<p>Who else think's living in the dorms is a rip-off? We pay,...what, $1100 to live in a hamster cage (at least for bowles). With the 3 other people in my room, for that 4400 a month we could probably rent a house. Maintenance is crap, food ain't great...what are we paying for???
Also quality of life is a constant harrasment, you fear having a beer in your own damn room in case you get written up by an RA, and justice of such an infraction is dolled out arbitrarily by some random in-dorm administrator with a power trip.
I wanna see opinion on this, who else thinks something's wrong with the system here. I mean, if it's supposed to be flexible to student needs, why aren't hall governments HALL GOVERNMENTS, with rules, enforcement, and punishment admninistered by the students (I happened to be an important part of that government this past semester). Wouldn't that help create a more, "welcoming and tolerant" environment amongsts the students.
On the subject of Hall govt.,....it's relegated to fixing crap and giving money to RA's for social programs, no real governance or power. Personally, i'd like to see more autonomy, and less.....institutionalization of the reshalls. RA's shouldn't be Narcs for the university, they should be mediating conflicts between residents, for the benefit of residents; and residents should be in charge of their own affairs.
your thoughts?</p>
<p>A high-level of university oversight is needed to keep reckless students in line.</p>
<p>students are gonna be reckless no matter how much oversight there is, why not make it safe. stanfurd's got an open door policy on drinking in the dorms, if you drink, open your door, at least that way if u pass out or get sick someone can take care of you. so much for creating an open community if you have to do everything underground.
that logic doesn't work for the drug war, it's certainly not gonna work for college students who love pot and parties....unless you only admit uber religious uptight conservatives or something...but that's not the case at cal thankfully.</p>
<p>yay for uber religious uptight conservative chicks! they're what makes a rager, a rager.</p>
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students are gonna be reckless no matter how much oversight there is, why not make it safe.
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<p>Not true. Some students at very conservative colleges who do not truly want to be there keep themselves from recklessness out of fear of the university-imposed consequences.</p>
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stanfurd's got an open door policy on drinking in the dorms, if you drink, open your door, at least that way if u pass out or get sick someone can take care of you.
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<p>So in other words, you think Berkeley should openly encourage student drinking. Want to put it on the brochure too?</p>
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Wouldn't that help create a more, "welcoming and tolerant" environment amongsts the students.
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so much for creating an open community if you have to do everything underground.
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unless you only admit uber religious uptight conservatives or something...but that's not the case at cal thankfully.
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<p>You say you want a "welcoming and tolerant" "open community" and yet you do not like the idea of admitting "uber religious uptight conservatives"?</p>
<p>Don't put words in my mouth, I said, Cal, being a public institution, does not soley admit uber conservative religious nuts (btw, bluebeard, AMEN on that brother, that ****'s for real, them girls tear it up). I'd be just as angered if Cal forbade them (they add an entertaining quality to life).
Shouldn't students decide what they want to see in their dorms? if a dorm wants to be substance free, they can vote on it, and make it that way, create an all substance free dorm and oversee infractions themselves. Instead, the current system creates an unfortunate cloud of repression, it doesn't promote learning through experimentation and experience, but doing what you're told, and that ain't right, we should have choices, and if you see someone drinking, you have a choice to let them drink, join in,...or be indifferent.</p>
<p>bump............</p>
<p>"A high-level of university oversight is needed to keep reckless students in line."</p>
<p>So you assume just because somebody is drinking alcohol, they're also reckless. Well, under that logic, I'll assume you're an engineering student who has never touched alcohol. Grow up, you're in college. It seems that the RAs here more often than not aggressively police the students rather than assist them and improve their experience at Cal.</p>
<p>punkdudeus, I can't help but agreen that dorm life sucks. I feel like I'm in prison everytime I'm in my room. I hate paying $1500 a month when I can probably get a single room in an apartment for half that price. I hate asking my roommate to use headphones all the time and I hate the food. Food sucks ass.</p>
<p>That is why I am going to get an apartment for Fall 2007. Are you considering moving out also?</p>
<p>hell yah i'm moving out! most likely an apt. or try and rent a house with a few people. last resort a coop (only cause i think they're too dirty, and i want my own room). happy hunting.</p>
<p>Although, i do have to say, it makes one feel great to create a room (as we did in one of my friend's room) that's basically a sound proof....pro-smoke filling...amnesty area. I feel like those guys in that WWII movie who built tunnels to escape from the German's POW camp. the bong rips sound like that cool little tune that play's when they're executing their plan.</p>
<p>buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmpppppp</p>
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So you assume just because somebody is drinking alcohol, they're also reckless.
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<p>When did I ever say anything like that? I said oversight in needed to keep reckless students in line. A student can be reckless without alcohol. But many students who drink alcohol are also reckless.</p>
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Well, under that logic, I'll assume you're an engineering student who has never touched alcohol
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<p>Wrong on both counts.</p>
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Grow up, you're in college.
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<p>Since you assume I am a teetotalering engineer, I would argue that staying away from alcohol and focusing on studies is a way to "grow up." After all, it seems like most students who use large amounts of alcohol tend to the the ones who are failing to "grow up." By contrast, many students who do not engage in such behavior are often very goal-oriented because they know what they want out of life. Is that not a proper way to "grow up"?</p>
<p>yah but they're also boring as hell dood. c'mon it's college, all things in moderation, have some fun, smoke some pot, meet some girls, that's what half of it's about. the other half is about learning and finding yourself. It sux that you have to do it clandestinely in the dorms; and that they're not more affordable and better.</p>
<p>Punkdedeus: Univ Housing is only one option of where you can live. You can get out of your housing contract with a minimal cancellation fee.
Do you really think the University and Housing can condone drinking (when most residents are under age) or smoking pot (it is after all illegal to do so.)
I don't think it ever will.</p>
<p>"Since you assume I am a teetotalering engineer, I would argue that staying away from alcohol and focusing on studies is a way to "grow up." After all, it seems like most students who use large amounts of alcohol tend to the the ones who are failing to "grow up." By contrast, many students who do not engage in such behavior are often very goal-oriented because they know what they want out of life. Is that not a proper way to "grow up"?"</p>
<p>If you think just by focusing on your studies you are growing up, you are going to get knocked on your ass once you leave Berkeley. Growing up isn't as much about studying as it is experiencing new things. Yes, even alcohol. I'm not saying you should become a drunk, nor am I saying the university should supply kegs to underage students. </p>
<p>To get back on topic, I just think the RAs are out to hunt many of us down. Say a guy and a bunch of his friends are in a room watching the Cal Football game on TV and having a few beers. The fact that when an RA knocks on the door, they have to take everything alcohol related and run into a closet/bathroom/bedroom (in their own room they each pay $1500 a month for) is insanity. If they were being loud, then ok, its understandable, but in my experiences, we could be doing nothing destructive at all, not making a lot of noise, just hanging out watching football. I know of a few very, very nice RAs who did improve my experience here at Cal. However, the vast (allow me to stress, VAST) majority of the RAs seem to police the students instead of improve their experience.</p>
<p>Doesn't mean the students can't enforce rules on their own; and administer more....intelligent punishment, and come up with better ways to get along. The university doesn't have to condone anything, they can make it a free and open environment.
Yah, there's other options for housing, but shouldn't it serve our needs to have housing that's open, accessible, and fun to live in? It's a ripp off.</p>
<p>POST above, it's exaclty like that</p>
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yah but they're also boring as hell dood. c'mon it's college, all things in moderation, have some fun, smoke some pot, meet some girls, that's what half of it's about. the other half is about learning and finding yourself. It sux that you have to do it clandestinely in the dorms; and that they're not more affordable and better.
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<p>punkdudeus, it seems you almost want to "convert" students who don't share your views on the "proper" college experience to "your side." Whatever happened to "I want diversity of cultures"? Are cultures that forgo drinking not really cultures?</p>
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Do you really think the University and Housing can condone drinking (when most residents are under age) or smoking pot (it is after all illegal to do so.)I don't think it ever will.
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<p>Perhaps there's a way. Just look at Stanford.</p>
<p>s.h.i.t. i wish more people smoked pot, maybe it'd chill you out.</p>
<p>And no, i don't care what people do, but i should be able to do whatever i want in my room with my friends. If my roomates don't want me to, then you shouldnt, and if someone gets sick or outta hand, that's only when it should be a problem. It's about freedom. It sux that you're forced to have fun clandestinely (sp?). How are people supposed to learn to drink intelligently and safely if you can't enjoy it in the open and with access to safety without being punished for it. Back home, I learned to drink with my family, and when me and my friends drank or smoked, we did it at my house, in the open, and safely (hell my mom provided drinks sometimes). Now i know not to go out and black out, or drink till you're sick.</p>
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If you think just by focusing on your studies you are growing up, you are going to get knocked on your ass once you leave Berkeley.
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<p>It MAY happen, but it's no guarantee. Heck, I know a Berkeley alum whose life for 3.5 years (graduated early) revolved around studying for classes, going to office hours, and studying for the LSAT. He's now living his scholarly dream at Yale Law School.</p>
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Growing up isn't as much about studying as it is experiencing new things.
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<p>Well I would argue that studying at Berkeley is a form of "experiencing new things." Probably no student had a high school library as vast as Berkeley's. Is spending one's first semester "living" in the libraries not a form of "experiencing new things"?</p>
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Yes, even alcohol.
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<p>"Growing up" is often marked by the beginning of alcohol consumption, but alcohol consumption is by no means a defining universal milestone of human development. Just think back to pre-Columbian America. The Indians didn't have alcohol. Yet, they seem to have grown up just fine. The present-day Gnuko culture in Namibia goes further, they get the twelve year olds drunk and then tell them they can't touch the stuff ever again. The kids who succeed become "adults." The ones who don't remain non-drinking "children" for as long as they live. The "adults" will also not drink, emphasizing that if they do so, they will regress into "childhood."</p>
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To get back on topic, I just think the RAs are out to hunt many of us down. Say a guy and a bunch of his friends are in a room watching the Cal Football game on TV and having a few beers. The fact that when an RA knocks on the door, they have to take everything alcohol related and run into a closet/bathroom/bedroom (in their own room they each pay $1500 a month for) is insanity. If they were being loud, then ok, its understandable, but in my experiences, we could be doing nothing destructive at all, not making a lot of noise, just hanging out watching football. I know of a few very, very nice RAs who did improve my experience here at Cal. However, the vast (allow me to stress, VAST) majority of the RAs seem to police the students instead of improve their experience.
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<p>Well, I can't say that's the kind of experience I got when I lived in the dorms. None of my RA's cared and plenty of people got drunk on my floor and in their rooms and even in the common room but the RA never wrote them up. Maybe it's gotten that much "worse," maybe it hasn't. Anyway, there really isn't a way to change these policies unless you get someone with power (i.e. parents) involved on your side. Good luck on that one...</p>