Summer is coming to a blazing end. Literally it's been so hot my lady bits have melted off. With the end of summer comes so many things in Tuscaloosa, AL. It marks the arrival of football season, the begin of my LAST year at UA, and the mass influx of students either returning or moving here for their first time. To the upperclassmen, you have an idea of what you're doing. Today I'm talking to our incoming freshmen should they have already found the CQ.

I remember that first day on campus. My mother came along to get me in the door. My two best friends were there the entire weekend because they didn't want to leave me. And I got so amazingly wasted off Captain Morgan that I now reserve Captain + Coke as my true party drink. It's not a thing anyone can really prepare you for, but here are a few tips and tweets for moving to campus that should get you on your way.
 

1. You're going to need to go shopping. Of course you're going to need essentials like garbage bins, cleaning materials, poptarts, whatever. If you can avoid it, do not go to Target on the first weekend. Dear Gaga, the lines go around the entire store and it is a madhouse. Figure out what your moving plan is and how much room in the car you have to spare. Don't let the excitement get the best of you. Those lines can suck it.


2. Be careful if you drink in your dorm. Figure out if your RA and your roommates are cool first. Some RAs are just douchebags who think their sole job is to enforce morality and academic aptitude in their dorm. They are douches. Don't allow beer cans or liquor bottles to stack up anywhere in the common areas. Keep them hidden. Keep your door locked and always inspect the peephole before opening. Loud music will bring them to you faster so monitor how loud Lady Gaga is. And if you don't recognize someone at the door, immediately have everyone store their drinks either in a bathroom area or locked in someone's room.



3. Beware of the gimmicks. UA is full of them. There are several events that are apart of Week of Welcome and the rest of you college career that you should do, but more often than not they are just stupid. Don't let them put stars in your eyes with a DJ and free shirts. But by all means go and see what I mean.

4. Meeting your roommates if you did random assignment is awkward. Establish communication with them, go eat at Lakeside or the Ferg together. But I warn you to not make them your immediate friend base that you do everything with. You will eventually not like at least one or all of them. And if you are closeted, be careful how you interact with them. Don't allow yourself to be even more in the closet than you already were. This is a time for growth.


5. Design. Bring some life to that communist cubicle of a dorm. Get a tension rod and some curtains at Targeet. IKEA has great, cheap decorative pieces to liven up the space. Those walls need lots of love too. Artwork is necessary and readily available. Be sure to get those Command Hooks. And if nothing else, by all means you must get alternative lighting in there! GET LIGHTING! Those fluorescent lights will drive you to the brink of insanity. Get a lamp or two (once again IKEA is a great stop for that) with some low watt bulbs (15-45) to bring some softer lighting to your space.

 Now that doesn't nearly cover it. That's just all I care to spend my time on. The rest is all discovery. Life on campus can be nothing short of incredible. My life changed forever since I first stepped into Lakeside West three years ago. Yours will too, wherever you are placed. Welcome to the University of Alabama.

Over and Out,
CampusQueer