News Highlights

Tips for new students about decorating, spending free time

Try garage sales, volunteering

Free Press Staff Writer (and former Minnesota State Mankato student) Robb Murray offers suggestions to students about the best texting gadgets, the best sources for creative room decoration, and the best ways to spend free time (volunteer).

2007-08-28
By Robb Murray, Free Press Staff Writer [published in The Free Press, Mankato, MN, 8/28/2007]

Hey you! Yeah, you, the guy straight off the farm some­place southwest of Jackson.

We’re aware of your plight, and we feel for you.

We know it’s tough to show up in such a cosmo­politan city such as Mankato and try to make an academic go of it.

Luckily, we’re willing to help. Everyone needs a little advice now and then. And while we cannot be there to help you when you’re trying to “ just say no,” or when you show up for your first mid-term as unprepared as you were for your ACT, we’d still like to offer you this compli­mentary dose of advice on everything from dorm room decor to gotta-have gadgets.

Consider it a welcome gift from the folks at Currents.

Even if your space is minimal, there are ways to spice it up. Painting the walls is verboten. But a quick stroll through the clearance aisle at any fab­ric store can yield enough yards of color to turn drab into dramatic. Lofting your bed is a given. Just do it. You need the space.

It’s still garage sale season, too. Grab a Home Magazine from the student union and map out a logical route. Before class Friday, hit the sales. Be picky. Think kitsch. Think campy. Think storage. Where a garage saler sees a pair of old tires, you should see a cool way to stack, paint and recycle your way to a groovy chair ... or some­thing. The point is to get creative.

Your generation has made its point loud and clear.

You’d rather send the text message “i luv u” to your mom instead of actually calling her and letting her hear the voice of the child she loves so much she gave the gift of a college education.

However, if you’re going to text, do it in style.

The folks at the CNET Web site — authorities on all things elec­tronic or having to do with the Internet — recommend phones with qwerty keypads (a key layout identical to a typewriter or computer keyboard.) The LG F 9100, CNET says, is the best bet. It is light, compact, and the qwerty keyboard slides out from under the number keypad.

Other models worth your time are the Treo 600 and 650, the T-Mobile Sidekick II, and the Siemens FX66.

Besides the perfect texting phone, you’ll want to have the latest gadgets.

CNET’s got a full list of must haves, but you’d need to come from old money to get them all.

Here’s a solid pair. If you’re lucky, you just might be able to afford one. First is the iPhone, Apple’s insanely popular device that combines its iPod and a cell phone. You have to be an AT&T customer, though, to use it. But there probably isn’t a handheld device in the world with more buzz around than this one.

For gaming, noth­ing is cooler than the Wii. Instead of sit­ting for hours on end in your room playing some obscure role­playing game, you can spend hours on end playing virtual bowling or tennis.

If you only make one decision regard­ing your free time this year at MSU, let it be this: Walk down to the Student Leadership Development and Service Learning office and tell them you need something to occupy your time.

After a few minutes you’re likely to be recruited for the concert or home­coming committee, and signed up for a few volunteer hours with the Campus Kitchens program. Along the way, you may even make a few friends. And the lounge area in front of the office is like a little global village. Students from around the world gather there to study or just hang out.

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