That’s exactly what happened to me last August.  I came from a small town in Leelanau County.  In fact, my graduating class was only 65! Ashley, on the other hand, graduated from M.L.King in Detroit, one of the city’s largest schools.  It seemed we probably would have nothing in common.  I was the girl who grew up around heavy metal local bands and spent every free moment at the beach no matter what time of day or year.  I worked at a gift shop and a golf course; I was in the tourism industry, well, like it was my job.  Ashley, on the other hand, had more friends than was in my entire high school, worked at a dollar store, and lived near the Detroit River, rather than Lake Michigan.

In fact, after moving in, we would each look out the window and make our own comments.  She always said there weren’t enough buildings; I said there weren’t enough trees.  But those differences weren’t something that made it difficult to be roommates; actually, it brought a whole new perspective to our lives before OU.  The more we hung out, the more I realized she wasn’t so different from myself.  She liked the band Madina Lake, and she even had a Lion King ringtone as her alarm clock! …which I thought was really cool.  Before we knew it, we began having our frequent trips to Meijer at 1:30 AM for groceries and mischief; I even decided to take her home with me for a few days at the beginning of Christmas break!

As someone who came to Oakland without knowing anyone else to ever have come here, my roommate was a vital part of meeting people when I came here.  By keeping our opinions open to other perspectives (and having a cleaning schedule and good taste in movies) Ashley became one of my best friends!

I guess one of the greatest things about living on campus is being exposed to all sorts of new things: things your roommate likes, movies you watch for class, all sorts of stuff!  So I took a survey of a few students who live on campus to see what sorts of music they like, cool events they’ve gone to, and places to study or hang out!  Enjoy :)

Favorite music to listen to while studying: There was a complete variation in music selections.  Some prefer low key music for studying, such as the Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, or folksy like The Fleetfoxes. Some residents like different types of rock; others like Country, Jazz or movie soundtracks. 

Favorite Program/Event: FNL, Open Mike Night, Welcome Week and the Lock-in are all fun events/programs that multiple residents wrote down, but there are also lesser known events that were spectacular this past year, such as the Taste of Africa even that Kyle Engel said he enjoyed.

Favorite Student Org/way to get involved: A lot of people get involved through Housing and Grizz Gang, but there are lots of other organizations too!  The Oakland Robotics Society, Honors College and GSA are all great ways to meet new people.   I would also like to support my own groups that I’m involved in, which include Creative HeARTS, RHA (Residence Halls Association), and OUSC (Student Congress).

If you’re looking for an org. to get involved in, check out the Center for Student Activities… or try the Rec. Center to join an intramural sport!

Favorite class: There were lots of different responses to this one, but overall the favorites included some Psychology classes, especially PSY100, SA102 (intro to studio art), MIS100, and Anatomy.  However, the majority of students seemed to like music classes and the University Choir.

Favorite Place to Chill with Friends: No matter what floor students live on, the floor lounge won this category by a landslide.  There were other cool places to hang out, though, as Jacinta Flint pointed out by stating that her favorite chill spot was “The OC.”  Other fun places included Fireside lounge, the Volleyball Court, the pool table in Fishy Lounge, the patio outside of Vandy, and Beer Lake.

Favorite thing to do at night/on weekends: What people do on the weekends is really specific to their personality.  There are tons of fun things to do, so the answers were pretty varied.  My favorite thing to do is going to the park, but others liked learning to play music, chilling with friends, going on campus walks or being outside, playing kidnapped or Laser-tag, watching movies, and playing catchphrase!

Favorite Off Campus Restaurant: Looking to treat yourself?  Check out these restaurants nearby!  BD’s Mongolian BBQ (University Dr.)is a classic favorite, as well as B-Dubbs (Buffalo Wild Wings for those of you who haven’t eaten there, Walton Blvd.)  and Oceania Inn (Walton Blvd. in the plaza with CVS) was noted by several for great Chinese food!  Sophomore Rachel Boye said her favorite is T.G.I. Fridays (Squirrel Rd.)  If you’re interested in other places, students also suggested Pita Pit (Walton Blvd.), Georgio’s Pizza & Pasta (Rochester Rd. downtown), Olga’s (Squirrel Rd.), and Bravo (North Adams Rd.)

Favorite on campus wildlife creature: The majority of responses for this were variations of the term “groundhog/woodchuck.”  The second favorite animals are the deer, and while some are fans of the geese, it was quite noticeable that some did not enjoy their angry temperament.  While no one commented on the bunnies, I think they are definitely my personal favorite :)

Favorite Place to Study: While most students who were interviewed like studying in their rooms the best, studying in the library, floor study room and outside were also popular.  Of course, some students prefer environments that aren’t super quiet.  Junior Jamie Welker said that the OC was her favorite because the bustling makes for “good white noise” for studying.

Most helpful resource for residents: Many agreed that the Academic Skills Center is the most useful resource for students who live on campus, but the list really DOES seem endless!  Others commented that Career Services, the Housing office, the IT helpdesk, Honors College and Student Technology Center are helpful, too!  Resident Assistants were also on the list, as they have lots of experience living on campus and going to OU.  Lauren Baker said her favorite resource is the Writing Center.

Favorite free service at OU: My personal favorite was pretty popular among those who were surveyed: the free admission to athletic events!….but some students had other favorites , such as free WiFi, access to the Rec. Center, free laundry,  tutoring, and, of course free food handouts!

Favorite OU T-shirt: Across the board, almost everyone agreed that the Grizz gang shirt from this past year was their favorite, though some people also preferred shirts from SOPE, the honors College-Go GEEK, and “Taking Care of Grizzness.”  Jackie Mannino said her favorite free OU shirt is from RHA’s sibling’s weekend.

Favorite Stress reliever:  Working out, running, and walking outside took the majority of ideas for stress relievers, but some students prefer other ways that are more relaxing, like meditation, as suggested  by junior Al Shiral.  Others like visiting beer lake, video games, hot chocolate, or Kelsey Schwab’s personal favorite stress reducer: driving!

Goal for next year: Most of the goals for next year were personal or academic.  OGL Mike Lohrer stated that his main goal is to find an internship for next summer.  Most of the other students simply wanted to earn better grades, become more involved, and avoid stress.  Other students want to save money to buy a car or get into shape.

1) INDEPENDENCE: I was standing on the curb of Hamlin Circle with my purse and room key as I waved goodbye to my dad and walked up to my room.  My newfound freedom was looked upon favorably, as I had been anticipating college for quite a few years, and I had been itching to prove that I could support myself.  However, despite my excitement, I had many of the issues that most freshmen have; I needed to learn how to balance academics, making new friends and money, while staying healthy and happy.

In my experiences, the best way to save time is to set priorities.  While there are tons of distractions, classes should be a student’s main focus.  I know if I’m doing well academically, I’m less stressed when I want to do fun things with my friends.  I also like to have a set schedule for work, going to the rec. and working on art projects.  Another thing that I needed to manage when I came here was money.  At the start of the semester, determine how much income you will have throughout the year (if any) and decide how much money can be spent per month or say, every 2 weeks.  This budget will help control impulsive spending and prevent stress in the long run.

2) INDIVIDUALITY:  Coming to OU from a graduating class of 65, from a high school where half the students had never heard of OU, I knew that I was going to be, for the most part, alone at the start of this journey.  I had to make goals for what I wanted to accomplish to satisfy myself, what sorts of grades I expected of myself, goals for art projects.  Also, becoming an individual requires inspiration from others; I learned a lot simply by spending time with my roommate and my other new friends who came from extremely different backgrounds than I did.  Coming here with an open mind is one of the best ways to grow as an individual.

3) INVOLVEMENT:  Involvement??  Who has time to join student organizations, or volunteer, or go to all the events on campus? I wanted to ask, but the CSA *dramatic superhero music* AKA The Center for Student Activities was there to help!  They have lists and information for every student organization on campus, which is over 190, by the way.  They are in charge of Club Sports, Community Service, Academic, Engineering, Multicultural, Political Awareness, Religious, Social and Greek Organizations, and if one of these nearly 200 orgs. don’t offer what you want, all you need is 3 other OU students and a faculty member to start your own!

In fact, I just recently began my own student org., Creative HeARTS, an art and music therapy group on campus.  It’s a great opportunity for me to reach out to other students and inspire creativity and self-expression.  I’m also really excited to meet new people who have interests that are similar to mine, and we’re planning on hosting some really neat events that involve more than just students, but people in the community outside OU, such as patients in hospitals and elementary students.

If you have any further questions about starting or joining an existing org, visit the CSA Office at room 49 in the lower level of the OC, or follow this address: http://www.oakland.edu/csa/

If you’re interested in involvement in Creative HeARTS, feel free to email me at snlove@oakland.edu.

The CSA front desk; they help with general questions, and those relating to involvement.  This office also is in charge of advertising (BANNERS!!!) for student organizations and offers free printing for org. related documents.

Student Organization Mailboxes

The CSA Office is also involved with the Gender & Sexuality Center and the Leadership & Volunteer Center.

The CSA has a television and a Wii.  Tiffany Sims from the Leadership & Volunteer Center is a great person to talk to if you want to get involved in community service.

Comfy chairs for meetings or relaxing :)

And the best part? Candy!

Vandenberg Dining Center (also called Vandy or The Caf):

Get all of your food at once so you can gauge how much you’re eating

Drink water instead of soda or juice to reduce sugar intake; skim milk is also great because it’s low in fat and sugar but provides calcium [for flavor, put some chocolate milk in the skim].

Try adding pepper for flavoring before you add salt.  While salt is delicious, too much sodium is bad for your body.  Also, try to eat a banana each day; the potassium will help balance the sodium in your body.

Breakfast:

This is the best meal of the day! It gets your metabolism going and ensures that you will be (somewhat) awake for class.  Oatmeal is great because it keeps you full for a long time, and you can flavor it with all sorts of toppings. Chartwells has lots of options such as dried fruit and granola.

If you go for hot breakfast, make sure you balance foods high in protein, vitamins, and carbs for energy.  Avoid over-greasy food and pastries.  Make sure you balance coffee with drinking extra water, because caffeine makes your body dehydrated.

For bagels, use cream cheese to avoid sugar, or jelly to avoid fat.  Also, try whole grain toast instead of bagels.

Favorite breakfast at Vandy: Oatmeal with raisins and a fresh sliced banana, a glass of water, and a half of a grapefruit…and a cup of coffee to-go for class.

Lunch/Dinner:

Make sure you have lots of colors on your plate, FRESH colors.  Try and keep at least a third of your meal designated to salad, fresh fruit, or cooked veggies!

Check every station before deciding what to eat.  If you eat a big plate of fries and pizza before finding out that there are tacos or something else you want, you’ll be more likely to eat both, despite being hungry or not.

Try being creative and mixing stations! If you like salsa, try that on foods where you’d typically use butter or salad dressing.  Hummus is also good with veggies from the salad station, and its high protein content will help muscle growth.  If you want pasta, it’s healthier to wait for a day when whole wheat pasta is being served.  You can also add mushrooms from the salad bar to the marinara sauce.

Favorite dinner at Vandy: Tomato soup with a turkey, swiss cheese and green pepper Panini, fruit salad and skim milk.

Dessert:

If you want to splurge on some dessert, make sure it’s something you love, such as your FAVORITE flavor of ice cream, or your favorite cookie.  If you want something sweet but don’t want any more food, try some hot chocolate or chocolate milk instead.

Don’t get me wrong though!  If you need a little pick me up at the end of the meal, just get a reasonable portion of your favorite dessert, and enjoy!

Favorite dessert: keylime pie ice cream, or a mocha (mix coffee, hot chocolate and milk)

THE OC:

Everyone loves naked juice!  But it’s pretty expensive, so once those declining points are running out, transfer meals are important to consider.

Wild Greens:

Salads have a choose-your-own –ingredients style with a limit of 5, plus dressing and croutons or nuts.  If you get dressing, it’s often smart to request it on the side, and instead of croutons, request walnuts or almonds.  Then it’s up to you!

Favorite Salad: Spinach with mandarin oranges, chickpeas, dried cherries, water chestnuts, grapes and almonds.

Subway:

Try to avoid meats that are heavy on fat, and request going light on dressing.  Another trick is to request the shredded mozzarella cheese, or get provolone; these two have the least calories.  Provolone has a few more calories than mozzarella, but a lot more calcium.  Also, go for healthy sides; you can get apple slices or yogurt instead of chips.

Favorite sub: Honey oat 6” with turkey, mozzarella cheese toasted with lettuce, tomatoes, green and yellow peppers and cucumbers.

Taco Station:

 If you want a side of tortilla chips, try salsa instead of nacho cheese as a topping. Also, go for black beans instead of refried since they have less fat and more protein.

Caribou Coffee:

To save on money AND calories, get a coffee or tea and add your own milk and sweetener rather than ordering a mocha or latte.  This way you can regulate how much is in your drink.

Also, avoid the muffins! They can be as bad for you as doughnuts.  Try a bagel with light cream cheese or a breakfast sandwich to get your metabolism going without eating 25% of your daily calories in fat and sugar.

For hours of all these locations & other info, visit: http://www.oakland.edu/dining/