|
Off-campus winters require extra
effort
By Jodi
Westrick
Collegian Reporter
New fallen
snow, registration and costly bookstore trips weren't the only
things welcoming students back to Hillsdale last week. High
energy bills, cold temperatures and new "friends"
welcomed students to their off-campus houses as well.
For senior
Katie Bradley and her two roommates, costly utility bills were
surprising. Before leaving, Bradley turned the heat down to
55 degrees in her West Street house to lower the cost while
she and her roommates were gone.
Despite
taking this measure, Bradley came back to find a bill for $225-nearly
$100 more than they usually pay.
"The
bill started on Dec. 1, so we were here for half of the statement,"
Bradley said. "But we weren't even here for the other two
and a half weeks. We're keeping the heat low because who knows
what the bill will be like when we are here and actually using
the heat."
For senior
Raeleen Kasinec and her roommates Cheryl Heitzman and Jessica
Mitsch, heat wasn't the only problem they were facing at their
Manning Street house.
While
the roommates were gone, some unexpected guests made themselves
at home.
"On
Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of rustling in my closet,"
Kasinec said. "I finally mustered up the courage after
lying in bed and praying that [the noise] would stop to go to
my closet and look. All I saw was mouse droppings and then this
little brown mass of fur run to the back of my closet."
After
buying traditional traps, poison and sticky pad traps, Kasinec
and Mitsch set them up around Kasinec's closet.
The mice
moved quickly, eating through three bags of oriental trail mix
and a granola bar. They also made a mess of Kasinec's closet,
leaving droppings in shoes, on shelves and on clothing.
"I
went to check on my closet a few minutes [after setting the
traps] and I saw this little brown mouse stick its head out
of the hole," Kasinec said. "I screamed like any girl
would and ran out of my room."
Kasinec
and her roommates have found nine mice so far. The girls have
tried to handle the situation as humanely as possible, but are
becoming fed up with the problem.
In addition
to the mice, Kasinec and her roommates had trouble with their
furnace.
The air
filter in their furnace became clogged and caused it to overheat.
Despite the problem, the girls' landlord called a repairman
who had the problem fixed quickly.
"Our
landlord has been extremely helpful," Heitzman said. "She's
always been punctual with any problems we've had."
Despite
these problems, many of the students who live off campus wouldn't
trade their experiences for dorm life again.
"I
really enjoy having my own space," Kasinec said. "My
roommates and I have all gotten closer and are really enjoying
all of the stories we are racking up."
|
