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the Oracle Staff the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966

Editor in Chief Alex Rosenthal oracleeditor@gmail.com

News Editor Grace Hoyte oraclenewsteam@gmail.com

Sports Editor Vinnie Portell oraclesportseditor@gmail.com

Opinion Editor Isabelle Cavazos oracleopinion@gmail.com

Multimedia Editor Adam Mathieu

Assistant Editors Christopher Collier Russell Nay

Graphic Artist Ashley Barzaga

Advertising Sales Lauren Alford Rachel Carpenter Abby Periera

The Oracle is published Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and twice weekly, Monday and Thursday, during the summer.

The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student.

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What a cost of living will also cost

By Russell Nay A S S T .

N E W S

E D I T O R

When it comes to deciding where to live in college, there are more costs involved than just paying for food or rent. Living in a dorm and living in an apartment typically make for two drastically different lifestyles, and accommodating for one’s individual preferences might be worth the extra money for a more favorable living situation or for the extra time it may take to get to class.

Both on and off campus living have their own sets of benefits and drawbacks, and the best place to live depends on what a person wants the average day of his or her college experience to look like.

Time and Accessibility It is important for one to value their time, and the length of a person’s commute could mean the difference in deciding where to live. Obviously, living on campus reduces virtually any on-campus

trip to mere minutes, so students who live off campus will want to consider how travel time will impact meeting everyday deadlines like class attendance.

Lloy-Ann Pusey, a junior majoring in government and international studies, said her 30-minute commute can get in the way of class at times.

“I really have to plan,” Pusey said. “When you’re in group projects, it’s hard to meet up (with other students) because you live far, you work far (and) you only travel to get to school, so it was an inconvenience.”

Students who choose to live off campus should also think about the accessibility of campus from where they live. This is not a big issue for off-campus students with cars, who mainly need to worry about finding parking spaces, but it can be a hassle for those who must rely on public transportation.

Tristan Lear, a senior majoring in women’s studies, said while he lives about six to eight miles

from USF, it takes three buses and sometimes hours to get to class.

“It’s three buses (to get to USF), which can be anywhere from two to three hours’ commute — sometimes just for one class,” Lear said.

“I’m late to class sometimes, and it’s not something I can control.

The buses don’t always show up on time and don’t always connect at the same times.”

Space and Living Styles Another major factor is how much space students want to have and if they want the option of living by themselves.

Andrew Rosenblum, a sophomore majoring in biomedical sciences, said he lived on campus at Juniper-Poplar (JP) for his first year at USF, but is moving off campus because he would like more space and more options for cooking his own meals.

“I was at JP, and there are good size rooms there, but I’m looking forward to having my own bathroom and having my own closet and having more space to myself,” Rosenblum said. “Plus I

love cooking, so I’m looking forward to cooking my own meals.”

Nigeria Stephens, a sophomore majoring in mass communications, said she considers having a roommate as a potential downside to living in an dorm.

“Having a roommate would be a drawback because there are times when you have to study at different times of the night and be considerate of the person that you’re living with,” Stephens said.

Staying Connected to Campus When it comes to staying connected to USF, attempting to keep up to date with all of the university’s events while living as an offcampus student can be difficult.

Living closer to classmates makes it easier to find out what is happening on campus and makes it easier to get involved.

Rosenblum said while he is moving off campus, he felt it will take more effort to stay in touch with new activities that on-campus friends will be involved in.

“I think I’m going to have to put a little more effort into staying

connected because our RA would always put up news bulletins about what’s happening around campus (and) dates for important things, so I actually have to go and find that out myself now.”

Living on campus also means that students will make a lot of friends who are fellow USF students. Those who live off campus in apartments, on the other hand, might have a tougher time meeting other USF students around home.

Samantha Samisch, a transfer student and a sophomore majoring in marketing, said she made a lot of friends during her first year on campus at her previous college, but she thought she might not meet as many classmates at USF now that she lives off campus.

“Everyone that lives in oncampus housing (are people who) you know are going to (USF),” Samisch said. “People in an apartment…are not all going to be going to USF; they could be people who just work around here.”

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Essentials for the big move from a dorm to an apartment

By Isabelle Cavazos and Christopher Collier E D I T O R S

It’s your first day on campus, you’ve said goodbye to your parents and now have the task of unpacking everything you brought. After an hour you may begin to notice that space is limited. After your roommate finishes unpacking, you might even say the space is cramped.

Moving to an off-campus apartment from an on-campus cubicle, is a big change for students eager for some more wiggle room.

However, with this transition comes a new set of supplies students should be prepared to move in with.

Cleaning supplies Sure, dorm rooms require a little maintenance, from using surface cleaners to the occasional vacuum, but students will need to bring a little more to an apartment with consid-

erably more square footage to cover.

For instance, it’s easy to take a broom and dustpan for granted when a student has lived in a carpeted space for so long. These, along with a trash can, are easily forgettable when a kitchen hasn’t been part of one’s living space.

Other essentials include a mop or Swiffer product, kitchen towels and lots of paper towels.

Furniture There will not be enough room for much, if any, furniture in the freshman dorm or some off-campus apartments.

Student-living units with individual leases are typically already fully furnished, but there are some extra items students should consider taking to make their new apartment more comfortable.

For instance, whether it is board games, books, or trinkets, one can’t guarantee that even a furnished apartment will have enough surface area

or closet space to put everything. This is where shelves come into play. Sure, they’re one of the pricier things to take, but they’re a much better alternative to having boxes sitting in the living room all year.

What you really want to avoid bringing are things that can break easily or get in the way of foot traffic. Big pieces like tables and desks will severely limit the amount of space you have to work with throughout the semester.

A fold-up chair for a guest that you can remove is your best bet. If you need to store anything, try to get storage containers that are easy-access and that you can put under your bed.

Other items to consider are extra lighting for those accustomed to the fluorescent lights in dorms and a portable fan. For those who feel iffy about sharing a fridge with two or three people, a minifridge would also be worth the expense.

Bathroom essentials A student coming from traditional-style housing will find a new bathroom a miracle.

However, there are some bathroom essentials that make life a bit easier if not forgotten.

The most important of these is a shower curtain, but other easily forgettable things include a toilet scrubber and some sort of rug for the floor to avoid constant puddles on the ground. Having these things readily available is just as important as wearing flip flops to the dorm showers or making sure to bring a towel.

The Television You aren’t going to be busy all the time and having something to do when you’re indoors will make the stay that much easier. A modestly sized TV and a gaming console is a great way for you and your roommate to bond on slow days or at nighttime when only the Library is open.

It may be tempting to bring something over 42 inches, but

if you and your roommate haven’t figured out how it will fit, it could end up devouring valuable space.

The Printer Generally speaking, professors want assignments to be submitted online. A student may bring a printer with the idea of printing out an assignment before class. However, the Library is a common landmark on your way to class, and allows each student to print up to $2.50 a day for free. Other printers around campus have the same price.

Printers take up floor space that could be used for other things. You and your roommate will amass more items as the semester progresses, shrinking available room.

What seems useful now could, in a few weeks, be an eyesore in the back of your closet.

It’s probably best to leave the printer home.

Cooking in the kitchen

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ESSENTIALS

Continued from PAGE 6

Many students coming out of dorms leave with the four or five coffee mugs, a couple of bowls and a handful of spoons and forks. However, to avoid having to do the dishes for each meal, students should remember to bring along more

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plates and utensils.

Some apartment complexes will already have a microwave, but leave other kitchen appliances up to the resident. After signing a lease, check about which appliances are offered and which are not. This information is good to know prior to missing that needed cup of coffee in the morning or toast for breakfast.

If you are set on cooking, keep in mind also that you will need sponges and soap in order to clean your dirty dishes. Please don’t be that roommate who leaves partially-eaten food sitting out for weeks until it smells of mold and decay.

Going from a place where one can’t even do jumping jacks to a place where one can grab a cup of coffee faster than at the dining hall, the move from a dorm to an apartment is a huge step toward a homier, more convenient living environment, and remembering to bring these essentials will make for an even smoother transition.

IDEAS

Continued from PAGE 10

Once you have the big stuff moved in, it is time to focus on the nitty gritty details. You could have a vase of fake flowers (because we all know you’ll kill the real ones), or some great smelling candles that go along with your color scheme. You can get some throw pillows for the couch, and a cozy blanket to match.

Don’t impulse buy on the small stuff; decide what you think you’d want and then compare prices at different stores to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Can someone say DIY? DIY (do it yourself) projects can really be your best friend on a budget. You know those cool things on Pinterest that you like but have never actually done? Well now’s your chance.

You can repaint old furniture, make cute decretory items, sew your own pillow

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covers, the possibilities are endless. DIY projects do take time, but they really can be a lot of fun.

Courtney Duke, a second year student at San Diego State University, said “DIY projects are a great way to make old things feel new and really help you save money; they are also a lot of fun!”

Plus, knowing that you made some things in your home will make them that much more special. You can even make them with your housemates as a bonding activity. Can’t you just smell the excitement?

Here are some ideas from Pinterest to get your creative juices flowing.

Decorating your place should be fun, so get creative.

You’re going to be living there for a while, so you want to make sure you like it. You can always rearrange your items to keep your place feeling new without having to buy new stuff. Adding onto your collection of little things is another great way to keep things interesting and new. Happy decorating!

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Six apartment decorating ideas on a college budget

By Francine Fluetsch

would clash and what would work.

U L O O P

Tapestries So now that you have a spiffy new apartment, it’s time to get to the fun part: the decorating. Being college students, we don’t usually have a big budget to work with, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make our place look good. Here are some styling and decorating tips that will help you spruce up the place, while maintaining your college budget.

Pictures galore Pictures are a great way to express yourself and make the place your own. Making a collage of your favorite pictures on a poster board is a great way to make a plain white wall pop without having to buy a bunch of frames for your pictures. You can print your photos easily at CVS, and then choose your favorites to go on the board. You can decorate the board with cool colors, ribbon, glitter glue, whatever floats your boat.

Having photos around will make the place feel more like home and will help you feel less homesick because you will see the pictures of your friends and family all the time.

Pictures give your guests something to look at and are great conversation starters if you grace your walls will some hilarious/awesome pics. You could also find cool framed pictures or cheap posters to hang up as well.

Pick a color scheme Before buying any cute decretory items, make sure to pick a color scheme that you and your roommates can agree upon. This doesn’t have to be just one color–you can have as many as you like as long as they mesh well together.

My roommate and I have blue and green as the color scheme for our living room, which I love because it adds this calming vibe to the room.

Knowing the colors you want will make decorating so much easier and will help you know what to keep an eye out for. It doesn’t necessarily have to be all match-y match-y where everything is the same shade of the same color, but try and eyeball what

Tapestries are wonderful for decorating, especially if you can’t paint your walls. You will be able to bring your living room to life with a burst of orange and yellow, or a calming blue tapestry.

My roommate and I got this really cool blue one with a tree on it, and everyone who comes into our apartment always compliments it because it really just completes the living room. Make sure it goes with your color choices! Want more wall decorating ideas? Bed Bath & Beyond has got you covered.

Maximize your space When getting furniture, you want to make sure that you are maximizing the space you have, and not getting things that will make it feel cluttered.

If your living room isn’t that big, no worries; you just have to play around with the furniture and see where things fit best. It’s amazing what a little rearranging can do.

A great thing to do would be to see the place before you move in and get the measurements of the space, so you know exactly what you are working with. You wouldn’t want to haul your aunt’s couch up, only to realize it doesn’t even fit. To acquire your living room furniture, you could rent it, thrift it, borrow it, or buy it.

If you need more places to store things without being an eyesore, you can use your furniture to your advantage. You can get a long table cloth, cover your coffee/end table and store things under it. You can also store things behind the couch (I mean, who is going to look back there?).

You can buy cheap curtains if you have some open cupboards that you don’t want people to be looking into.

Keeping your space clean and organized will help with the illusion that it looks bigger than it actually is. Want some more ideas of how to make your space look bigger? Check out this article.

The little things make a big difference

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