The 97-98 academic year will be my fourth at UMM. Over the course of my time here I have found Gay Hall to be a rewarding and fun place to live. My position is multifaceted as I supervise a staff of seven Resident Advisors (RAs), advise the hall government, and serve as a resource and counselor to any resident who drops by my office for a visit from time to time.
If you are going to be a new resident in Gay Hall next year, consider becoming involved in our hall government, known as Clayton's Council. Clayton's Council is responsible for planning fun events for the entire hall (approximately 240 residents). Some events are traditional, such as the annual tug-o-war against Independence Hall, which we have won four years in a row. See Clayton's Council page for some pictures of these events. Any new (and legal) ideas are always welcome. Upcoming Events
Gay 1-1, Volleyball
Tourney
winners, 1997An RA is assigned to each floor to help residents with their transition to college and residential living. Click here to see pictures of the Gay Hall Staff. At the beginning of each year they are instrumental in coordinating activities that help floormates get to know one another and to serve as a resouce to residents who wish to know more about the campus and the community, or just want to talk about what's on their minds.
Each floor is co-educational. To be more specific, your next door neighbors might be of the opposite sex. Occassionally, this tends to worry parents, as you can imagine. But we've found that, generally speaking, the relationships that form on the floors take on more of a sibling nature than a romantic one. Think about it... Would you want to date someone on your floor, break up with him/her, and then have to continue living with them in close proximity? Yikes! That's not to say that romance hasn't blossomed between 2 people on the same floor and worked out fine. It can happen.
As I mentioned before, there is an RA on each floor. These courageous individuals, in addition to their roles stated above, are also in charge of making sure their residents follow the University and Residential Life policies. It's a tough job and sometimes residents place them positions where they have to make unpopular decisions. But we don't like to focus on that topic too much. Students come here to get an education, and life in the hall will provide you with some of your most challenging learning experiences. Don't worry though. We'll be there to help you whenever you need it.
Wondering what stuff to bring with you to Gay Hall? Each room is equipped with one telephone and each resident will receive a personal access code to make long distance calls (you may also use a long distance service such as ATT, Sprint, etc.). There are also hookups in each room for computers which will allow you to be on the campus wide server called ResNet. Cable TV hookup is available to each room as well at an extra cost. You can receive more information about that from the Office of Residential Life. Each floor is equipped with a kitchen for when you get the late night munchies. Appliances that generate a lot of heat are not allowed in your room (such as coffee makers, pop corn poppers, microwave ovens, etc.). However, you may bring them and use them in the kitchen. The furniture in each room consists of the following: 2 desks, 2 chairs, 2 lamps, 2 beds with mattresses and mattress pads, 2 closets, and a chest of drawers. If you are living in Tower One, your bed will have a wire frame and measures 36 1/2" x 80." Those of you in Tower Two you will have a wooden bed frame measuring 35 1/2" x 79." Be aware that the mattresses are 36" x 80" (extra long) and normal size twin sheets are often not long enough for them. While the lounges are carpeted, the rooms and hallways are not. You may want to carpet your rooms but we recommend you wait until you arrive and discuss this with your roommate and take accurate measurements of your room. Lofting beds is allowed, but again we feel it is a good idea to talk this over with your roommate. You may not bring pets, except for aquarium fish.
Each floor has two lounges. One takes on more of a family room atmosphere where your floormates will gather to shoot the breeze and watch tv. Televisions are not provided by Residential Life. Instead, residents on each floor pool their money together and those who contribute to the purchase of the tv (and microwave, vcr, whatever the floor decides to purchase) may win it at the end of the year via a drawing. The second lounge is used as a quiet study area. In the kitchen, there is a refrigerator, stove, oven and sink along with a table and chairs. There is also a closet in which you will find cleaning supplies for your room. Each floor has 4 bathrooms (2 for men, 2 for women) which contain one shower, two toilets, and two sinks. You will need to supply your own towel and soap. There is also a laundary room located on the ground floor in Tower Two with coin operated washing machines and dryers.
For recreation in the hall there is a t.v. in the main lounge located on the ground floor and a recreation room with a pool table and a ping-pong table. If you are more interested in playing board games, there is a selection that can be checked out from the on-call office when the Resident Advisors are on call (8:00pm to midnight or beyond). You may also check out a VCR from the on-call office during on-call hours.
Life in Gay Hall is a lot of fun, but there are many clubs and organizations that would love to have you become member who aren't affiliated with our humble abode. Doing so not only contributes to the campus community in a positive way, but may also increase your satisfaction with your UMM experience. There are academic clubs, such as the Chem/Bio Club; athletic clubs (the Fencing Club comes to mind); and cultural organizations like the Asian Student Association. Don't worry if none of these suit your interests, there are over 70 more to choose from, like our campus radio station, KUMM, several religious groups, and many socio/political organizations. So, if you look hard enough, you won't be bored here.