When I return to Montana State in the fall of 2006, I will live on campus, hopefully in Quad E. And if you’re reading this, odds are that I’d like you to live there, too. Here’s a few of my reasons:
In short, living off campus this semester has made me realize how much I loved living ON campus. Specifically, the community on campus is something that can never be replicated elsewhere. In truth, living in the quads strikes me as a sort of utopian community: people living, playing, studying, sleeping, recreating… and doing it all with mutual respect (except for LBU, of course =P), helping each other along with that extra cup of coffee at 3:00am, or that warm smile and easy laugh at the end of a shitty day.
Admittedly, given the choice between living in the Hedges and off campus, I’d choose off campus in a heartbeat: Hedges is a lot like an apartment with more rules, not a utopian living community where everyone knows and loves everyone.
Living in an apartment sucks, really. Granted, I have an awesome roommate, but not even the best roommate in the world can, in and of his/herself, equal the company of the community of 23 fellow quadlings. My roommate and I live in a locked concrete room inside of an anonymous concrete building of strangers– strangers who, even if you do happen to see them occasionally in the elevator, couldn’t be spared the time of day. There is no community: only isolated individuals 24-hour security stack of cement shoe boxes. I miss that sense of being with like-minded people, being connected, having a community and a home. I’m going to live the rest of my life in an apartment, for all intents and purposes.
No-where off campus can you organize an impromptu game of Ultimate and be playing in five minutes, or play No-Holds-Barred. At present, I don’t even have a yard, much less a big, grassy and well-lit courtyard where to have epic snowball fights, build colossal snowmen…
I want a piano. I can’t afford a piano. I can’t move a piano: if I tried to tie one of top of my car, I’d end up with a lot of broken class and a big bill from the auto repair shop. I’m probably not going to be able to find a piano off campus, much less a place where I can play at 3:00am without bothering people (too much, that is).
And then there’s the question: why NOT live on campus? In response to the most obvious answer: most of you will be 21 next year, anyway. Yeah, maybe money: but for me, by the time I buy the essentials: a refrigerator, bed, 27″ television, DVD player, dishes, cooking equipment, desks, chairs, etc, any financial incentive is gone. Even in a fully furnished apartment, things like TVs and cable internet don’t come cheap, and there will never be ten couches to hold you and all your friends on Monte Python night. Getting rid of LBU? Yeah, well, you have a point there, but it might be easier to convince him to move than for everyone else to move away from him. And food? Yeah, food service isn’t five star cuisine, but it’s generally edible, healthy, cheap and plentiful. Cooking takes time. Fast food is expensive and unhealthy. I’m taking a full course load and working part time, I’m not going to want to be worried about cooking myself three meals a day. Being able to just walk over to food service, get some grub and keep working is priceless.
You can’t beat the location. You’re two minutes away from many of your friends, in the middle of a huge intranet which lends itself perfectly to impromptu lan parties, you’re five minutes away from class, and if you work on campus, like I do, you’re five minutes away from work. At present, I spent at least an hour of my day just going to and from campus. And naps between classes? Forget it!
Granted, in terms of activities, you can do everything off campus that you can on campus, but everything off campus requires so much work and planning. You want to play ultimate? Fine. Call everyone you know, and hopefully they’ll be willing to drive to the park. Or… go stand in the Quads courtyard for five minutes with a frisbee. Consequently, at best, I’d play a mere fraction of the games off campus that I would living on campus.
I also miss feeling connected to campus. Thammasat feels more like a job than a university: I go, put in my hours, and go home. University events, rallies, sports (football!!), all of that… doesn’t really exist for me right now. I’m off campus, displaced from campus.
There’s nothing special about living off campus: I’ll have the rest of my life to live off campus. As a matter of fact, after next year, I’ll never be able to live on campus again (unless, for some strange reason, I did during grad school, but that would be just a little strange). Rather, I view living on campus as a sort of wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience: something that only comes once, and if you miss it, it’s gone. I don’t intend to miss it, and I hope you’re there to share it with me.
With that convincing argument, I will definately plan on living in Quad E with you. Oh wait…. hehe. I’m glad that you like it there so much though!
as a socialist, of course you would like on campus living. You give all you have to one source, and they distribute it as they see fit. You don’t have to worry (nor lave choice) on your meals, forced to live by rules that you nor your roomates created. Utopian indeed 😛
After i posted that comment i realized i wanted to add to it. The quads are also a very unique on campus living experience, a good deal better than any of the dorms. I think you did fail to truly capture what makes the quads different in the dorms though. Most of those things i got in langford, but what i think makes the quads different is the SENSE of a genuine friendly community. When i was in the dorms, there was a sense of cummunity, but several little communities kind of loosly organized. From what i hear of you quadlings, you are rather tight knit and genuinly care about everyone that lives there.
Yeah, I guess I failed to mention the community part, although anyone who has lived in a Quad understands that.
And yes, as a socialist, I would choose to live in a community where everyone has equal access to the resources that enable them to pursue their education. Yes, there were rules, and no, I didn’t make them, but on balance they are good policies that helped make the quads the pleasant and productive places that they are. Really, they’re pretty much the same rules that you would have in an apartment: don’t make too much noise, don’t do anything that would require the cops to come and do your own dishes. Pretty simple, really.
you move quad e a couple thousand miles east and i’m game.
ok, i’ll be the first quadling to say what everyone else is thinking: NO. unless they get a new RD who isn’t a dumb drama queen nazi bitch who can somehow can manage to make your life a living hell, absolutely no. on a related note: woo-hoo! THE PRODUCERS!