The campus is buzzing with activity. Students (and sometimes parents) are getting textbooks, finalizing financial aid, and getting that perfect picture taken for their EagleCard. Many of us are busy playing tour guide and getting everyone pointed in the right direction to find classrooms, offices, and other locations around campus. With classes beginning just one week from today, everyone is trying to make sure that everything is in place for the academic side of things this fall.
In 217 Iowa Hall, things are just a bit different. On the housing side of things we’re helping last minute students find housing for the year. We’re also out at the apartment complexes as members of the “Kirkwood Welcome Crew” answering questions, handing out water, and helping with the occasional couch or mattress.
So we’re one week away from the beginning of classes, students are settling into their apartments, and everything seems to be in place. Now what? That’s where the Student Life office comes in! Between our office, Music & Theatre and Athletics, we are offering more than 90 FREE Events to students this fall. All of that kicks off with classes next Monday. The annual Movin’ & Shakin’ event is back! This is your chance at a free t-shirt, free food, and several free giveaways and prizes. Also a great chance to meet some new friends, find out information on clubs/organizations and helpful offices on campus. Looking for a job? We’ve got that too! Stop by Monday in the center of campus from 2-5pm for all the fun and excitement.
If that’s not enough – join us the rest of the week (or the rest of the semester). We have free food every day that first week, along with a Free Outdoor Movie Night, a Hypnotist on campus, and several events over at the various apartment complexes near campus.
So how do you find out about all the events going on this fall? A handful of ways… Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KirkwoodStudentLife, see the calendar of events for the fall at www.kirkwood.edu/falltour, or stop by one of the events next week – we’ve got FREE T-Shirts that advertise the events all semester long and a magnet to put on your fridge too.
Just remember – as you find your way around campus, buy text books, and get classes underway – don’t forget to have a little fun too :) We hope to see you at a campus event soon.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Moving away from home for the first time
The month of July was busy and great at the same time. If you actually read this blog you probably have seen my last entry on getting married. Following the wedding we traveled to Costa Rica for our honeymoon and enjoyed every minute of our trip. I returned to work on July 12th and dove head first into planning for the fall semester. We have several fun and exciting activities planned for students which I hope to write about in my next blog entry.
Since future Kirkwood students begin moving into apartments near campus this week, I’ve decided to write about another flashback of my time as a student here at Kirkwood. It was August of 2001 when my roommate Shawn and I moved into the Kirkwood Court Apartments (now Campus View Apartments). Shawn and I had been friends since sometime during 6th or 7th grade and now we were going to be living away from home for the first time together. It was about a 2 hour drive from our hometown of Indianola (12 miles south of Des Moines) and we had it all planned out.
We left Indianola and drove next to each other on the 142 mile journey to Cedar Rapids. The first few days before classes were spent organizing our apartment, exploring Cedar Rapids for the first time, and meeting our new neighbors. We had it made; we were in a brand new apartment that had just been built and finished only a few days before we moved in. You walked from the parking lot directly into the living room where we had our nice hand-me-down couches and the 70’s style dining table we purchased at Goodwill. Best of all though was our 19” TV hooked up to our N64! (I know, we would get laughed at now if we had that set-up).
It is an experience that can really only be experienced once in life. The first night you spend away from home in your “own” place away from your parents. No curfew, no bedtime, just my best friend and I living in our new apartment. It was certainly an exciting experience for us and I can remember it like it was only yesterday.
Now here we are, 9 years later as I bounce around the same apartment complexes I used to call home and hand out bottled water. If you are moving in over the next week or two: Enjoy and cherish these first few weeks – you will only get to do it once in your life, and you will remember it for many years to come!
Since future Kirkwood students begin moving into apartments near campus this week, I’ve decided to write about another flashback of my time as a student here at Kirkwood. It was August of 2001 when my roommate Shawn and I moved into the Kirkwood Court Apartments (now Campus View Apartments). Shawn and I had been friends since sometime during 6th or 7th grade and now we were going to be living away from home for the first time together. It was about a 2 hour drive from our hometown of Indianola (12 miles south of Des Moines) and we had it all planned out.
We left Indianola and drove next to each other on the 142 mile journey to Cedar Rapids. The first few days before classes were spent organizing our apartment, exploring Cedar Rapids for the first time, and meeting our new neighbors. We had it made; we were in a brand new apartment that had just been built and finished only a few days before we moved in. You walked from the parking lot directly into the living room where we had our nice hand-me-down couches and the 70’s style dining table we purchased at Goodwill. Best of all though was our 19” TV hooked up to our N64! (I know, we would get laughed at now if we had that set-up).
It is an experience that can really only be experienced once in life. The first night you spend away from home in your “own” place away from your parents. No curfew, no bedtime, just my best friend and I living in our new apartment. It was certainly an exciting experience for us and I can remember it like it was only yesterday.
Now here we are, 9 years later as I bounce around the same apartment complexes I used to call home and hand out bottled water. If you are moving in over the next week or two: Enjoy and cherish these first few weeks – you will only get to do it once in your life, and you will remember it for many years to come!
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