Around 300 students packed Graham Chapel this past Tuesday to listen to stories of horror, heartbreak, and resilience from former Israeli hostage Eliya Cohen and his fiance and Nova Music Festival-survivor, Ziv Abud. Their accounts detailed the strength it took to endure unimaginable loss and trauma while also highlighting the importance of honoring the courage of others. 

Yes, you signed your roommate agreements when you were still civil — pretending to be nice, polite, and far too gracious. Back then, you hadn’t been jolted awake by your roommate stumbling in at 2 a.m. or learned to press your ears flat to stifle their unique snores.

For many of us, college is our first time living with a roommate. Contrary to popular belief, you and your roommate don’t need to be the best of friends.

As much as we love our mothers and the internet, when it comes to packing for college, they sometimes lead us astray. So, if you’re unsure what to pack and who to trust, look no further! Luckily, the two of us (Nicole and Eliza) are still in college and know a thing or two regarding college life in the 21st century.

Blank walls, grey carpet, generic furniture — the default dorm room. Even after unpacking and arranging everything you have, your room still feels a little sterile. What can you do to make your room match your inner aesthetic a little more? How do you make it “you”?

Living with other people can be many things — it can be the best part of college, or it can feel like a social experiment where you’re constantly being rage-baited. Regardless, you don’t have to feel like you’re living with a bunch of strangers. Whether you’re bonding with your suitemates for the first time or trying to procrastinate on your next assignment, here are five fun activities to do together.

So you found your dream apartment. It’s close to campus, pest-free, and everything seems intact. Just one thing … it comes completely unfurnished. Nobody wants to live in an empty box, so, what do you do? Don’t panic: furnishing is simply a matter of patience and procurement.

Takeout and half-and-halfs can only sustain a person for so long before one must venture into the kitchen and cook their own food. These recipes have something for all skill levels — people who have yet to venture into their dorm kitchens, the Dauten kitchen regulars, and even microwave-friendly options for those who really don’t want to leave their room on a rainy Sunday morning.

Planning suite decor might be the least of your concerns right now, but what better way to procrastinate housing than scrolling through dorm room aesthetics on Pinterest and adding decor to your Amazon wishlist, or stalking the Instagrams of your favorite upperclassman to see pictures of how their suites came to life? But in the spirit of staying organized, I’ve got you covered with a one-stop shop for all the essentials for a chic and cozy-looking common space that will transform your suite into everyone’s favorite hangout spot. 

The humble unbranded cookbook shivers in the corners of shelves in this forsaken place. A horde of branded cookbooks have taken its place — all themed around TV shows, movies, books, video games, and famous musicians.