the more enthusiastic and creative you get, the more fun the games become for you and those sitting around you. Some of my most memorable outfits from games include bright red and white striped pants, and the dresses two girls fashioned out of over-sized IU tees.


Go in a group. Getting your floormates together is a great way to make new friends. With your student IDs, tickets are only $5. Even if gameday does not match up to the fun you had together in game nights on your residence hall floors, they can be there for you to soften to blow should the score not play out so well or the referees make arguable calls.

Contest of the Best

Of all the opportunities on campus to get involved, why not go for the ones with cash prizes? The $400 grand prize is hard not to notice, with the posters and advertisements around Read Center, but the talent of the contestants is even harder to miss.

One of those contestants is Read resident Brant Craft. Brant has been diligently practicing since the day he noticed the sign outside Landes's Dining Room.


Brant uses the music practice rooms in the basement of Read, which are open to any residents. Many are equipped with pianos, and as you walk through the winding basement halls whether to rent a music practice room yourself or just to get a sandwich at El Bistro, you pass doors bursting with piano music ranging from beginning scales to Bach.


One of Brant's other favorite places to practice is outside the University East and West Apartments, across the street from Read. The apartments look out onto an open field with trees, sun, and picnic benches, and we head out the doors, we passed two girls who also chose to practice their guitars outdoors.


Guitarists who pass the application phase of the contest record a song with or without vocals at IU's studio. Each gets their own web page with their recording on it, and listeners can vote for their favorites. So check out bloomingtonsound.com next month to listen and vote--the winner might end up being someone from your very own residence center!

Fearless of the Freshman Fifteen

Returning to Read for my second year, I still consider several of my floor mates from last year to be my best friends. We started several traditions last year that we continue now, one of which being regular trips to the SRSC or HPER gyms. When paired with the healthy choices in the dining halls, staying in shape is not as hard as the stereotypes say. Last Sunday when they came to visit, we took the familiar walk to the SRSC for fitness and fun.

Three of the six of us prefer swimming as a way to stay in shape, especially during hot weather. The SRSC has many free lanes open after 5:30 p.m.


In addition to pools, fitness centers on campus have facilities like basketball, racquetball, and tennis courts. In the conditioning areas, there are cardio machines such as ellipticals, tredmills, and bikes, as well as extensive weight training areas, so staying in shape is easy no matter who you are.

My Most Memorable Welcome Week Night

As both Morgan and Kristen have already explained, Welcome Week at IU is one-of-a-kind. What I think makes it so great is all the little details that go into it. From individual residence halls' programs, to campus-wide events, no moment goes unplanned. That being said, the saying "You don't need to look any further than your own backyard" really holds true in explaining my most memorable night of Welcome Week this year: Casino Night at Read Center.


Aug. 29, Welcome Week volunteers and staff worked all day decorating the Center Lobby and setting up games, activities, and refreshment stands. Like I said, it's the little details that make an event a great one here.

Starting at 7 p.m., students could play classic casino games, stop by the Jungle Bar for any of the creative mixed-to-order drinks, listen to the music of a live DJ, or enjoy food from the snack table with the largest variety I have seen at an RPS event yet.

Even the workers and volunteers had fun, which really helped get students in a fun mood and actively participate. The best example of this would be the "bartenders," who sang and danced along to the music while inventing their own creative drinks, my favorite being the "Dr. Anthony Surprise." What is in it, I can't reveal, for it is truly a surprise.