Open Door Living Policy.

Tip of the Post:

If you live in residence, keep your door open! Here are the top 7 reasons why:

1) You’ll make more friends. When people walk by my room (which is semi-rare, I live near the end of my hallway) and see that my door is open, 9 times out of 10 they will make eye contact, nod, and say “hey”. And sometimes they stop by for a quick chat. Or a long chat.

2) It will affirm your exsistence. The vast majority of students who are living in residence (and I’m estimating this majority to be along the lines of 99.99%) are used to living in a family unit. You don’t need to feel isolated in the residence community! When I have my door open, I feel comforted by the fact that I’m surrounded by so many people. Your floor is your new family – treat it as such, or at least make an effort to.

3) It makes your room look bigger. The whole 8 x 10 thing not working for you? OPEN THAT DOOR! Living in KU, the doors are indented about two feet from the hallway. With an open door, you get the illusion that your room is two feet longer (which, incidentally, is a 20% increase. That’s quite a lot).

4) It makes your room brighter. I have three light sources in my room: my desk lamp, my window, and my overhead light. With the dark winter months descending upon Vancouver, my window is a useful source until about 3:00 in the afternoon. And my overhead? What a joke. I think one of the bulbs is out. Either that, or all the dead moths in the bowl are blocking the light *shudder*. That leaves my desk lamp, which isn’t enough alone. Thankfully (and ironically) enough, I have an incredibly bright, double-bulbed fluorescent light outside my door. It makes a huge difference.

5) It gives you a reason to keep your room tidy. I am by no means a tidy person. If I can do it, so can you. You just need incentive.

6) You get to add personality to your floor. Got a wickedly decorated room? Show it off! Residence can be pretty bland – any decoration visible from the hallways adds a homey feel to the entire floor.

7) Maybe, just maybe, other people will follow your lead. Can you imagine how fun residence would be if everyone had their doors open? Of course, it’s not necessary all the time (like if you’re nakie – save us that aspect). But the sense of community and comradery would definitely improve. Think about it.

Most of us will only live in residence for one year. What sort of community do you want to remember?

Love,

Lindsay