The University of North Dakota requires full-time students to live in their dormitories if they are attending within one year after their high school graduation.  

UND rationalizes this policy through research that indicates dormitory residents have higher grade point averages from freshman to senior years. Additionally, UND cites that there is more to residence life than academics, but that it can teach students the value of volunteering, supporting a worthy cause, or collaborating in a global society. In recent surveys, students were asked to finish the following sentence: “Living on campus has enhanced my ability to…” Over ninety percent of students responded with “live cooperatively” (95%), “improve communication skills” (94%), “solve my own problems” (93%), “respect other races and ethnicities” (93%), and “meet other people” (93%). 

However, that does not mean dorm living does not come without its challenges. I, among one of UND’s largest freshmen classes, have been faced with the learning curve that is living more independently. However, I would like to share some solutions I found to some potential common problems. 

My dorm resides in West Hall, and within West Hall, there are four washers and dryers that I share with about 125 people who live on my floor. With that in mind, cleaning a load of laundry can be competitive.  

To save time by not waiting for a washer and dryer to become available, I will try to avoid doing laundry during busy hours. I have found that weekday mornings and afternoons when students have classes is an opportune time. 

Also, if you wait ten minutes, do not feel guilty about taking someone’s laundry out of the washer or dryer. A washer or dryer should not be occupied with dormant laundry for too long as they are shared with so many people. However, if you’re taking someone’s clothes out of the washer, I would say try to place them in the dryer if one is available, but I have not been faced with that problem yet.  

If you happen to be in a situation where you must do laundry during a busy time, I recommend taking note when someone places their clothes in a washer or dryer to know when to come back to see if one is available, or asking someone if they can use a machine after them. 

Another struggle of sharing a building with 500 people is that there is usually a constant stream of noise. So, when I moved into the dorms, getting enough sleep was a challenge. However, a way to make this easier is to exhaust yourself before going to bed. For example, walking, running, or doing some form of exercise. Another way to make this easier is to take melatonin or similar supplements to aid sleep.  

These practices have helped me get enough rest. Good luck the rest of the semester! 

Dylan Campbell is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].