Library Lock-IN UPdated!

You can still register!
Just show up Friday night, 2/20 by 945 PM with your buddy and your $10 and your good!


It Was a Dark and Brainy Night
At Bird Library
The Library Lock-In 2009

2.20.09
10PM-1AM

Compete for Prizes
Answer Question and Challenge Your Knowledge

Sign up a team of two now to WIN a $250 gift certificate to the SU Bookstore as well as gift cards to the Carousel Mall, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, and more.

SPONSORED BY THE OFFICE OF RESIDENCE LIFE AND E.S. BIRD LIBRARY

Housing Reservation INFO

The 2009 - 2010 Housing Reservation Process, an online process via MySlice, will begin soon!

The Housing Office strongly encourages you to participate and secure a room through one of the phases of the HRP.

NOTE:
Your advance housing payment of $400.00 must be paid in full by February 27, 2009 in order to participate in the process!

If you want to have a more detailed explanation and have your questions answered, come meet the members of the Housing staff and learn how to wisely select your room for the next academic year at one of the many Housing Road Shows!

ROAD SHOW DATES AND LOCATIONS:
I. Monday February 16 – BOLAND HALL MAIN LOUNGE
II. Tuesday, February 17 – FLINT HALL MAIN LOUNGE
III. Wednesday, February 18 – SOUTH CAMPUS…SKYHALL 2 – 2ND FL. LOUNGE
IV. Thursday, February 19 – DELLPLAIN HALL MAIN LOUNGE
* All road show sessions will begin at 630 PM sharp!

The Housing staff will present a brief presentation and answer questions related to the HRP.

CONTACT: housing@syr.edu OR 443-2721

Free Testing!

Valentine's Mocktail Party...This Tuesday!

This Tuesday, February 10th from 8 - 10 PM, H2W will throw a Valentine's Mocktail Party in the Haven Main Lounge!

Come out to grab a mocktail, decorate some cookies, and gel with your fellow hall mates (or you can invite non-H2W students if you'd like).

Making Coffee Legally

For many students, the sadness of not being able to bring a regular drip coffee pot into their residence hall room is almost too much to bear. Some would rather risk it then live without their coffee.

Fortunately there are plenty of ways to have your coffee without using an illegal appliance.

Here's two ways to make coffee using only a microwave and two simple coffee brewers:

1. French Press:
Simply go out and buy one from a local coffeehouse (Cafe Kubal on James St sells them frequently) or buy one online (Bodum makes great ones). The instructions simply involve heating the water for 4 minutes on HIGH in a microwave-safe container, combining it with ground coffee (make sure to freshly grind for best results) for at least 4 minutes, and shazam, you have great coffee.

Note that french press differs from regular drip, as the grinds have consistent contact with the grinds and hence, the coffee has natural oils that enhance the taste.

2. Pour Over Cone
It's basically taking the operation out of your typical coffee brewer. You simply purchase a cone (like the ones shown here) and some filters to fit it. The directions are as above in heating the water, add the desired ground coffee into the filtered cone (just buy a grinder if you don't have one), and then simply pour the heated water through the coffee into the a container/cup below it.

This is most similar to coffee pot coffee if you don't like the oils from the french press.


Thus my friends, there's many ways to have your coffee and not fear being found out for illegal action.

Will you read/act for the children?

Do you like reading? Do you like performing? Do you like working with children (even a little)?

Then we have a great opportunity for you!

Partnering with Delaware Academy Elementary School, we're looking to get a group of students together to go to Delaware on Friday, February 27 (tentative date) to engage the students in dramatizations of their favorite stories. No formal reading or acting experience is needed, just an open mind and a couple free hours.

Please email Bill at wmwalsh@syr.edu if you are interested!

H2W Super Bowl Par-Tay

Head to the Haven Lounge on Sunday, February 1 to watch the game and/or commercials with your hall-mates on our (relatively) big screen TV!

We'll be all set-up by 530 PM and watching the pre-game coverage before the game starts at 6 PM!

There will be plenty of game-oriented snacks and drinks, such as pizza, wings, chips, dip, and beverages of varying tastes!

Don't miss out!

Green Corridor

Want to be sustainable and support local businesses?

Check out greencorridor.syr.edu for a growing database of local businesses that employ sustainability into their daily practices.

If you know of a business that should be on the map, email Bill at wmwalsh@syr.edu .

Do you have your dot for your ID?!

If you have not picked up your security dot (the diamond sticker with a big "09" in the middle that sticks to the front of your SUID), you need to do so ASAP.

Please stop by Bill or Courtney's office in Haven Hall to pick one up. Their office hours are between 10 AM - 5 PM, Monday - Friday (though quite often they may step out).

For simplest and easiest result, your best bet is to email one of them ( wmwalsh@syr.edu or cebrewst@syr.edu ) to make sure they will be there when you stop by.

Alternative Spring Break to DC: March 8 -13

Want to spend your Spring Break in a meaningful way?

Take a 4-day trip to Washington DC, where you will participate in a volunteer camp with the Youth Services Opportunity Project (YSOP), an organization that was founded in 1983 that aims to help eliminate societal problems by getting youth involved in making the necessary small actions that change peoples' lives, like volunteering through direct service to eliminate hunger and homelessness.

In addition to service each day, you will have the opportunity to take in some of the sights of the D.C. metro area. The total cost for the trip is $300 with all meals and activities included (amazingly priced!).

Application and Event Timeline:
- Informational Meeting January 21, 2009 at 8:30pm in the DellPlain Hall Main Lounge
- Application and $300 fee due January 28, 2009 (please turn in to Carrie at the Office of Residence Life 111 Waverly Suite 200 or Jessica at the South Campus Office of Residence Life 206 Goldstein Student Center or at the informational meeting)
- Preparation Meeting February 22, 2009
- Alternative Spring Break March 8, 2009 – March 13, 2009

If you have additional questions, contact Jessica Merrit at jamerrit@syr.edu or call at 443-3893.

Welcome Back!

This is just a note say Happy New Year and we're excited to see you move in this weekend!

Remember that the halls open at 12 noon on January 10, 2009.

See you soon!

Important Closing Information!

Residents must vacate the residence halls within 24 hours of their last final exam, or no later than 12 noon, Saturday, December 13, 2008 (whichever comes first).

Students wishing to stay past 24 hours after their last exam NEED to fill out a Request To Stay Late form, available at the Main Desk. These forms are due by this Friday, December 5th.


Also, note your responsibilities prior to leaving:

1. Unplug all electrical appliances, including refrigerators, computers, and televisions. Please empty, clean, and defrost your refrigerator. Be sure to keep the refrigerator door open.

2. Empty all trash and recyclable items, and place them in the trash/recycling room.

3. Remove all holiday decorations.

4. Remove all personal belongings from the bathroom and the lounge.

5. Close and lock all windows and security screens (where applicable).

6. Open curtains on all floors except the 1st floor—1st floor residents as well as 4th floor in Haven should close curtains for safety.

7. Turn off all lights.

8. Lock their room door.

9. Last person to leave the room indicates all roommates have all left on the Room Check-list and posts sheet on their room door.

Ask your RA if you have any questions.

Want to be an RA?

Whether you're mildly curious or you stand convinced that being an RA is your calling, you should definitely plan to attend one of H2W's RA interest sessions this week. Times and locations are as follows:

Thursday, December 4th 8 PM
Haven Main Lounge

Friday, December 5th 4 PM
Washington Arms Lounge

While these sessions are crucial if you plan on going through the application process this spring, these sessions do not commit you to applying. If you have any questions or you're unable to attend both of these sessions and wish to get a list for other buildings' info sessions, please email Bill the RD at wmwalsh@syr.edu

Free Shuttles!

Starting this afternoon, Monday, Nov. 24, the Student Association is sponsoring free bus shuttles to and from Syracuse University, the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center and Hancock International Airport. The service is offered to support students who are traveling for Thanksgiving break.

Buses are scheduled to depart from the Schine Student Center approximately every hour, on the hour (i.e. 1 PM, 2 PM, etc). Buses are scheduled to arrive at the Regional Transportation Center approximately 15 minutes past the hour (i.e. 115 PM, 215 PM, etc) and at Hancock International Airport approximately 30 minutes past the hour (i.e. 130 PM, 230 PM, etc). Times may vary slightly because of traffic or other unpredictable events, and neither SA nor the motor coach company is responsible for missed flights, trains or buses (i.e. go early).

Quality Coach Lines will be providing this free shuttle service from campus during the following dates and times:
Monday, Nov. 24: 4–10 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 25: 10 a.m.–10 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 26: 6 a.m.–2 p.m.

As students return from their Thanksgiving travel, Quality Coach shuttles will be in service on Sunday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m.–midnight. Buses will pick up from the Regional Transportation Center at 15 minutes past the hour; pick up at Hancock International Airport at 30 minutes past the hour; and drop off at the Schine Student Center on the hour.

Haven has a study lounge!

As many of you may have noticed, there is a new study lounge in the Haven lobby (the door is located between the copy machine and the stairs to the dining hall).

Here's details on how to use this lounge:

- The room is usable between the hours of 8 AM and midnight.

- To use the room, you must sign out the key at the Main Desk. While you have the key, you assume responsibility for the happenings in the room (i.e. don't let crazy things go down while you have the key) and make sure that when you are finished that you bring the key back and sign back out.

- The room exists for school work and thus the nature of the work is determined on who has the key (i.e. if the person with the key is using the room to study quietly, the room is then a quiet room but if the person with the key is using it for discussion, then the room can be used thus).

- While the room can be used for multiple people and reserved ahead of time through the RD (email wmwalsh@syr.edu), the room can be used exclusively for no more than one hour without permission (this rule is here in the event that there are people waiting to use the room).

If you have any questions, please ask the RD or ARD. Thanks!

FYI: Thanksgiving Break Dining Hall Hours

For all the dining hall hours for Thanksgiving break, check out this pdf.

Do you really want to lose to Notre Dame?!

If you haven't heard about the Carbon Rally against Notre Dame, you need to go to the website ASAP and sign up!

All you have to do is join the SU team (and if you have a little extra initiative, sign up for some challenges).

If we win, NBC will give us $10K to make our campus more eco-friendly!

Keep warm - take the bus

With the weather getting a little chillier and snow soon on its way, make sure to capitalize on the numerous buses that traverse campus and extend to downtown and the Carousel Mall!

H2W Election Party 08 !

Tuesday night 11/4, from 9 PM - midnightish (or beyond if things get interesting), there will be a party in the Haven Main Lounge. Come join your fellow voters as we watch the votes come in, the states go red and blue, and history be made!

How do you keep people from breaking into your room?

Many have often pondered the answer to this question. So we here at H2W have come up with some creative ideas to keep your room safe and secure while you're away or inside asleep.

1. Lock your door (H2W recommended!)
This classic method is considered by most to be the most effective and hence a favorite amongst many. Yet some seem to disagree, leaving their doors shut yet unlocked. Some would say that this is out of laziness; others would say that they simply just trust in unseen forces (invisible patrol monkeys, ultraviolet forcefields, etc).

2. Don't loan your key out to people
We've all seen it before. You have Tommy over. You and Tommy go out to Chuck E Cheese and when you get there Tommy realizes he left his pan pipe back in your room so he asks for your key to go back to your room and retrieve it. Not wanting to waste time winning enough tickets to win your very own paper airplane, you agree and give him your key. After 4 hours (you're halfway there to that airplane!), Tommy returns pan pipe in hand but along the way he ran into a somewhat new friend, Aesop, who was supposed to meet you at Chuck E Cheese but apparently was weary and wanted to go back to your room to chill, thus Tommy relinquished your key to Aesop. You figure "it's all good" and continue on your mission to paper airplane success. Later, you come back to your room and find it empty of all of your valuables. The only thing left was a well-written fable courtesy of Aesop, a tale called The Robbed Bear (to summarize the fable, the bear lent his key to a rabbit who then lent that same key to a thieving cockroach who took all of the bear's valuables while the bear and rabbit were out for pizza). While you fail to see the correlation, you hence vow to never lend your key to anyone again.

3. Keep watch outside your room until you move out
While this method can easily replace locking your door, this method apparently takes a large toll on your ability to go to class, eat, sleep, and lead a normal life. Sure you can get around those hurdles by having a rotation with your roommate (if you have one) or friends, but unless you're paying them, how can you really be sure your stuff is safe? But if you are not a big fan of locking your door, this could be the method for you.
*Note that this method is not recommended by the H2W staff

4. Create multiple decoys of all your valuables
This may create constant headaches in trying to find the actual valuables, but hey, if you don't like locking your door, this will at least frustrate potential thieves (take that outlaws!).


So while options number 1 and 2 tend to be the most popular and successful, the decision is yours on how to keep yourself and your belongings safe.

Make an educated decision!