Tips and Tricks to Stay Warm!

Hello my fellow panthers,

It's that time of the year again where Wisconsin likes to remind us how freezing it likes to get! While the snow can be beautiful, UWM's location next to Lake Michigan can make the weather a little ominous at times. Here are some tip and tricks to stay warm!


Take the Shuttle or B.O.S.S.!

If you live in either Cambridge Commons or RiverView and take the University Housing Shuttle to class, wait inside our warm lobbies in our residence halls so you don't freeze outside!! Also if you have a smart phone download our UWM mobile app to track our shuttles individual so you can see exactly how far away they are from you!

If you need to get somewhere off campus between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m., feel free to call Be On the Safe Side (B.O.S.S.) This free taxi like service for Panthers will take you anywhere with in a two mile radius of north and south campus.

Adjust the Heat in Your Suite!

In all of our residence halls you can adjust your heat in your rooms. If for some reason your heat is not working the way it needs to, fill out a work order. Our maintenance staff is friendly, fast, and efficient!

Grab some Hot Chocolate or Hot Apple Cider!

The Restor's across campus offer a 12 ounce cup of coffee for only $1.91 including tax! They also have a lot of options for other hot beverages, premade soups, and microwave goodies to keep your tongue and temperament warm.

Although the Grind in Sandburg is closed for the Winterim, the Student Union location is definitely open and another option for you to stop by and pick up a hot cup of coffee, cider or coco. Once semester starts on Jan. 26 all locations will be buzzing with people getting their caffeine fixes and warmy goodness.

Cozy Up in Your House Lounge!

Every house in University Housing has a common space lounge with comfy couches and TV where you, your friends, and those unknown housemates can curl up in blankets for duel bonding and staying warm time.

The Student Union's fireside lounge also offers a good daytime place for some R&R with the heat of a classic fireplace.

Hope this helps and your winter months can be comfortable despite the sometimes brutal nature of a Wisconsin Winter.

Valarie & Kenlei

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

Move out Information

Happy May Panthers!! 

As the semester quickly comes to an end, it is time to start thinking about moving out of the residence halls and enjoying your summer vacation!! Your RA will be your guide to the move out process. I have posted some tips and tricks to make moving out an easy and breezy process for you all. 

UWM residence halls will close on May 17th, 2014 at 6pm! Residents are asked to depart 24 hours after their last final exam but no later than May 17th at 6pm. If you need to stay longer please fill out a late departure request form and turn it into the housing office.

My first trick and tip for you all is make sure you do the following three things to avoid an improper checkout charge! 

• Sign up for a checkout appointment with your RA on signup.com
• Show up on-time for your checkout appointment with your RA
• Checkout with an RA

Below are some more tips for the move out process!!

1. Pack up all items. We encourage you to start packing up prior to finals as that week can be stressful. Also, due to limited parking and supplies during move out it is often easier to move small loads home prior to move out.

2. If you have a loft, disassemble it and store it under your bed. The room should be returned to the same condition and arrangement it was in when you moved in.

3. Remove all items from your walls. Remove any tape, poster putty, etc. from walls and wash the marks off the walls. All spills/splashes must be wiped off walls, ceilings, heating units.

4. Clean and dust all furniture surfaces, including:

• Closet shelves
• Bookshelves
• Outlet covers
• Drawers in desk and dressers
• Windows: sill, panes, tracks
• Bed frame
• Under the bed
• Blinds
• Heating and A/C units
• Kitchen and bathroom cabinets
• Fridge and Freezer (top and inside)

6. Wash out waste baskets and place them on top of your desk. Clean all common areas of your suite. Empty out all kitchen and bathroom cabinets.  Clean the toilet bowl and walls in the bathroom area. Clean out fridge and freezer, and stove top. Wash out kitchen trash can and place on top of kitchen table if applicable.

7. Sweep and clean tile floors. Please do not sweep debris into hallways or stairwells. Vacuum all carpeted areas within the suite. When vacuuming, you are responsible for the 4-foot area (left and right) outside your suite.

8. Donate unopened non-perishable food items, clothing and small appliances.

9. Clean out your mailbox and update your forwarding address information on the myhousing portal prior to check out.

10. Submit any necessary work orders for all damages or repairs needed in your room or suite at www.fixit.uwm.edu

11. Close your blinds and windows. Turn off lights and lock your room and suite door. Return your keys and of course enjoy your summer! :)

Finally, I am sure a lot of you are wondering what happens to all that left over money from your meal plan at the end of the semester! 

If you do not have an outstanding balance or end of year charge, your meal plan funds will be refunded to you, minus a $10 administrative fee. Refunds are provided in the same fashion as your payment was made. Refunds typically take up to 45 days after closing. If you have charges owed on your PAWS account, your refund would first be applied to those charges.

Just a reminder that 24 hour quiet hours are in effect starting Thursday, May 8th at 10pm until Saturday, May 17th at noon!

Good luck on all your finals and we hope you all have a great summer,

Haley

Fall Welcome and New Classes!

Happy Friday!

As fall welcome comes to an end, I know I have personally had a blast going to various fall welcome events!! Don't forget there are still a ton of ways to keep getting involved in and around UWM. UWM has absolutely amazing centers and offices that can help you academically and socially!  Some of my favorite offices around campus include The Center for Student Involvement which offers a whole list of available student organizations you can become apart of. Another great office is The Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership and Research, which includes volunteering opportunities around the UWM campus. The Office of Undergraduate Research can help you find various research opportunities around campus and The Recreation Center can match you up with different sports clubs! These offices are great starts to kicking off your school year and hopefully keeping you very busy during all of your down time! As classes continue, remember all of the resources available to you to help you academically excel. PASS tutoring, The Writing Center, Mentors, professor office hours, and of course your RA! All of these people can help make your year at UWM the most successful it can be. As always if you have any questions about anything please feel free to ask below!! I know it's only three weeks into the semester but don't forget to get involved!!

Haley


 

Do Some Research About Undergraduate Research!

Good Morning! 

One of the primary reasons I chose UWM, was the exceptional opportunity to be apart of undergraduate research. Throughout my undergraduate years at UWM, I will have the privilege to participate in two full years of undergraduate research. The first undergraduate research I participated in was applied undergraduate research through The Center of Urban Initiatives and Research and Zibler School of Public Health. I worked along side a nonprofit organization on a project called Youth Chef Academy. We went into local, urban Milwaukee public schools and taught students a plant based cooking program. Throughout my year working on this project, I researched the the obesity and malnutrition issues surrounding the youth in Milwaukee and implicated programs to decrease these increasing rates. Upon completion of my research, I was able to present my findings at the WPHA Annual Conference and the Undergraduate Research Symposium. My undergraduate research, allowed me to directly see how research can affect and influence the surrounding Milwaukee area in a positive way!!

The second undergraduate research I am able to participate in will take place my upcoming senior year! I will be working in a neurobiology lab doing genetic research on the genetic mutations of the CABIN1 gene in mice and zebra fish! Working in undergraduate research has allowed me to find a passion for the way molecular biology can intertwine with cutting edge research. There are plenty of opportunities to work with faculty on their research in a variety of departments. If you are interested in undergraduate research or want more specific information, check out The Office of Undergraduate Research. As always if you have any further questions about undergraduate research, please feel free to ask in the comments below!

Have an awesome day,

Haley 

How to decode room assignments!

Good Afternoon New Panthers,

                As summer quickly passes through and you all continue to receive your room assignments, I am sure you are wondering how to actually decode them! Once you log onto your myhousing@uwm account, scroll to the bottom of the screen.  Under the “2014-2015 Residence Hall Academic Year Contract“ heading, you should see a blue link with letters and numbers. This blue link is your assignment and if you click on that link, it will bring up a new page with your roommates and suitemates names. The person with the exact same room letter as you is your roommate and those listed with different room numbers are your suitemates.

          Room assignments for Sandburg residents would look something like this “N2310A”. The letter N could be replaced with S, W or E just depending on the tower you were assigned to. The first two numbers would tell you what floor in Sandburg your room is on. For “N2310A”, the assigned room would be located on the 23^rd floor of north tower. The third and fourth numbers tell you what suite you were assigned. For “N2310A”, the assigned suite is 10 on the 23^rd floor of north tower. Finally the letter at the end of your assignment is your assigned room. For “N2310A”, the assigned room is room A in suite 10 on the 23^rd floor in North tower.  If you were assigned to Sandburg, your room assignment should be similar for all of the towers.

          Room assignments for Cambridge Commons residents would look something like “CC232B”. The CC in your room assignment lets you know that you were placed in Cambridge Commons. For “CC232B”, the numbers tell you what suite you are assigned to. These numbers also dictate what floor in Cambridge your room is on. For “CC232B”, your assigned room is on the 2nd  floor in suite 232. Finally, the letter at the end of your assignment is your assigned room. For “CC232B”, your assigned room would be B in suite 232 on the 2nd floor of Cambridge Commons.

          Room assignments for RiverView residents would look something like “RV308A”.  The RV in your room assignments lets you know that you were placed in RiverView. For “RV308A”, the numbers tell you what suite you are assigned to. These numbers also dictate what floor in RiverView your room is on. For “RV308A”, your assigned room is on the 3rd floor in suite 308. Finally, the letter at the end of your assignment is your assigned room. For “RV308A”, your assigned room is the A room in suite 308 on the 3rd floor of RiverView.

After you receive your room assignment, check out furniture measurements here, or recaps of Sandburg, RiverView  and Cambridge. Finally, you can also check out specific room dimensions of Sandburg, RiverView and Cambridge!  

Hope this helps and if you have any questions about room assignments please call the University Housing office or ask in the comments below!

Have a Pantheriffic day,
Haley

Exercise on Campus!

In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is important to incorporate exercise into your routine. There are benefits for exercising now and in the future. Starting the habit of exercising now makes it easier to continue the habit later in life. 

I've come up with 5 top reasons why it is important for college students to exercise.

1. It helps control weight
• A change in diet, daily schedule, or just overall environment can make your body react in strange ways. Stress is another huge component that can make your weight fluctuate.
2. Improves your mood
• When you exercise your body produces endorphins, which make you happy. If you are mad at someone or stressed about a class, take a 30 minute walk. You can listen to music or call your mom, but whatever you do...get moving. It'll make you feel better.
3. Boosts Energy
•  It seems like you would be super tired after exercising and it's true, you probably will be. But once it becomes part of your routine you'll realize that you have more energy. 
4. You'll start sleeping better
• Probably because you're so tired from exercising right? Nope (well, sometimes). The healthier your body is, the easier it is to relax. 
5. It's just fun
• Personally running 5 miles is never something that has appealed to me or sounded like fun, but the first time I ran 5 miles was incredibly satisfying. In order to qualify as "fun" I take Zumba or exercise with a friend. Some people can read while running on the elliptical.You can make it fun for you and sometimes even be productive. 

Working out on and around campus is really easy. The Klotsche Center and Pavilion is open most of the year and has convenient hours. It has everything including a weight room, track, basketball/volleyball courts, a pool, racquet ball, and classrooms. The classrooms hold group exercise classes. There are GroupX classes like Zumba, Guts and Butts, Group Cycle, Kickboxing, and many more. All of those classes are free as long as you are a full time student.

The Klotsche Center also coordinates Intramural Sports. If you played a sport in high school and want to continue, this is a great way to do that. You can form a team with your friends or use it as a way to meet people. All the information about Intramural Teams can be found on the Klotsche website.

If you don't know how to get started when it comes to exercising or you need some personalized help, Klotsche has personal trainers. They will work with you to come up with a program that is best for you. I can say from personal experience that this is an amazing resource to use.

UWM also offers classes called Sport and Rec classes, which are one or two credit courses that only last half of the semester. Those classes range from rappelling to organic cooking, flower arrangement to outdoor survival, tango to bowling. It's a great way to have fun, earn credit and get exercise into your daily routine.

If you are living in any of the Residence Halls you'll have access to a small exercise room. They aren't as extensive as the Klotsche Center, but if you just want to run on the treadmill or lift some weights it's really nice not to have to leave your building. Make sure you check those out once you move in.

All around Milwaukee are different biking, walking, and running trails. This is a great way to get moving outside and see a lot of different parts of Milwaukee. Here is a website that had different routes planned out http://www.walkjogrun.net/running-routes/USA/WI/Milwaukee.

Exercise is a huge key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There are many benefits, mentally and physically, so remember that when debating whether or not to go to the gym. Exercise is beneficial now and later on in your life.

Healthy Eating at and around UWM

Earlier I wrote about maintaining a healthy lifestyle when coming to college. If I would have to say the top three things to focus on when having a healthy lifestyle are:

1. Food
2. Exercise
3. Maintaining Habits

I'll be writing on the other two in the next couple of weeks, because they are all equally important.

End of the Summer

Is summer really ending? It doesn't feel like it. Walking around today felt like swimming through a warm pool of invisible water. It was a pretty nice feeling getting back into Riverview after a few trips out. Good news for me, I'm pretty sure I'm over whatever illness I had that left me completely hunger-less the last three days. After waking up feeling like my stomach was scraping against my insides I felt that pit in my stomach that is hunger. Got out of bed, walked down to the lounge and made some soup. At the same time I managed to meet someone new that shared some similar interests as me. We talked about music and a little bit about ourselves. It's always nice to meet new people.

So after hanging out in the lounge I headed back to my room and decided to see if I could get my mailbox open. One of the guys in the other room in my suite was going down at the same time, so we double teamed it and both got our mailboxes opened, after discovering a mutual interest of the band of Montreal. I collected what was in my mailbox. It was all fliers for campus stuff and an invitation to join a frat, not interested. I put my stuff upstairs and headed over to the Pick n Save to pick up some milk and Toasted Corn, basically Roundy's generic Chex Mix. I have one problem with that place, they only ever have two lanes open and there's no fast lane or self-checkout. Those are two things that I've personally gotten used to being in supermarkets. I haven't seen one in the States without one in years, it's crazy because they don't have them in Canada. The problem was remedied with the announcement that the service counter could be used for customers with 10 items or less.

Anyways, I took my cereal and milk back to my room and stashed the milk in the fridge and relaxed for a bit. I decided to head up North Avenue, away from Cambridge, to take a look at the neighborhood up behind Riverview. It's pretty nice in my opinion. It's nice a shady thanks to all the trees and the sidewalks are in good condition. After walking around for about an hour I went back up to my room to escape the heat. With the room set to a bone chilling 66 degrees you better believe I cooled off fast.

A few hours later I headed down to the dining hall for my first experience of university food with the guys from my suite. I decided to go with the cheeseburger and a chocolate milk. Man it was just like I was back in elementary school, only the burger and milk were bigger. Oh, and the burger didn't taste like an old shoe. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was compared to my preconceived notions. Tomorrow I think I'll dive into something different, who knows what.

Also, a bit late for this tip but I feel it's a pretty good one. If you're anything like me, you love music. I have a lot of music at home on my family's desktop that I couldn't possibly fit onto my laptop. I personally use the online website Last.fm on my laptop to listen to my music. Basically the way it works is you sign up for an account and it records, or as they say scrobbles, what you listen to on your account. You can either listen to your own music off of your computer or their internet radio. Right now thanks to this amazing application I'm listening to William Shatner's cover of Common People. Fun fact, the Milwaukee Ballet made an entire show based off of the music off of his album Has Been. You can find all sorts of new music, good and bad, by using this. With a download of their widget you can listen to your music, so long as you've scrobbled it, on your computer without having to keep it on your computer, and don't worry, it's completely legal.

Until next time, this is Ryan.

Packing & Moving Out

I hear a lot from people about how hard it is packing the things you need, I couldn't find it anything but the opposite. I managed to get together 3/4ths of my things today. The only thing left for me to do is laundry and get all that packed in. I've learned from this situation that what I've heard is mostly sensationalism. Here's some helpful tips to live by:

1. Take what you need, because you can always con your parents into bringing it down, or worst case scenario, shipping it to you.
2. Too many knick-knacks are annoying.
3. Your roommate might not want to stare at a giant poster of the Jonas Brothers, so get ready for some hassling. My roommate is lucky, I've only got a giant poster of Bill Cosby. That's a fact, I'll prove it after I move in.
4. Don't waste your last few days in town, if you're moving. Use it wisely.
5. Create lasting moments with friends and family (See the attached video.)
6. Skype is an incredible thing. My girlfriend and I have been using it for the last 2 or 3 years.
7. Stay hygenic.

I feel that this post was really unstructured and more of a non-coherent rambling than anything. Well I suppose that's how I am. I'll give another shout out after I move in with the deets on Riverview.



Keep on Rocking in the Free World.