Work Cited

Belock, Shirley. “A Comparison of the Grade Point Averages of Freshmen Students Living in Dormitories with the Grade Point Averages of Commuting Students at Castleton State College.”  1974. 35.

Chickering, Arthur. Commuting Versus Resident Students. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass Publishers. 1974

DeVillers, Julia. College Dorm Survival Guide: How To Survive and Thrive in Your New Home Away From Home. Crown Publishing Group. 2006.

Hughes, Marvalene. “Helping Students Understand and Appreciate Diversity”. Realizing the Educational Potential of Residance Halls. (191)

"Palo Verde Beach"

[Source: Jullisa Sanchez]

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        Found in between all three Palo Verde dormitories on the North side of Arizona State University, there is a newly remodeled spot built specifically for the residents, often called “Palo Verde Beach”. It has recently been made into a beautiful, grassy area with big steps surrounding it. It is the center of the dorms where people often socialize. It is a nice place to sit and eat for many residents, especially because it is right outside of the diner. It provides such a great environment for everyone to be with their friends, meet others or even to be alone. It really helps intergrade a social place into the dorm life for everyone to simply relax and “hangout”. Many people also use the beach to get active. People play soccer and frisbee and often times do yoga as well. Going into the university can be very stressful and feel very lonesome, making it essential to get involved. One does not necessarily have to become involved in sports and clubs, although that is common; one can get involved by simply joining a game of frisbee outside their dormitory at the beach.
        Engaging in friendships and social meetings are very important and influential in the success of a student and the beach is one of many places at Arizona State that makes that possible. It is the environment that Arizona State brings forth and the general settings it provides for people to interact and share common interests, which make the beach such a great place. Socializing and being involved in school related activities, becomes significantly easier while living on campus. “[Residents] are more frequently involved with fraternities and sororities and more often participate in intramural athletics and in various social activities” (Chickering, 54). Being a resident makes it so much easier for students to adjust to the “big change” of college and to feel welcome. Residents are all experiencing the same thing, the new challenges, the new living obstacles and they can all relate and share experiences, making it easier on students.

Palo Verde East

[Source: Jullisa Sanchez]

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        Palo Verde East is the third of the Palo Verde dormitories. It is co-ed and home to many sun devil students. It has a hub on the first floor connected to the building that is very popular. The hub has a movie dispenser for students to easily rent movies and a lounge area where students often study, socialize and relax. Many students also need their daily dose of coffee, which is good because the hub also contains a Starbucks. One might ask if residents can receive mail and the answer is yes. The hub contains several rooms filled with mailboxes, belonging to all the residents of North campus. Next to the mailboxes is a UPS store for students to send out and receive packages. Unlike the other dormitories, Palo Verde East is where the Residence Hall Association (RHA) is located. The RHA helps students become involved with the use of: conferences, leadership camps, homecoming float building and other programs.
        With so many events, programs and the new living situation going on at the dorms; students are forced to face much diversity within the new community. “Unlike students who live off campus, those who reside on campus are more likely to develop diverse friendships and to benefit from other concentrated program efforts.” (Hughes, 191) There are all types of people with different ethnic, social and economic backgrounds. There are people with disabilities and people with different beliefs and adjusting to different diverse people can be something very difficult but will help students, especially for the future.
        Safety is such a big concern for parents and students whenever their child is leaving home, however Arizona State has incorporated safety cameras and censors all throughout the dormitory. Not just any person can enter the building, only a person with a sun card, who specifically lives in the dormitory. The card must be waved across the censor in order to enter the building and into the separate area where all the rooms are located. There are also cameras installed throughout the building and in the elevators, making sure that students are constantly safe. There is also only one door that can be used to enter the building and there is always a community assistant at the front desk, making sure that everyone coming in is a resident and that everything is running smoothly. Outside the dormitories are also many grey boxes with blue buttons all over the light poles. These buttons are used to directly call the police and ambulance. This is just another way that the North Campus environment helps promote safety for students.