<p>Ok so I did not sit in on the housing move in session. Would any of you nice people be willing to fill me in on what I missed?</p>
<p>TXArchitect-D’s came on her private email, FWIW.<br>
MSUBAMAmom, very entertaining gentleman! I’ll sum it up…bring your patience. No headboards/futons in elevators on move-in day, don’t quarrel with the volunteers helping you unload/park, it will be either hot or raining or both…what else am I missing?</p>
<p>Have everything labeled…there will be a detailed email (he said TWELVE of them, lol) that will tell you everything.</p>
<p>DO NOT TRUST YOUR GPS…use the maps/directions provided.</p>
<p>girls will go in to dorm and get keys and proceed to room. Parents will stay with car and move it to a distant lot where shuttle will return them to dorm.</p>
<p>DO NOT BRING A TRAILOR. They get stuck in the unloading zone and take up too much room. Two cars preferred to that.</p>
<p>Confer with roommates to coordinate bringing common items rugs or vacumns.</p>
<p>Everyone takes too much stuff. DON’T.</p>
<p>Mailing boxes ahead is your friend. If you are going to do that, pick a later move-in time so you can get your boxes first.</p>
<p>Tut has limited elevators and they move very slowly…</p>
<p>that is the drift.</p>
<p>Oh, and Sorority CONVOCATION will have NO SORORITY GIRLS PRESENT so wear your move-in Nike tempo shorts with no worries.</p>
<p>The last part with the gentleman from housing and lady from dining services were VERY informative! They both got my attention. </p>
<p>TXArchictect pretty well summed up housing. I’ll stress these:
Do NOT go by the way you know to get to the dorm. Go by the map they will provide.<br>
You can always send packages later with more of your kids stuff. </p>
<p>Dining:
You will pay ahead for a full meal plan. If your D gets a bid and accepts then Bama Dining will reimburse you a portion. That portion will be made up for the payment you will make to the sorority for the house meal plan. Your D will then have the Greek 55 Bama Dining Meal Plan. That is they will have 55 meals each semester to use their dining card at a Bama Dining Hall. Sorority house meals are provided M-Thursday for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Friday is Breakfast and Lunch only. They can tell someone they will be late for dinner and a plate will be set aside for them. They are not required to eat all of their meals at the sorority house. On that Greek 55, the dining hall meal card is for a FULL MEAL! If your D goes into the dining hall, swipes their Bama Dining Card and only gets a cup of coffee (or cookie or ice cream, etc) that is counted as 1 meal and it will be deducted from the 55. Basically, you ONLY use your Bama Dining Card for a FULL meal, not a lite snack or cup of coffee. She gave an example of a girl who used her card for 30 cups of coffee and it is counted as 30 full meals. So warn your D about that.<br>
Bama Cash: It starts at $350 for the Fall semester. Any thing left over can be rolled over to the spring and added to that semesters $350. Any amount left at the end of the school year can be reimbursed.</p>
<p>One other thing on the Greek 55 and Bama Dining. During the week that they move in before they get their bids they will use their Bama Dining Card to eat, or can. Whatever meals they ate at the dining hall during that time will be deducted from their Greek 55 once the school Dining office has a notice your D made a sorority.</p>
<p>TXNewCollegeMom, I think you might mean Dining Dollars rather than Bama Cash. And I believe that is an increased amount than the current year. </p>
<p>This video explains the difference: <a href=“http://actcard.ua.edu/bamacashvdiningdollars.wmv[/url]”>http://actcard.ua.edu/bamacashvdiningdollars.wmv</a></p>
<p>Just checked D’s dining dollar balance. She has about $450 in it. Her Bama Cash, on the other hand, only has about $20. She will need some more added for laundry.</p>
<p>What was explained to us was that the Greek 55 was for 55 meals and each time they go into a Bama Dining Hall and swipe their card it counts as 1 meal.</p>
<p>yes. I thnk Bama Cash is an optional “debit” account that you can fund that Publix and many other stores in T-town accept so that your kid can buy groceries, clothes, meals, etc…</p>
<p>A bank debit card would work the same, except that it would be a separate card to carry…but maybe that is a GOOD thing.</p>
<p>TxNew, this is something different than the Greek 55. It is in addition to it.</p>
<p>Dining Dollars is mandatory. This year it was $300 a semester. Apparently next year it will be $350 a semester. They can use it on campus and at a few places very near to campus, I believe. My D uses hers mostly for vending machines and Starbucks. </p>
<p>Bama Cash has more flexibility but isn’t mandatory. You have to intentionally fund it and can only do so with a credit card. You can refill as needed. You cannot refill Dining Dollars, and I’m not sure you’d ever have a need to.</p>
<p>One of the major ways that Bama Cash gets funded is that unused Dining Dollars roll over to Bama Cash. My D uses lots more Bama Cash than Dining Dollars, but the Dining Dollars are handy for the vending machines.</p>
<p>I’m so excited, because I have been getting some invites to the March events coming up in a couple weeks. Unfortunately, I have a really big school fundraiser that I can’t miss (and spring break season flights are crazy expensive), so I won’t be able to attend that weekend. I’m not sure what the proper way to show my appreciation for the invites but tell them I can’t go is. Any steps that I should make sure to go through, so the sororities will know I’m still interested? :)</p>
<p>You need to RSVP. When you do thank them for the invitation. You then need to explain that unfortunately you have a required school event that you have to attend and that you are disappointed because you would have loved to come and get to know them better. You can go on to say that you are looking forward to formal recruitment on August along with talking to and getting to their members. Thank them again for thinking of you and wish them good luck with their event.
You are not the only one who isn’t going. I have had several emails just like yours from OOS girls who for one reason or another cannot attend. this is not a deal breaker as far as a bid goes. The sororities realize that girls may have other commitments, can’t miss school or it just simply too far to travel.</p>
<p>Thanks! Should I send an actual thank you note after I rsvp online where there’s a spot to comment/rsvp on the invites they sent? I’m so happy the houses I really liked at preview sent invites, so I want to make sure they know I’m serious about recruitment.</p>
<p>It’s up to you. A personal thank you is always nice.</p>