Hurrication & Misc. Happenings

Happy September folks! Howdy and welcome back! The first week of school came, then Hurricane Dorian came, and now the second (first?) week of school is happening once again.

Although, as I’m sure a few of my other Engineering pals out there have experienced, the hurrication was a nice “break”, and by break I mean it was lovely to be able to take my leisurely time doing homework and getting a jump start into planning for all my classes. The downfall of this break though, is of course that this coming week will probably be a tad bit squished with all the missed material.

Currently reminiscing to the week before the fall semester started during Orientation with my fellow O-teamer friend Kara.
Paint U with O-team!
Orientation Team retreat in August!

Orientation Retreat is essentially a highly condensed summer camp bonding experience for a few days that works magic for the O-team and takes us from a bunch of individuals to a highly functioning super team. I cannot exactly explain it, but to sum it up I learned about 80 people’s names and life stories over the course of about 3 days. I love O-team.

I am super excited for this school year, and for fall, as it’s my favorite season. Although fall in Florida isn’t exactly the coldest season, my birthday is in late October and hopefully by around that time the weather should be getting into the 70s at night, which is absolutely perfect for camp fires! The fire pits in the courtyard between New Hall Phase 1 and New Hall Phase 2 have been my go to, as well as my RA staff’s go to gathering place for s’mores and staff bonding. RA’s have weekly staff meetings, and honestly taking a break from homework and having s’mores with the staff while we do weekly recaps is a pretty cool and unique spin on traditional meetings… and it’s even better with the crisp air that accompanies cool autumn evenings!

In other news, I recently road tripped to St. Augustine for the day over the hurrication and got three new air plant babies for my dorm room that I am very excited about. I had a lot of plants in my dorm last year but I didn’t have the chance to take them back to school when summer ended because of all my traveling, so I’m currently rebuilding my collection. I love air plants, succulents and cacti, and hardy herbs that are low maintenance but smell good (and also the addition of fresh herbs to meals is a life hack for making dorm food taste SO much better).

My new air plants!

Will report back soon. Keep on keeping on y’all. Enjoy getting back into the swing of things, as I’m sure I will be!

The Ultimate Packing List for Each Dorm (with pictures)

All Dorms: All come with a mini fridge, vanity, microwave, desk, and dresser (and a bed too obviously). The bathrooms come with a shower curtain too. You can order items like bedding through housing or order to-store at Bed Bath and Beyond. There is a Target down the street, across from the Speedway for last minute needs, but a “secret” Super Target is 15 minutes south in Port Orange. We also have a Hobby Lobby, World Market, Pier One Imports, and Michaels if you like decorating! There is a Kohls and Sam’s Club not too far for mattress toppers and bulk-snacks. You can mail stuff to the university after you get your mailbox, but you won’t have your mailbox number until after move in. To send things before you are assigned a mailbox, you can address packages with your name, New Student Embry-Riddle, 600 South Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach FL 32114. Then just pick it up at the mail room when you arrive.

I have a printer but I do not need one. You can print from the 24-hour lab in the College of Business. As for packing clothes, bring lots of t-shirts with jeans/shorts. Also, bring some light sweaters/rain jackets for classrooms and “winter”. I normally wear Keds, flats, or sandals to get across campus. Make sure to bring nice clothes (business casual and at least one business professional outfit) no matter your major. We have our career fair and interviewers coming to campus constantly. Sororities and fraternities also require you to dress nicely once a week as do some on-campus jobs.

For laundry, Adams, Woods, and Doolittle have laundry rooms downstairs. New Hall has two laundry rooms per floor (one per wing). All laundry facilities have an associated app to see which are available. While they are free, you must bring your own detergent.

  • Tubs (for summer storage too)
  • Command Strips (tons, but the velcro ones work best)
  • Hangers
  • Desk Lamp
  • Mattress Topper
  • Bed Covers (Twin XL) – Pottery Barn, Target, and Macy’s has cute ones!
  • Pillows
  • Full-length mirror
  • Trashcan
  • Bathroom Mat
  • Toilet Paper
  • Towels
  • Food Organizers
  • Cleaning Wipes
  • Water Filter
  • School Supplies
  • Desk Organizer
  • Air Freshener
  • Laundry Basket
  • TV (but most students use a laptop – I do!)
  • Pictures!!!

New Hall: New Hall has a tiny kitchen area, so I recommend not bringing a lot of kitchen gadgets. You also don’t have a designated kitchen sink, so cleaning dishes and such gets a little challenging. You will have bathroom cubbies in the shower room and individual closets in your room. Most students raise their beds and put the desk under their bed. Some prefer to bunk their bed with their roommate and put the desks on the other side. My friend was kind enough to let us see her room!

Adams/Woods: Adams/Woods bathrooms are shared with 3 other people, so I recommend a caddy to keep the shower uncluttered. Since the floor is wood, I also recommend a rug. We bought curtains and lots of bins for food and bathroom storage. The photos below are from my freshman dorm!

Doolittle: I have not lived in Doolittle, but I would recommend a bathroom caddy/other bathroom organizers since you will be sharing a bathroom with 7 other people. You will have a large desk as well, so desk organizers could be beneficial if you like to be orderly. A closet is shared too, so consider a closet divider since that could be helpful if you like to keep your belongings separate. Like Adams/Woods, I want to recommend a rug to cover the wood floor! These photos are from a friend!

Personal tip: I like plants in my room since they brighten the space and make it feel more homey!

Move-in gets crazy so bring water! Be patient! It’s overwhelming but everyone does it and your RA should be helpful. Orientation is meant to be fun, so don’t stress! You will have huge moving bins to help! Assignments come out this summer so get excited!

Happy almost summer! – Maddie!

New Residence Hall

I mentioned in one of my last posts that I had the opportunity to move into the New Residence Hall in January. I was an RA (Resident Assistant) in McKay Hall, which has now been replaced by the New Hall (it doesn’t have a name yet). Because of my RA position, I was automatically moved into the New Hall for the spring semester!

I know everyone is excited to see what it’s like inside! I’ll start by going through some features:

  • Two laundry rooms on every floor
  • Two lounges with TVs on every floor
  • Multiple study rooms on each floor
  • Large 1st floor lounge with pool tables and multiple tvs
  • Large 1st floor study area
  • Vending machines

Next, the most important part, what are the rooms like?

  • Four residents per suite, two residents per bedroom
  • One toilet, one shower, double vanity (all in separate rooms)
  • Closet for each resident
  • Microwave
  • Mini fridge
  • Kitchen storage cabinets
  • Ceiling fans
  • Carpet flooring

This hall was definitely designed with students in mind. There are so many places to study, socialize, and even do laundry! Residents have been enjoying this hall for about a month now, and are loving their new home.

As of right now, there aren’t any specifications on the ERAU website, so I took a few pictures to showcase the New Hall.

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Hallway inside the New Hall

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Laundry room on every floor

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Lounge space on the first floor

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Study area

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Hospitality area on the first floor

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More lounge space

I hope these pictures gave you a better idea of what the New Hall is like! If you want to see it for yourself, come visit us on campus! Take a tour or come for Preview Day, and we’d love to show you around.

Until next time,

Lindsey