Residence Hall Life: Daum Hall

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Welcome back, everyone!!

Today I will be talking about life in the Honors dorm, Daum Hall. Not only do we have the biggest rooms on campus, but it is attached to the Blank Honors Center, which contains classrooms, study areas, a computer lab, and Honors Program activities.

Daum is co-ed, which is fun having girls and guys on the same floor since we all just hang out and study together. The bathrooms are separated, each locked room containing a sink, toilet, and shower. There are enough that I am never waiting for one to open up, and they are cleaned multiple times a week.

The lounges on each floor are very nice, with whiteboards, tables, and comfy seats. My RA is also super friendly and hosts lots of fun activities like game and movie nights. The Honors Program hosts lots of events like late-night study sessions and we had a Knives Out movie night. On Halloween, there was even trick-or-treating! Daum even has events in our basement lounge space like a Legally Blonde movie night and foosball. The laundry rooms are conveniently there, too.

Daum is also right on the East side of campus, close to most classrooms and the town of Iowa City as well, which limits walking time by a ton. Burge and Catlett dining halls are right there as well, and Fitness East is a five-minute walk.

I highly recommend putting up lights or having lamps to light the place a bit, I find the dorm light to be too bright. My roommate and I got cubbies for our desks to put books since we are readers, it makes it so cozy in here.

We also have a large closet taking up a wall, and there is plenty of room for our things. We also have a sink in our room which is nice.

You can bring your own fridge and microwave or rent them from the University.

We have low beds, but many loft theirs! I also recommend having a rug to cover the floor and a coat hanger for jackets and umbrellas.

Decorate your walls too! Have photos, wall art, artwork, flags, maps, whatever fits your personality.

 

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Finals Week at Iowa

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Hello Everyone!

I am going to do a quick recap of my first finals week experience!

The university offered a variety of events to help reduce the stress of finals, such as pancakes, therapy dogs, massages, and lots of free food! I went to see the therapy dogs and they were adorable!! Here is a photo of me with one:

I only had one actual exam, but the rest were oral exams, projects, and essay portfolios since I’m an English major. I spent a lot of time studying for my Natural Disasters exam and it went well!

I left a bit early since my exam was on Wednesday, so my roommate and I watched Merlin as a reward for completing our first semester! I left for the airport the next day.

There is a lot to remember regarding the residence hall requirements for winter break since we will all be gone for a month, so make sure to check off the list they give you!

Have a great winter break everyone!

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Iowa Aspirations for the New Year!

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Hello everyone!

Here are my university-related goals for the shiny year!

  1. Work out and take fitness classes at the awesome Rec
  2. Catch all the women’s basketball home games
  3. Watch a track and field meet and gymnastics competitions
  4. Work hard in my classes
  5. Get an internship
  6. Possibly study abroad
  7. Get an on-campus job
  8. Work for a literary magazine
  9. Get published
  10. Read more
  11. Find new study spots
  12. Make many more memories as a Hawkeye!

Happy New Year!!

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Fall Break in Arizona – Life Off-Campus

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Hey everyone! I’m back again, but halfway across the country in my hometown of Chandler, Arizona!

I got to spend fall break in seventy-degree weather and sunshine, while Iowa steadily dropped in temperature and got some snow. I thoroughly enjoyed my week off and reconnected with my family and dogs, who I haven’t seen since August!

I also caught up with friends back at home! We went to our favorite coffee shop Dutch Bros – highly recommend it! Pictured is my friend Grace, who goes to a rival school Penn State.

I baked chocolate chip cookies because I miss having an oven, and prepared Thanksgiving Day food – brown sugar sweet potatoes are my favorite.

However, with finals looming around the corner, I spent some time working on projects, like my podcast project for rhetoric.

I watched Home Alone, slept in, read The Secret History, got Olive Garden with some friends, and went running outside! I cannot wait for winter break.

Good luck with finals, everyone!!

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Iowa vs. FDU Basketball

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Hello everyone!

I attended the first women’s basketball game of the season Monday night against FDU. I was lucky and got court-side seats, thanks to Hawks Nest. Seeing all the plays up close was great, especially when Molly Davis made the buzzer-beater! Caitlin Clark is a phenomenal player and I can’t believe I get to attend Iowa at the same time as her and watch the team play.

It was nearly full at Carver Hawkeye Arena and the energy was insane. The cheers were fun, the pep band was awesome, and we won!

Try a Carver ice cream cone when you go. Season tickets are sold out but student ones are still available. Let’s continue to support all women’s sports! You can catch the games on TV as well.

 

Bye for now!

-Solenn

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Ink Lit Mag: A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to Working at a Campus Literary Magazine!

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Hello all!

I am going to talk about one of the student organizations on campus – a literary magazine! There are multiple lit magazines on campus, but Ink Lit is the only magazine run and written by first-year students.

I am the editor-in-chief for the fall semester and for Issue 25. This is my first time having experience in a magazine outside of being published in some in high school. Since I am a Creative Writing major, it is a great way to gain experience and see if working in publishing is the right fit for me.

While submissions are currently closed, they will reopen in the spring and so will staff applications! I cannot recommend enough submitting to or working in Ink Lit.

Here is what it is like:

When submissions were open, the editors and executive board (editor-in-chief, managing editor, publisher, and assistant publisher) helped promote the magazine.

Once submissions closed, we had a reading period to automatically reject and accept pieces. Afterward, we debated pieces that fell in between those two categories at a big meeting. After that, our typesetter created a proof of the magazine and then proofreading began! After, we send the manuscript to the publisher and await the printed final copy. I also wrote a letter from the editor.

There will be a release party in the spring, all are welcome!

Ink Lit accepts poetry, fiction, art/photography, drama, and nonfiction!

You can also follow them on Instagram and Twitter @inklitmag

I am also part of the Broken Clock and Translate Iowa, two other great magazines!

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Crossover at Kinnick!!

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Hey all!

I went to Crossover at Kinnick yesterday, the preseason exhibition game for the women’s basketball team held at Kinnick!

I got there early so I could have great seats and I lucked out. We broke the record for the most attendants at a women’s basketball game with 55,646 attendees. We made HERstory yesterday and I was so proud to be there to witness it as a former student-athlete. Support for women’s sports is important y’all. Let’s crowd Carver and some of the other events this coming semester!

There are a couple other exhibition games coming up, so be sure to go!!

Bye for now,

Solenn

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Homecoming Week!!

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Hello all!

It is officially Homecoming week and here is a recap of a few of the events I attended!

The parade on Friday was so much fun! It went from being 80 degrees the day before to being 50 but I bundled up and braved the cold. Lots of university departments and different businesses local to Iowa City participated. Our very own basketball and wrestling stars Caitlin Clark and Spencer Lee were this year’s Grand Marshals!

After the parade, I caught the interview with Clark, Mark Shapiro, and Stephen A Smith! The Swae Lee concert followed shortly after.

Saturday was the game against Purdue and man it was crazy! There were lots of plays under review and we were getting very frustrated with the referees. The alumni marching band and some other former athletes and students came out to celebrate! We came out with a 20-14 victory.

Before the game, I checked out the Hawkeye Marching Band Pre-Game show and it was really neat to see some of the songs and tricks that were in the performance!

Finally, the famous Corn Monument is up on the Old Cap hill for all to enjoy!

Happy homecoming Hawkeyes!

 

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Kinnick Tour with the Hawks Nest!

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Hey y’all! As I head into my first midterm week I’ve got a lot on my plate. Good luck studying, and for you future freshmen, it is not as bad as it seems.

I had the opportunity this week to go on a tour of Kinnick with the Hawks Nest team. The Hawks Nest is only the best student section in the Big Ten, and they have so many awesome opportunities for members! We get exclusive events, tickets, and a tour of Kinnick.

 

The craziest thing of all was @gfed, a TikToker known for visiting football stadiums, got to come out and speak to us! He filmed a TikTok with us in it and took a group photo. So keep an eye out on his socials!

As football season continues, good luck Hawkeyes!!

Bye for now,

Solenn

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First Football Game!

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Hello all once again!

These past couple weeks the football season has gotten into full swing once again. I attended the Utah State game, which was my first Hawkeye football game ever. The energy was insane! Everyone was cheering and participating in the fight songs. When I did The Wave for the first time, it was the most magical moment ever. We love ya, UI Children’s!

We won, which was a great start to the season. There is so much to do on game day, lots of people had tailgating (plenty of non-alcoholic ones!).

This past weekend was THE game, the Cy-Hawk showdown. I didn’t go, but plenty of Hawkeyes did represent! I hosted a watch party in my dorm and we had a blast. I’m so glad we won this year! It’s shaping up to be a great season.

For those interested in the games: You can get tickets via Facebook groups, and remember the clear bag policy and stay hydrated!! Keep that pregaming to a minimum.

Until next time!

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