commuters

Hard Hats or Headaches?

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by Ryan Munns on March 27, 2012

I’m sure that everyone has noticed just how much construction is going on here at BSU. It seems no matter where you walk, you see people in hard hats working. Whether you’re enjoying yourself on the Shea\Durgin hill but can’t quite get past the sight of excavator (diggers) or sleeping in on a Saturday morning and are woken up to the sound of beeping and drilling, it’s hard to ignore. Some students are questioning if it’s worth it.

Taking a toll?

Spring is right around the corner (even though it feels like summer lately) and that means more and more students are spending time outside. On East Campus, it’s near impossible to find a nice place to hang out under the sun without looking at dirt mounds and heavy machinery. Is all this construction causing BSU to become a sight for sore eyes? What about all of the high school students who come here to tour the campus- do they like seeing the brand new science building overshadowed by the seemingly endless construction next to it? I’m not too sure that’ll boost admissions.

The Future is Bright

While all this construction looks less than pleasant now, the end result will defiantly be worth it. Look at awesome the new Science Building came out- or even Hunt Hall’s renovation. Both of those took awhile to construct, but the end result blows away the previous piles of brick. This school has big future plans to make the campus look modern and environmentally friendly- a sight that I’m sure everyone will be very eager to see. With more green areas and state-of-the-art building, what touring high school student wouldn’t want to come back?

Do you like the ideas the school has for renovating our campus? Do you think the end product will be worth the construction?

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“Where am I gonna live?”

It’s probably the most important, yet most difficult parts of college life.. Most campuses have plenty of dorms as well as off-campus housing, but both options have multiple pros and cons. Dorms are the more traditional route, but apartments tend to have more appeal.

Where should YOU live? Let’s explore the factors.

$$$

Dorms:

  • BSU Room and Board for one year comes out to $10,367.
  • No matter what building you’re assigned to, all the rooms go for the same rate.
  • Simple, basic rooms- nothing fancy.
  • Financial aid is available, but you have to borrow a lot more money.
Apartments:
  • The average cost of an off-campus apartment in the Bridgewater area is about $700, therefore, the cost of renting a place for one academic year (roughly 8 months) is only $5,600.
  • Depending on where you live, your rent can vary.
  • You have to factor in gas, food, and other basic living expenses.
  • Surprisingly, financial aid is available for off-campus housing as well.

Space

Dorms are crowed and loud. Unless you are an RA, you’re going to be sharing a room which can be a lot of fun if you like your roommates, but if not, have a nice semester stuck in a box with someone you don’t like. In an apartment setting, while roommates help pay bills, they aren’t required. If you want a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchen to yourself (I wish), go for it. Not to mention, apartments house all kinds of people- not just college kids.

So, if you like your space and quite time, an apartment might make more sense for your living arrangement. Then again, dorms provide a larger community, and if you’re someone who is very involved on campus and loves being around lots of people, dorms might suit you just fine. This category really comes down to your personality and what you are looking for.

Location

Dorms are, of course, on campus. Apartments (technically) are not. If you need to be in class at 8am it will help to cut down on the commute and the daily battle for parking spots. Obviously, dorms seem like the best bet to save time, money, and stress. Then again, if you wanted to stay in the nearby Waterford or Kingswood apartment complexes, you’re just as far as the residents are from school buildings. So, depending on how much traveling you want to do that could greatly influence your decision. This ones a toss up, basically which ever choice is closest to were you need to be is gonna be your best choice.

 

Do you live in a dorm? Apartment? Had the experience of both? Which do you prefer?

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Are you a BSU student finding that you have nothing to do some nights during the week? Do you enjoy playing sports, feeling like a team, getting involved or just having fun? Spring intramurals are just starting up! Say you love to play a sport but you know you’re not exactly good enough to make the varisty team. No problem! EVERYONE can make an intramural squad: residents, commuters, upperclassmen, lowerclassmen, boys, girls… anyone!

It may be too late for indoor soccer and handball, but there are so many more sports coming up. Such as:

Volleyball Tourny:  1 day tournament played on Sunday Feb. 26th

  • Rosters Due: Tuesday Feb. 21st

Men’s and Women’s Basketball: Basketball league for girls and boys played on Sunday-Thursday nights.

  • Rosters Due: Tuesday March 13th

Indoor Wiffleball: Mini league of the classic summer game: Wiffleball! Played Tuesday nights.

  • Rosters Due: Tuesday March 13th

Outdoor Field Hockey: Anyone who likes hockey should give this one a try. Played Tuesday nights.

  • Rosters Due: Tuesday March 20th

Outdoor Soccer: Anyone who missed the indoor sign up date can play soccer outside on Sunday and Monday nights

  • Rosters Due: Tuesday March 20th

GatorBall Tourny: It’s like soccer, basketball, and football combined! Played tournament style on Monday April 16th

  • Rosters Due: Tuesday April 10th

Softball Tourny: 1 day onslaught of softball played on Sunday April 22nd

  • Rosters Due: Tuesday April 17th

Flag Football Tourny: Awesome 1 day tournament of flag football played Sunday April 29th.

  • Rosters Due: Tuesday 24th

 

So why not join?

I played in the flag football tournament last semester and I had a blast. It’s a great way to meet new friends and compete alongside (or against) old ones. You can visit BSU intramural website for more details. Here’s a calendar for info on captains meetings : IM Calendar

 

Have you done intramurals at BSU yet? Will you join one this semester? What other intramurals do you wish there were?

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