A comment from UNH Res Life

This comment was left earlier today in reply to yesterday's post on paraphernalia in dorm rooms:

Normally I would not reply to a blog, but as a public service I will. I am the Director of Residential Life at UNH. Two major falsehoods need to be cleared up from the blog statements:


1. We have no new paraphernalia polices this year. In fact, we have no new behavioral policies of any kind this year in the residence halls or apartments.


2. RAs are NOT permitted to enter a students room without permission to conduct any kind of a search.


Scott Chesney
Director of Residential Life


I was unable to find any copy of these new rules written down, which leads me to believe ping-pong balls and shot glasses in plain sight won't lead to a visible-to-the-eye search. However, this means that somewhere along the line a Hall Director or RA gave out false information, which led my friend to tell me about it. (My friend was told about that policy from one of Res-Life's trained RAs, I was just passing it along). Another comment said those items could be confiscated, which is definitely not true, but that person must have also been given false information. Either way I now look like an asshole. I guess this is good news and I apologize for the false claims, I should have researched them before writing. Thanks.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

This week in Dining: Old People want salt too

There was an old guy (like 70ish) sitting at the table next to me. This is what he said: "This goddamn place doesn't have any salt!" He continued to rant about it and I had myself a good laugh. That is all I have to say about dining, other than the fact that the sign I spoke about last week has been removed. I call that a win.

Seeing as I don't have Thursday classes I took the day to going skiing at Cannon Mountain. Their 2 for 1 Thursdays are perfect for a college student. The conditions were as good as I've ever skied and there was hardly any wind at all, which is rare for Cannon. After lunch we hiked over to Mittersill, which is the new expansion planned to fully open next year. Right now it is just an old out-of-commission chairlift with a few narrow trails and glade runs. It was pretty awesome to get in a run over there. The hike isn't too bad at all, but only experienced skiers should give it a shot. I've been skiing for 10 or 12 years and some of it was pretty tough. They plan on adding a new lift and opening up the trails next year so I think Cannon could become a real gem in the future. It already is my second favorite mountain in New Hampshire after Wildcat. I love Wildcat because it is never crowded, you don't have to deal with little kids and slow family skiers and you get most skiing for your money. Wildcat has a 6 minute quad to the top peak and has some of the longest trails in the state. You can't beat that in New Hampshire. A lot of people like Loon, and as a mountain it is not too bad, but the tickets are way over priced and it is crowded 7 days a week. How was your $73 lift ticket? Because I paid $33 (2 for 1) and got in twice the runs. I'm not hating, I'm just saying...

One final note: I would like to say that I honestly do like criticism so I can improve my writing and blogging, but I have been taking a lot of flak over my last article about RAs. I will admit I was on a little rampage that morning, but I need to make something clear. From day one I have said to never take anything I write too seriously because I make fun of different groups of people pretty much every week. I have been doing that on the blog for almost an entire year. (Holy shit!) When I make fun of or criticize cops, the administration, President Huddleston, or dining most people just laugh. (Except for those who work at dining.) But then I joke about how some RAs are on a power-trip and every fucking RA or former RA freaks out. Jeez, lighten up and smoke a joint or something! (Joking, haha... awkward) How come I can poke fun at other groups and you laugh along, but I joke about RAs and some get all defensive? It's like that old saying "If you laugh at one group of people, you got to laugh at them all." Besides, the main point of that article was to simply state that sometimes taking names down isn't necessary for first time offenders. I have been criticized before, but I never have and never will change what I do or say. 

Stay Classy, not UMassy. 

Like a Pro: Dealing with RAs

The other night I found myself at a party at a friend’s apartment. Everyone was is a good mood, having fun and enjoying the college lifestyle. There was no Ke$ha or Miley Cyrus to be heard; all was good. Epic battles of Beirut were going down in the kitchen and on the living room table a game of kings was being played. Other people stood around sharing tales of their glory days of high school sports and other general conversational topics from classes to internships. Then came the knock on the door.

The knock came from two RAs because it was after the 1 a.m. quiet hours. Earlier, one of the residents had asked everyone to keep it down, but unfortunately that didn’t last too long. One RA spoke and said something along the lines of  “You guys are being too loud. Unless you are sleeping here you all have to leave. Form a single file line and have your IDs ready so we can take down your names and ask a few questions.” That was it. No warning. Nothing. It was your typical power-tripping “I got picked on in high school so I became an RA,” the worst type of RA. While the two RAs talked with one of the residents, I grabbed my backpack and started the line out the door. I went first because I was feeling confident and knew others might need a little more time to collect themselves.

I handed over my ID, gave them my date of birth and informed them that I had not been drinking. I was free to go. I waited outside for a few friends and to make sure everyone was leaving OK. Despite the fact that the music was turned down low, the amount of conversations and laughing was apparently loud enough to call attention to the apartment. As I stood outside, I wondered if they would bust the party next door too; and the one that was above us, and the one in the next building over. Noise violations are always the easiest way to get written up by an RA or CA and if you are not prepared they can lead to more serious violations, which could attract the police.

When it comes to dealing with RAs it is very important to know ahead of time what type of RA they are, and this is a lot easier if you live in a dorm compared to the Gables or Woodsides. There are really two main classifications that RAs fit into; there is the power hungry kind and the “I need free housing” kind. Those in the first group are going to use all that power they have to make themselves feel better by ruining the night of fellow students who are just looking to have a good time. They, like many of Durham and UNH’s finest, are on a massive power trip and love the fact that they get to tell people what to do. Sure they are just doing their jobs, but a verbal warning is always nice. The best RAs are the ones who just want the free housing; as long as you are not rude to them they will usually let you off with a warning. They aren’t there to just bust people or make themselves feel important, they just want to get free housing.

Despite a few verbal warnings, I have never been written up for anything, not even a noise violation. It is all about preparation, showing courtesy and obeying quiet hours. If you are in a regular dorm room, and under 21, make sure that nothing is visible from the door if there is a knock. That means having a place to quickly stash all your “Gatorade” and “Mountain Dew.”  Try to avoid using anything that will emit curious odors. Also, if you are playing Beirut, always use water cups. It is way easier to hide one drink each than all those cups. Plus, it is more sanitary; trust me, I aced Germs.

If you are hosting a gathering be sure to keep the volume as a reasonable level and don’t be afraid to ask people to leave if they can’t settle down. As a guest always do what the host asks and respect their rules. The bottom line is when you have to deal with RAs or CAs, as painful as it may sound, is to be respectful because it is better than having to deal with the police.

 

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Monday Updates

This weekend only solidified my hate for RA's. Well, technically they were two CA's at the Woodsides, but they still sucked. They felt it was necessary to make everyone leave a small party, which seemed reasonable because we were being kind of loud, but they also made sure to check ID's and take down everyone's name. They gave no warning or anything. When they told to form a line I knew that there were certain people their who would A) need a moment to gather themselves and B) think of a way to avoid giving their name because of who they are/positions they hold. So I grabbed my bag and took my place at the front of the line. Instead of giving a fake name  I handed over my ID because I knew it would better to make it quick. I gave told them my birthdate and informed them I had not been drinking.  And she bought it. Others who were 21 told the truth and some gave fake names. Once outside I waited for a few people to walk back with and assisted others out a back window. Great success. My column in tomorrow's paper while go into further detail about how to deal with RA's so be sure to check that out if you're interested.

In other UNH news, the men's hockey team has just two regular season games left and only one at home. They play second place BC in a home and home series this weekend. They just need to tie one of those games to clinch the top seed for the Hockey East tournament. They will host at least two games in the first round, but they will be after most of campus has left for break so that really sucks. The women's hockey team will be the number 2 seed in their tournament which is held at Providence this year.

The men's basketball team finished their regular season with a big win over first place Stoney Brook. They will face Vermont, the number 2 seed, a team we beat and lost to in overtime, in the first round of the America East Tournament. EDIT (9:35 p.m.) Binghamton, who would have been the 5 seed, dropped from the tournament due to findings in a recent investigation. Therefore UNH as moved up to the 6 seed and will play Maine in the first round who blew us out twice in the regular season.

Stay Classy, Not UMassy.

A Quick Rant (sorry, not drunk.)

A while back I got a message on my twitter account simply asking “What is the best part of UNH?” I didn’t see the message until for a few days and I felt bad for not replying earlier so I quickly answered without much thought. I know I said this a while ago, but it may have been before I had more than a handful of readers, but I encourage you all to ask me any questions, open-ended or not. You can tweet me a message on twitter, ask New Hampshirite on facebook, post a comment here on the blog or email me at unhblog@yahoo.com. The more questions or comments I get, the better and faster the blog will grow.

This one reader’s question got me thinking and I really wanted to take some time to give a legitimate answer. So what really is the best thing about UNH? A lot of things at UNH are probably pretty similar with most large universities across the nation.

I really enjoy the freedom I have at UNH. I know a lot of people complain about the cops and RA’s (as I have several times on here before) but step back and think about it for a minute. The cops are just doing their jobs, to protect and serve. If they see a drunk kid stumbling around at night they are going to arrest them because they have to...but they are still douchebags... RA’s can only do so much, so if you have a plan you should never get in trouble from an RA.

Outsmarting RA’s is not even hard to do. Especially because someof them couldn’t give a shit about what you do, but there are always are a few in each dorm who take their job a little too seriously. Pay attention, these are my tips and if you follow them you will never be busted by an RA. This is really basic information that most kids know and freshmen will realize it within the first few weekends, but I figure it wont hurt to share my ideas. Some of this is a repeat of my freshman article so I apologize if I'm being repetative, but kids always get in trouble for stupid things the first few weeks. It's gonna happen.

Keep your music at a reasonable level and have a place to hide your drinks if there is a knock on the door. While drinking in a dorm room my friends (yes, I have friends) we usually keep a drawer open and if there is a knock at the door everyone puts his or her drink into the drawer and shut it. I probably had an RA knock on my door about 15 times last year while I was drinking with some friends and never once did we get in trouble. Not even a noise violation or a warning. Always pay attention to the time; being loud after quiet hours is the easiest way to get written up. Open the door all the way, this shows that you have nothing to hide. If you are playing drinking games don’t make it too obvious. NEVER use beer cups during Beirut; water cups are the way to go, plus it’s more sanitary. (Trust me I got an A in Germs 101 last year. Easiest class at UNH. Seriously you should take it.) If you are playing a card game, try keeping some poker chips on the table. If you’re playing kings make sure you ditch the king’s cup too, we usually didn’t use one just to be safe. A lot of RA’s really don’t give a shit; they only do it to get free housing, which goes to show that it is very important to know which RA’s are on duty. Basically you have to be really dumb to get caught by an RA. Don’t be dumb.

I know a lot of people bitch about different things at UNH and I could easy write about every little thing that is wrong with UNH. But that’s not my style, I would rather just rip on things that truly deserve to be ripped on and appreciate the rest. I have realized that the best part of UNH is that this question is so hard to answer. Comprende? There are so many things I enjoy about UNH; it is nearly impossible to pick one. I hope you all enjoy your college experience as much as I have so far.

Stay classy, not UMassy.