<p>i don’t think my DD is really taking a whole lot of extras, but her pile is pretty big as well.</p>
<p>do kids still use marker boards outside of their dorm rooms or is that out now because of texting etc.</p>
<p>My son’s suite mates used the marker board. They put it behind the door. They’d leave each other notes there.</p>
<p>MikeWozowski, I bought my DS a dry erase board for his door. I didn’t even think about texting!!! You are probably right. My DS’s pile is getting huge also. As most of you are OOS also, you know we have to send alot. My DS probably won’t be home until Christmas…I have made contact with my DS’s roommates and have been emailing with their parents. VERY nice experience I must say. I think all parents of the incoming freshman are really getting excited! Thanks again (I can’t say it enough) for all the advice from this board. I have told the roommate’s parents about this board. Just want to share the wealth!!!</p>
<p>we looked at the marker boards, but i was just wondering if kids would even use them anymore. idk.</p>
<p>having one to leave messages for roommates sounds like a good idea.</p>
<p>my DD and her roommates really haven’t been in contact with each other much. kind of frustrating because they really don’t have any plans about who will bring what. and no plans at all for any decoration of the common space. “they will worry about that when they get there.” seems like it would be easier to find stuff for that in peoples hometowns rather than the booming metropolis of tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>Mike: Have your daughter take the lead and e-mail her roommates about what they have, what they want to bring, what they want to buy when they get there, etc. Or they could have four toasters and four TVs, but no vacuum. </p>
<p>As for the marker board, my son says it’s good to have one behind the front door. You can remind your roommate it’s his/her turn to take out the garbage.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>LOL…my kids’ suitemates kept theirs on the fridge door.</p>
<p>My DS had made a “little” contact with his roommates, but just didn’t want to ask them what they were bringing for the common areas. I felt like we could share some things, so I finally emailed them myself. That got the ball rolling with their parents and we’ve had many productive conversations! It’s worth it to make contact. A couple of the boys are going to share my DS’s wireless printer and they will buy the supplies. Just little things like that will help keep costs down! I bought a vacuum cleaner, another parent is getting the kitchen garbage can and paper supplies. Got to try to cut expenses with OOS tuition!LOL</p>
<p>Good for you guys. I’m trying hard to stay in the background and hadn’t thought about contacting S’s roommates personally. He’s sent a couple of e-mails, very generic, he’s shy and I think hesitant about looking too forward. He’s still waiting for a response from 2 of them. We’re shipping(using free)/picking up most things in Birmingham so it would be nice to know what to get and NOT get.</p>
<p>Socal2bama: Try to convince your son that it’s okay to establish some sort of early contact with his roommates. My son had no interest in doing that a year ago. Then, one of his roommates sent out a very basic e-mail. He introduced himself, said where he was from, some of his interests and hobbies and his prospective major. Each friended the others on Facebook, and while he will not live with any of them this year, he still hears from them.</p>
<p>He did send his info awhile back and followed-up with one letting them know he was doing AA and asking if any of them would also be moving in early. Only one of them has responded to the first one and they’re connected on Facebook now. The other two haven’t sent anything and he wasn’t able to find them on Facebook. He should try again, we’re going on vacation and then only have 4 days before we fly out to Bama.</p>
<p>Son is doing AA as well, but didn’t see any of the suitemates’ email addresses on the email from Ms. Lima. Unless they’re doing another early activity, like Outdoor Action or Band, he’ll be the only one in the suite. Hopefully, he’ll meet other kids in Riverside West to hang out with when they’re not doing AA activities.</p>
<p>I don’t think DS has contacted his prospective roommates except WhiteSox who pulled him into the room and who we met at BamaBound. It’s his call - he’s busy with work and I’m practicing him doing his own thing. Will send what he needs to get started and then he can take it from there or call home to have other things sent. Good idea thought, to check to OA emails to see any other roommates are on the list.</p>
<p>Monte - is there an AA Facebook page? would be great for checking if roommates are attending that. There is one for OA that most (all?) OA kids have “friended”</p>
<p>There is an Alabama Action facebook page, but there is no info on it yet. Haven’t seen any of the roommates on it as friends, though.</p>
<p>You got an email about AA? When did you receive it.We have been waiting for more information…what to bring, the reading etc. but we havent gotten any info.</p>
<p>Oh, no, not that much info. I think it was just a link to join the facebook group. </p>
<p>I am anxious as well. Don’t know what he’s supposed to bring, when to check in, and oh, Lord, didn’t even think about reading material.</p>
<p>It’s an email from Fernanda Lima, with a link to join the Facebook group.</p>
<p>The other email addresses are listed, so we scrolled through those to see if we recognize any of the roommate’s names, but no luck.</p>
<p>It was sent a while back.</p>
<p>But there is no info up on the Facebook group, other than being able to see who the other members are.</p>
<p>We also haven’t received anything from AA. CAn you tell me the AA facebook group name so we can link into it should anything come up on it.</p>
<p>Of course, I can’t get into son’s facebook and he’s out of town, but I typed in search for Alabama Action 2010, and the page came up. There’s a request to join button to click. So if you haven’t gotten the email with the link from Ms. Lima, you might want to try that.</p>
<p>Again, when son clicked on the link, it just added him as a member. He doesn’t get messages from it, and there is no info on any of the tabs or discussion boards.</p>
<p>Hope we hear something soon!</p>
<p>I just called about AA they said the info will go out on monday</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! The laptop info for NMF will also go out next week. Making lots of phone calls today and getting a lot of help! The staff at Bama are great!</p>
<p>If things have not changed in a year, your students need very little for Alabama Action. My son made sure he had a notebook and pens with him, since, after working at the schools each day, he went to an afternoon lecture. Then, he would drop off his stuff in his dorm and head to dinner with the group. After 7 p.m. or so each night, he went back to his dorm. One of his three suite mates was there, so the two went out a few nights to various places in T-Town, but he was pretty tired each evening. The kids have to be up early to catch a bus around 8:30 a.m. </p>
<p>As for the laptops that go to NM and Crimson Scholars, there will be a day during WOW when the students pick up their laptops. Last year, it was that Tuesday.</p>