My Experience at UWM!

Way back in 2012 while I was sitting in my yearbook class at Menomonee Falls High School, I would see all of my fellow seniors stressing out about what colleges to apply for. I wasn't one of these frantic students because I knew that the only school I wanted to go to was UW-Milwaukee. My older brother previously went to UWM and when I toured the campus I fell in love. To know that UWM has an amazing journalism program was icing on the cake.

My freshman year I decided to live at home to save money and being from milwaukee it wasn't that far of a drive compared to a lot of others. I was taking about 17 credits, working 40 hours a week at Ernie Von Scheldorn car dealership, and dealing with the stress of commuting. This was just way too much on my plate and I made the decision that I was going to live on campus to alleviate this stress.

My sophomore year I lived on the 2nd floor of East Tower. It was so convenient that I was only 10 minutes away from class instead of having to wake up two hours earlier due to commuting. Not only did university housing give me the chance to actually make new connections with people I was going to class with, but with my roommate and suitemates as well. I started to take yoga at the Klotsche Center, made new friends watching the packers games down at the Gasthaus, and even played some intramural floor hockey! I wish I could go back to my freshman year and live on campus because it was the best decision I ever made. Yes staying at home does save you money, but when it all came down to it living at home did cost me lack of sleep, stress of commuting, and my sanity.

This year I will be living on the 15th floor of North Tower. I choose north tower because I liked the house lounge set up and the amazing view of the lake. Yes east tower does have a kitchen in every suite, but since I can't cook to save my life, the microwave will be more than enough. If you have any questions about housing or UWM in general I will be here to help!

Hope you have a wonderful University Housing experience like I have!

-Valerie

Sandburg Res Hall Recap

Sandburg is the largest and oldest residence hall at UWM! It has four residential towers (North, East, South and West) and is connected by the 1st and 3rd floor common areas. It was constructed in two phases. The North, South and West Towers were built in 1970 and East Tower was built in 2001.

First year students can live in either North, South or West Towers and East Tower is all upperclassmen. North, South and West Towers are identical in floor layout and house lounges. Each floor contains eight suites numbered 10 through 80 which contains various room types and a shared bathroom. The three room types in Sandburg are single, double and triple. The combination of single, double and triple rooms in a suite will determine the amount of people living inside of that particular suite, but can range from 4 to 5 people. Each suite has its own bathroom so residents are only sharing a bathroom with their suitemates. You can view the various room diagrams and dimensions on our website. Each room has one cable hook up and an ethernet port per resident. It also has a bed frame, mattress, desk, chair, bookshelf, and trash can per resident. Finally, each resident also has their own closet organizing kit within their rooms. 

East tower contains six apartment-style suites and a house lounge on each floor! Each suite has two single rooms and two double rooms, which houses a total of 6 people. Each suite has a full kitchen and bathroom. Similar to the traditional towers, each room has one cable hook up and an ethernet port per resident. It also has a bed frame, mattress, desk, chair, bookshelf, and trash can per resident.

Sandburg Residence Hall is home to 2800 students and has numerous building amenities! On the first floor there is a fitness room, Flicks movie theater, Palm Gardens, Restor, Grind and Service Desk. The third floor holds a cafeteria, channel study lounge and computer lab. In the basement of north and east tower there are laundry facilities.

 Living in Sandburg my first two years was an amazing experience! With 2800 students, there is almost always an event or activity going on! 

-Haley

Res Hall Recap: Cambridge

Since its opening in 2010, Cambridge has been the newest building on campus and will retain that title until the Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research & Development building is complete. In UWM's efforts to help create a more sustainable world, Cambridge boasts a LEED (Leader in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold Certification due to its many eco-friendly features including green roofs on the north and south wings of the building, high efficiency washers and dryers, and full size fridges in every suite!

Located at 2323 N Cambridge Ave, on the northwest corner of North Ave and Cambridge Ave, Cambridge is just over one mile away from main campus. The 6 floors of Cambridge are home to 700 students annually, with an underground parking structure capable of holding over 50 cars. In addition to the University Housing shuttles which pick up and drop off right outside of the building, several Milwaukee County Transit System bus routes have stops easily within walking distance.

The majority of the amenities in the building have their home on the first floor. Residents have access to the ReStor convenience store where they can grab a quick snack or enjoy some late night tacos, a beautiful courtyard to get some nature even in the middle of the city, ping pong and fooseball tables, two fully equipped recording studios, the cafeteria, fitness center, laundry room, and two classrooms. From the first floor residents and guests will also have access to wireless internet and all of the resources available at the service desk.

Elevating to floors 2-6 where the majority of the residents stay, located on each floor will be a kitchen lounge which is fully furnished with major kitchen appliances and a large flat screen TV. Each floor also has two Link Lounges which are great study rooms whether you're working by yourself or with a group.

Standard Suite Layout

In regards to suites, there are two types in Cambridge: Standards and Upgrades. All of the individual bedrooms in the building are double rooms and all of the suites will have two bedrooms for a total of four residents per suite, with the exception of six upgraded suites which have three bedrooms and will therefore have six residents in those suites. The biggest difference between the two suite types is the presence of the fully furnished kitchen and common space/lounge room that are included in the upgraded suites, but not the standard. However, even the standard suites will have a full size fridge in each suite! As for furniture within the bedrooms, each resident will receive a desk and chair, large 3-drawer dresser, small 2 drawer filing cabinet, as well as a bed and mattress. The closets will vary depending on standard or upgrade, but will come with a shelf lining the wall with a hanging bar. Each room will have one cable jack and one ethernet port per person. Cambridge does have air conditioning and a temperature control dial can be found in each and every bedroom!

Being such a new building it is no surprise that the interior of the building is very modern and aesthetically appealing. However, after calling Cambridge home for a year that part is not what made me love living there so much. For me, it was all of the amazing professional and student staff members I had the chance to meet and grow with throughout my time there and all of the memories I will cherish for a long time to come. Now it's your turn; go make some memories of your own!

-Eric

Open Mind, Almost Time!

As the New Student Orientations fly by and we rapidly approach the time of room assignments many students are anxiously awaiting the defining moment they see their roommates’ names and head straight to Facebook to take a closer look. BUT WAIT! Let’s all take a step back and think about the impressions Facebook can give off.

Sometimes we all take goofy pictures with our friends and post them on Facebook to show how much fun we have. Sometimes our friends do it without us knowing about it just to be funny.

“Yeah, I get it Eric. I’m funny. What does this have to do with my new roommates?”

Everyone has a different image they try to project on their social media accounts. However, it is extremely important to understand what you see or post on a social media profile can only be a snap shot of the complex personality everyone has. There’s no possible way to decide if you will get along with someone or not solely based off of his or her profile picture or his or her latest tweet.

When the fateful moment comes and you figure out who you’ll be living with all year, send them an e-mail through your myhousing website and get to know them before you immediately jump to conclusions! You just might be surprised with the new friends you make this year; I know I was.

Eric

Live Laugh Love-Live Learn Lead

As you starting thinking about where you want to live next year while filling out your housing contract, you will find a lot of options available to you.  Do you want a single or a double?  Cambridge or Sandburg?  Kitchen or not?  You should also be thinking about LLCs!  What is an LLC you ask, well I am so glad you did.  LLC stands for living learning communities.  They are an opportunity for first year students to live with people who they share a common interest or major with.  All LLC students will take a class together that will put them one step closer to graduating, and their resident assistant (who also has life experience with the shared interest or major) will plan fun events around the selected interest or major.  What options are there??  LOTS!

Last year I was a resident assistant in our beloved RiverView residence hall, and the resident assistant for the Dance Foundations LLC.  Some of our events including watching Milwaukee Ballet and local Wildspace company perform.  The neat thing about Wildspace's performance is the company is sight spcific; meaning their dances are created for a specific area and can only be performed there.  The show we saw was performed in a parking structure.  The students recieve this and much more all at no extra cost to them.
In addition to the Dance Foundation LLC next year we will also offer, Social Welfare, Health Professions, Education and Leadership, and many more.  The best way to learn more about these LLCs is to visit our LLC website.  It will describe the Living Learning Community to you, tell you what class goes with the LLC, and where the LLC is located.  If you are curious about how past LLCs have worked and what events they have done, you can visit UWM's LLC Blog.
Overall LLCs are a great opportunity to make new friends and connect with other students they will most likely later on have classes with.  Even if you don't select an LLC on your contract, you can still add an LLC at any point, as long as it doesn't fill up!  Last of all if you are unsure about what major you want, joining an LLC is a great way to get a taste of something to see if you like it.  And of course Living Learning Communities help you to Live, Learn, Lead!

Hungry Hungry Residents!

With contracts coming out soon I'd like to take a minute to explain the meal plan in more depth to clear up or prevent any confusion that may be surrounding the topic. Any resident that does not have a kitchenette in their suite is required to have a meal plan. When filling out a housing contract, three meal plan levels will be available to choose from. Level 1 is the lowest dollar amount and level 3 is the highest. Anyone assigned to a room which requires a meal plan but selected a no plan choice will default to level 2, if necessary. Each plan also includes (within the cost posted) a Dining Administration Fee which traditionally has been equal to the base amount of meal plan level one. This fee enables Restaurant Operations, who controls and coordinates all food related efforts, to provide the great service and convenience our residents become accustomed to throughout their time in University Housing.

The best place for residents to use their meal plans is in the cafeterias (Cambridge, RiverView and Sandburg plus Palm Gardens in Sandburg) because food purchased with a meal plan at those venues gets a 50% discount! Spending the meal plan money in the cafeterias is the best value for the price and helps you recoup the admin fee.

Everything available for purchase in the cafeterias being a la carte, so each transaction is only for the exact food purchased. There are no buffet-style cafeterias in University Housing (and you don't swipe or pay just to be able to enter the facility).

It is unlikely anyone will spend their entire meal plan in the cafeterias, but this is good information to be aware of and take into consideration when trying to budget out how to spend the meal plan.

"Eric! Help! There's still a month left in the semester and I don't have any more money left on my meal plan! Do I have to starve for the rest of the semester?!"

Absolutely not! Residents can add money to their meal plan online at Managemyid.com or in person at the cafeteria Cash Value Center located in Sandburg. On the other side of the fence, there is no penalty for not using the entire meal plan amount. Any balance at the end of Fall semester is carried over into the Spring semester, and the balance at the end of the contract (end of Spring semester) is refunded back to the resident, less a ten dollar processing fee.

If you have any questions about meal plans or if you would like to change your meal plan level, you can call or email our office at university-housing@uwm.edu.

Hopefully everyone understands meal plans a little better now!

Eric

Thinking Green at University Housing

My fellow outreach assistants and I on top of the garden

University Housing is determined to decrease their environmental footprint through implicating various green procedures. One of the ways housing does this is, is by creating and maintaining their own garden on top of Sandburg Residence Halls. This green roof is the largest in Wisconsin and measures to 33,000 square feet. Some of the numerous environmental benefits include reducing storm water run off and filtering pollutant out of the air and water.  Nestled on top of the third floor this garden provides residences with healthier eating choices. Tomatoes, eggplant, basil, and peppers are just some of the fresh vegetables and herbs grown right above the cafeteria! As the summer continues, these fresh edible delights get picked and served in our very own cafeterias around university housing. There is also a garden located beside East Tower that serves as a community garden and has additional spaces for the residence halls cafeterias garden. All of these garden plots help contribute to healthy, sustainable eat choices in university housing!

The video below highlights all of the on campus gardens including the Sandburg rooftop garden!

See you all in around 20 days!
Haley

But MOOOOOOOOM, I'm sooo bored!!

Long time no see! The housing office has been bumpin' the last couple weeks and I've gotten to speak to a LOT of you as we keep counting down to the start of a great year. As students start moving onto campus, there will be the inevitable barrage of organizations trying to grab your attention and show you all of the amazing opportunities they have to offer. And trust me, there's a lot to offer!

UWM has over 300 student-led organizations that offer opportunity for involvement on any level you desire, opportunities that can directly correlate to your major and give you a leg up when starting your career. Being involved in a student organization is a great way to develop your leadership teamwork skills.  

South End Carnival goer testing
his limits with chubby bunny

The one year I have under my belt at UWM led me to explore a multitude of these organizations from the events I went to (even if it was just for the free food) and the chance to join a couple different organizations. While living in Cambridge Commons I was the Treasurer for the South End Council, one of the many community councils within the Residence Halls, where I gained experience far beyond making budgets. I was able to coordinate many events, such as the South End Carnival to wrap up the year and give everyone a chance to have a little fun with their friends before finals. 

Getting involved may not have been the "cool thing to do" in high-school, but my friends, that's a thing of the past once you reach UWM. Joining any of our organizations is a fun, beneficial way to make your time here worth something a little bigger than yourself. So as this year gets started make sure to explore a few groups, maybe you'll discover a new passion or find your next best friend. At the very least, you'll probably get some free food!

Peace and Blessins'

Eric

Ride the Magic School Bus

Yes!  You will most likely ride a large, yellow, school bus to get to classes.  In addition to school buses, there are also shuttle, which look like over-sized vans.  Many students are worried if they live in Cambridge Commons or RiverView, they won't be able to get to class on time with the shuttle.  I can speak from two years of experience.  I lived in RiverView, and the shuttles were very reliable.  They arrive about  every 5-7 minutes and the ride to campus is about 8-10 minutes.  Also despite what you hear, Cambridge Commons and RiverView are closer than you think; the two resident halls are only about a mile a way from campus.  In addition only residents are able to ride the shuttles, so no worry about not finding a spot to sit.  The last thing I would like to mention is that there are different shuttle route.  You can visit the shuttle website to learn more about shuttle route and times.  After 6 PM the shuttles switch from two direct routes from campus to resident halls to routes that offer stops in between campus and the resident halls.  This offers students the option to visit a friend off campus or grab a bite to eat at noodle.  Students can also keep track of shuttle arrival times through the UWM mobile app!

Your New Best Friend

RA.  What does it stand for?  Resident Assistant, also known as your new best friend.  They are students just like you.  They go to class, do their homework, and hangout with friends.  They live next door or just down the hall from you.  A RA is available to you 24 hours a day (but don’t wake them up if you don’t have to.)  They plan events as a chance for you to have fun and meet new people.  They are also there during the not so happy times.  If you want a room switch, need a shoulder to cry on, need advice about a class, or are struggling at adjusting to living with your new roommate your RA is your go to kind of pal.  They are available to help you.  In addition, to helping you there are there to keep you safe.

Last year I was a RA in RiverView.  I had the opportunity to meet and get to know about 48 residents.  I was there through the tears and the fights, the smiles and laughter, but most importantly the memories.  I loved having the opportunity to help my residents and watch them grow.

A resident assistant wants you to succeed, learn, and grow.  Don’t be afraid to ask them the “silliest” question or to share one of your biggest fears.  They aren’t there to get you in trouble, just to help create a wonderful experience in college that you’ll never forget.

Work Orders 101

Hey, all!  It's almost midterms and things have been pretty crazy the past couple weeks.  I hope everything has been going well during your first couple weeks of the fall semester.  I have been working hard in the University Housing office answering questions as they come.  One of the biggest questions I get is about how to fill out a work order.  The form is a little tricky, so I thought I'd make a quick how-to for you.

• First important note,  the University Housing work order site is www.fixit.uwm.edu.  If you search "work order" on UWM's homepage, you will be directed to the wrong work order form. Our form looks like this: 

•  Secondly, you want to make sure that you fill out all of the information in red.  Building Name, Floor Code, and Room # can be a bit confusing if you haven't used this form before.  Let's say I live in S1030A and my toilet is clogged.  I would click on the drop down boxes and click on the area that I am requesting service in.

• My completed work order will look like this:

• If the work order went through successfully, this will pop up on my screen.  

• When I go back to my UWM email, I will get an email confirmation that my work order was received. 

• University Housing staff will then come into my room and address the issue.  It's ok if I'm not home;  they will leave a door hanger on saying that they came into my room for maintenance.  

•  I will then get another email stating that the work order was completed. 

  That's all there is to filling out a University Housing work order. Also, don't wait to fill out a work order.  If there is an issue in your room, let us know right away!

Your Golden Ticket in the Res Halls

Does this card look familiar?

At NSO, all students are given their student ID.  There are two things every resident needs with them at all times; their keys and student ID.  Your student ID will be more important to you than your debit card or license while you are on campus.  

You will use your student ID for:

• Getting into the Res Halls.
• Paying for laundry.
• Making purchases at the Union or Service Desks.
• Buying food with your meal plan.
• Verifying your identity when speaking with campus staff.
• Making appointments with campus staff. 
• Checking in during Fall move-in!  

Your ID has two different accounts linked to it;  your Gold Account and Meal Plan.
  
Your Meal Plan works at all restaurant operations locations on campus.  That includes Cambridge, RiverView, and Sandburg Cafeterias, Gasthaus and all other restaurants in the Union, as well as all Grinds, Restors, and other convenience stores on campus. 

Your Gold Account is used for paying for laundry, and making other miscellaneous purchases around campus.  

It is a completely separate account from your meal plan.  On your PAWs account, you were charged for your room and meal plan, not your gold account.  You can add money onto your account one of two ways:

• Online

Register online to access your Manage My ID account.  You can add money onto your Gold Account and Meal Plan on this site with a debit or credit card.  You can also keep track of all of your spending.  Not to mention, other people can create their own log in and add money onto your account when needed!  (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

• Cash Machines in the Laundry Rooms

 If you don't want to use your debit or credit card, or only want to add a few bucks onto your account, you can use the cash machines located in the laundry rooms of all University Housing buildings.  

Still have questions about your Gold Account?  Talk to us on Facebook  or Twitter.

Pro Staff Is Where It's At!

Living in the residence halls connects you with so many great people, many of which can be a great resource. The Professional Staff we have in our residence halls are fantastic people who have really been a great influence in my life. They are all their to help out and enhance students' experience on campus, but sadly most people don't think to utilize them unless they meet with them for behavior or part of a student organization in housing.  They do so much more than just that, though.

Who are the professional staff? Well the ones you will probably connect with the most are our Residence Life Coordinators. As each of you will have a Resident Assistant to mentor your community and help make sure our students are safe and secure, they too are students. The Residents Life Coordinators are their supervisors and are there to mentor them.  The RLCs are also on call 24/7 in case of an emergency in the res halls. Each building or tower has at least one professional staff member working towards creating the best environment possible for their community. These professional staff members are have or are working towards their masters degree in higher education or a related field.

When might you interact with one of our pro staff? There are a handful of times that they are present around the community. They live in the same community you do, so they are always around.  You may find them at one of your house meetings or events; maybe even see them eating in the cafe or working out. Sure, some of you will interact with them through behavior meetings due to policy violations, but most of you won't! Each of the pro staff also advise several different student run organizations in housing. If you happen to be involved in one of our three hall councils or SHAC (Student Housing Administrative Council),youu will get to know a few of the pro staff members pretty well.   Maybe you will get involved in our Sustainability Committee, NRHH (National Residence Hall Honorary), or CRB (Community Review Board). You are sure to have the opportunity to meet one of our wonderful pro staff.  If none of the fit into your schedule, or you just want to talk, you can always stop into your buildings main office and schedule an appointment to meet with one with one of them.

Look for more opportunities to  get involved in my Pounce Into Involvement post!

Residence Life Coordinator Spotlights

Pounce Into Involvement

In high school I was the kid that tried to do it all; from drama to sports, with a few things in between... all while working my part time job. When I first arrived to UWM, I was exited to see all the opportunities to get involved. However, I got caught up in just sticking with the small group of friends I made.  Because they didn't get involved I didn't. Sounds kind of dumb of me, I know. People ask, "If you can go back and change one thing about college what would it be?" I would probably have to say that I wished I have gotten more involved my first year. I missed out on some great opportunities, like a free trip to Arizona and a trip to go rock climbing. There are so many opportunities to get involved in and out of housing; you just have to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there.

If you are wondering why you should get involved I could go on and on, but a few reasons are that it's one of the easiest and best ways for you to meet people and network. It provides you with life skills outside the classroom and looks great on a resume. It allows you to participate in leadership opportunities and explore your interests. Not to mention, free things like t-shirts and food you can get! Most of all, the most valuable thing you will gain is the priceless memories you will have.  The people you meet can become some of your best friends.  I know it is for me that was the best thing about it for me!

In University Housing, there are several great organizations to get involved in! If you are interested in something similar to student council in high school, we have our Student Housing Administrative Council or SHAC. They plan several great events and work toward making the residence halls meet the needs and wants of students like you! Through SHAC, there are several community councils broken down by where you live. Each Community Council  provide students with the opportunity to get create their college experience in their specific community! These councils are looking for students just like you to get involved!

Are you wondering which community council you belong in?

Do you live in North or West Tower? Check out NorthWest CC

Do you live in South or East Tower or Purin Hall? Check out South East Purin CC

Do you live in RiverView and Cambridge? Check out the South End CC

Community Councils and SHAC are not your only opportunities to get involved in the residence halls. If you are interested in making our halls a much more environmentally friendly facility, you can join the Sustainability Committee and work to plan events and create initiatives for our communities to go GREEN!

There is also the Community Review Board (CRB) which is a student panel who helps make decisions on behavior and policy violations. It is a great way to connect with professional staff and work as part of a peer group.

If you were involved in National Honorary Society in high school, after your first year in the residence hall you have the opportunity to join the top 1% of student leaders in the residence halls: National Residence Hall Honorary or NRHH. This organization focuses on providing leadership and service opportunities while recognizing those who do great things in the residence halls, all while maintaining the value that everyone came here to be a student first! 

If you are looking for some simple ways to get involved outside of these options within the residence halls, there are countless events. These events are held by your Resident Assistant in your community. Take advantage of these events and what they have to offer. Offer to help out planning an event or give feed back on what you would like to see done. In a lot of cases we can make it happen!

Don't forget about all the other organizations you have on campus, getting involved truly is your key to success beyond your academics.  Find what interest you and go for it! You can always check out the Center for Student Involvement for a list of student orgs on campus!

It's My Money, And I Want It NOW!

At my highschool, seniors got a week off of school before graduation.  I didn't have much to do that week other than prepare for UWM.  I went on my PAWS account and looked at my financial aid.  Two words stood out to me: Work/Study.  Here's what the UWM's Career Development Center says about Work/Study:

"Eligibility for workstudy is determined by your level of financial need and the funding available. When applying for financial aid you can express your interest in being considered for workstudy funds. Workstudy allows you to earn money to help pay education expenses and is not counted as income on your financial aid eligibility in future years." 

I was so happy that I was eligible.  The next step for me was to find a job.  ...But, where?  I surfed the web and found these options on campus:

• PantherJobs
• Auxilary Services
• University Housing 
• Office of Undergraduate Research
• UWM's Children's Center
• Department of Enrollment Services
• Klotsche Center
• P.A.S.S.
• School of Continuing Education

Then I got to thinking... Why should I work for the university?

They are flexible! There's a old saying... "In college there are friends, work, and school.  Pick three."  That saying didn't sit well with me.  Although there is alot of truth to that, a job at the university can help you have all three.  Employers at the university know that you are a student first, and also, how easy it is to burn out.  Employers and staff members try to accommodate the needs of their students, so that they can have the best college experience possible.

It's convenient!  You are on campus anyway!  You might as well snag a couple hours in between class.

It pays well!  Sometimes your old high school job just won't cut it.  There are many different positions with many different pay grades.  If you work hard enough and find the right job, paying for college will be a lot easier.

It can help you out with school!  The cool thing about campus jobs is that alot of them are tied back to majors.  Every department offers internships and office positions.  You can even gain experience that will put you a step above the rest when it comes to applying for your first professional job

You meet people!  It's not always about what you know; sometimes it's about who you know.  Knowing where to start on your career path can be difficult.  If you know professionals in your field of study, they can point you in the right direction and give you some inside tips and tricks.

I hope this helps out.  Keep in mind that there are jobs all around campus, you just have to sniff around for them.  Also, an internship may lead to a job.  Be sure to send in your application sooner rather than later!