Dorm safety, beddings, etc.

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of California - Los Angeles
1

<p>To current Bruins: when we were in the College Honors' day and doing the housing tour, I failed to ask or observe the ff.</p>

<p>1) Do the rooms in all types of dorm have smoke alarm (must have) or are they in the hallway? are there sprinklers in the building? how often do you have fire drills or other disaster drill</p>

<p>2) I visited one of the plaza that has a private bath and the student guide said that someone comes in once a day to clean the bathroom. When does this person comes in and clean? My reason in asking is about security issue.</p>

<p>3) For beddings: do you really need XL twin sheets, mattress pad, etc. By the way, how are the mattress (firm, soft, saggy). Is a door mirror allowed?</p>

<p>4) When my D submitted her housing app, she put down roommate as her priority, but then it bring her to the screen asking for roommate's name which is not applicable (she is not requesting for a mutually requested roommate).So she change to room type as her top priority. I am a bit concerned now she might get someone whose lifestyle is different from hers (e.g. non-smoker).</p>

<p>Thanks for all your responses. Feel free to input any related matter.</p>

2

<p>1) All dorm rooms have smoke alarms and sprinkers. There are even sprinklers in my closet in De Neve. There's suppose to be a fire drill once a quarter (but last quarter for Acacia/Birch, there was at least 10 probably because we're easy targets for pranksters (Acacia/Birch are connected as you probably noticed since the honor's day reception was in the room in between the two housing units), and also because of the dining hall downstairs which could accidentally trigger the alarms when they're cooking at times. The numbers of false alarms has died this quarter though, and last quarter was just an unnaturally high number.</p>

<p>2)For plazas, they come once a week to clean it. For the residence halls where you have a floor that shares two bathrooms, those are cleaned at least once (I think its actually twice) a day. The hour and day they come in depends on which building and floor you live on and changes every year. I've never heard of an instance where there has been a security issue concerning this though. If your son/daughter is uncomfortable about this and wants to clean the bathroom themself, they can also do that.</p>

<p>3)Twin is a little small. You can always go larger and tuck it/ fold it over. Mattress pads are unnecessary and DO NOT purchase your material from the advertisement sent out by some company that has horrendous colors and more horrendous prices (and really unnecessary items). Bed bath and beyond, jcpenny, etc all carry xl twin sheets. Mattresses IMO are firm. I'm not sure about the policy on door mirrors, but my room already came with one (person before didn't take it), and I know other people on my floor have them as well.</p>

<p>4)Roommate as a priority means you have a specific person (ie from high school) that you know and who knows you who both want to live together for sure. Regardless of whatever else she puts on the application, lifestyle will override any other factors on that application. If she puts down that she wants a non-smoker as her roommate, she will get a non-smoker. If she requested ie best friend Jill from high school who smokes, and they both on the application put down that they want each other, but your daughter says she wants a nonsmoker but Jill puts down that she wants a smoker, they will not be roommates. That is why on the application somewhere it says that if you know someone you want as your roommate, you should fill out the application together w/ identical lifestyle selections.</p>

<p>Edit: Actually I'm not quite sure about the lifestyle situation if both you and your roommates request each other. This is from the askhousing site:</p>

<p>
[quote]
Although we are unable to guarantee a specified roommate, we will do our best to accommodate roommate requests. Students may indicate a preference for a roommate(s) by completing the steps below.</p>

<ol>
<li>Ensure that their application and $30.00 fee is received by the appropriate deadline.</li>
<li>Indicate "Roommate" in the Housing Assignment Preference section of the Housing Application.</li>
<li>Complete all information in the Roommate Preference section of the Housing Application, including the names and student ID# of the requested roommate(s). Students wishing to live together must request each other on their applications.</li>
<li>All roommates should select the same Facility/Room Type and/or Theme Housing Preference on the Housing Application in the same order.</li>
<li>Returning Residents select their roommates during the on-line process by using their Room Sign-up access code. For additional information about the room sign-up process, please visit the following website: <a href="http://www.housing.ucla.edu/roomsignup/%5B/url%5D.%5B/quote%5D"&gt;http://www.housing.ucla.edu/roomsignup/.

[/quote]
</a></li>
</ol>

<p>To be on the safe side, you and your roommate should have the same lifestyle selections too. Your daughter won't be placed with a smoker if on lifestye she put that she does not want a smoker roommate.</p>

3

<p>^ what jyancy said (except I can't confirm the roommate thing)</p>

4

<p>one comment on the lifestyle...</p>

<p>i requested a nonsmoker/nondrinker, and yes of course this is college, but i definitely got a drinker and its been a little hard. just saying nothing is guaranteed really.</p>

5

<p>Your daughter smokes? If so, she should really quit.
Being a smoker is a bad idea for anyone going to UCLA. :rolleyes:</p>

6

<p>i requested non smoker/non drinker, but my roomate drinks (although usually only when his older brother is visiting. what a good influence on your lil bro, eh?). i found out a few weeks ago he smokes too. possibly a slight druggie...his bro is for sure. sleeping habits are close, but he is way messy and dirty...he had a garbage pile on his dresser last quarter and now its his "turn" to take out the trash...its currently overflowed to twice the height of the can. (i have pics of both if you want to see) and he always has the TV on (i cant study with TV/music).</p>

<p>about the smoking thing, i think its disgusting in and of itself, but i find girl smokers to be a REAL big turnoff. :rolleyes:</p>

7

<p>wow... I hope I end up with a good or at least decent roommate... hopefully she won't be a smoker or drinker either. haha.</p>

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<p>About the alcohol thing... I don't think most people would put "I do not prefer someone who does not drink alcohol" (or whatever it was) considering that it's against policies for most people.</p>

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<p>they word it all funny. i had to sit there for a minute and think that through when i did my housing app last year lol.</p>

<p>but yeah most everyone probably put they dont want a drinker, but in reality a lot of people drink.</p>

10

<p>You have to realize that people will change a lot during college. There's plenty of kids who will come in swearing not to do this or that and will do exactly that same thing a few months later. Not saying its a good or bad thing, its just a fact of life.</p>

<p>Besides there are far worse things than having a roommate who drinks, or even smokes. Obviously, having a roommate who's a regular smoker isn't desirable because of the potential of making your room smell terrible and things like that, but that in and of itself does not make one a bad roommate. Being inconsiderate, being irresponsible, being untrustworthy, and just being incredibily annoying makes one a far worse roommate than being just a drinker or just a smoker. Unfortunately those are qualities that just can't be measured on a housing app ("if you are an inconsiderate, irresponsible, untrustworthy, and annoying person, check this box here..."). In 3 years here I've lived with 8 different people (3 total roommates in the dorms, 5 others in an apartment) and one of my worst roommates was a Christian who didn't smoke and drink at all. Some of the better ones liked to party (and some of the other good ones are the opposite, complete straight edge guys), but we get along and we have enough respect with each other that if ever one of us becomes a distraction, we'll change things so it doesn't become a distraction.</p>

<p>Let's just put it this way, it's a lot easier to deal with someone you can actually get through to. You can get a roommate to stop smoking around you or drink somewhere else if they are cool and you respect each other. It's much harder to deal with someone you don't trust around your personal property or just can't stand being around. Not exactly something you can change with a quick chat.</p>

<p>So basically, you never really know what it's like to live with someone until you actually do, even if you've known them already. Just keep an open mind and respect your roommates so things never become too difficult to live with.</p>

11

<p>Thanks guys for all ur replies. If roommates have an open communication and respect for each other (as what McGizzle says) dorm life can't be that difficult.</p>

<p>Flopsy: my D does not smoke nor drink. I just heard a few stories about their child requesting for non/smoker, non/drinker and yet they end up with one.</p>

12

<p>Well if your D ends up with some person who smokes and drinks despite requesting a nonsmoker and nondrinker, she can appeal and they'll usually grant these requests (especially if she presses them w/ multiple requests up until the point where they finally act).</p>

13

<p>Flopsy...</p>

<p>"Being a smoker is a bad idea for anyone going to UCLA."</p>

<p>Can you elaborate? Are you talking just about rooming or just making friends in general? Are smokers really looked down upon that much?</p>

<p>(To clarify: I'm not a smoker, but it's sort of sucks to think that people would respond so differently to the same exact person depending on whether or not they smoke)</p>

14

<p>Sure. Smokers tend to be shunned from most anti-smoking social groups, especially the religious/activist ones, on campus. Also, in case you haven't noticed, the restrictions on smoking are increasing at UCLA. The allowable smoking distance from Powell Library was recently increased to below the first set of steps. Even with the smoking ban in California restaurants, outdoor ashtrays are no longer being provided by any Westwood establishments. The list goes on... :rolleyes:</p>

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<p>I went to Cal (not saying that everyone smoked), but a student completely flooded my breathing space with smoke. =( I hope UCLA isn't bad.</p>

16

<p>Did you move?</p>

17

<p>Welcome to California, if you smoke you are best off quitting before you enter the state! The city I live in has banned smoking while walking on the streets and beaches! We haven't allowed smoking in restaurants and bars for several years.
I was actually surprised at the number of students in Westwood that smoked in the outdoor restaurant we ate dinner. It doesn't bother me, really gets on my mom's nerves. And of course 2 Huka bars right off campus.
I didn't notice any more smokers at Cal though. My mom noticed that with all the litter on the ground there was very few cigarette butts.</p>

18

<p>i dont mind the smell of hooka, but cigarettes just smell bad.</p>