What Does It Mean to “Live In Community”?
By: Joey Sammut
What does it mean to “live in community”? That phrase can conjure up images of late-night study sessions, friends just down the hall, and an overall fun time! While those first ideas can be correct, ultimately we find that living in community at Gonzaga is a much more holistic notion – one that involves fun, studying, conflict, friends, and an overall memorable and positive experience. Below are some ideas about your new “home away from home” which might surprise you!
It’s what you make of it. You will get as much out of your experience living in community as you put into it. If you keep your door open, are generally friendly and welcoming to those around you, and keep an open mind about meeting new people, you will find that you can create and sustain some really close-knit relationships.
It’s your responsibility to clean up after yourself. While custodians so come around daily to make sure the halls and common areas are clean, all household tasks in the room need to be taken care of by students. Yes, the trash does not take itself out! And the clothes on the floor will remain there until picked up.
You won’t be best friends with everyone. More likely than not, you will end up with some great friends that live close to you or down the hall, and you might be surprised to learn that there are some people in your hall whose names you’ve never learned. For whatever reason, it happens! It doesn’t diminish the friendships you have already made.
Your RA really is there to help. Your RA is a fellow student who was in your shoes not too long ago, and they are trained to help in a variety of situations: finding a building on campus, planning fun activities, mediating a roommate conflict, assisting in a time of trouble, or just to listen when you’re having a bad day. They are there to help, so utilize them!
It can be noisy. While we certainly don’t want it to be TOO loud, students should realize that noise levels will be greater in a residence hall than they would in a single family dwelling. Even mundane tasks like getting out of bed, closing a door, or walking around could possibly be heard by people living above, below, or to the side of you. It’s important to get to know your neighbors, let them know politely when they are being too loud, and also expect to hear a bit more noise than you normal would at home.
Sometimes you’ll be bored – and that’s ok. Even with a large amount of people around you, there will still be times where you won’t have anything planned. This might seem depressing to some, but it’s ok to be alone or be bored! In fact, those impromptu trips to Safeway or random dance parties that happen when you’re bored can be the most memorable times of the year. It’s perfectly normal not have every second of your day planned out.
It takes a while to have it really feel like “home”. I am often surprised by the amount of students who start freaking out after one or two days on campus that they don’t fit in, haven’t made any friends yet, don’t like anyone on their floor, etc. Classes haven’t even started yet! I offer the advice to students in this situation that it takes time for this place to feel normal and to create great friendships – but it will happen! You need to have patience with the process.