2003 Miracle Yearbook

< Deborah Berruti and Heather Roth take advantage of laundry time by hanging out together. So that's what study lounges are for!!! Women's Residential Life "Home"is that place across the country or on the other side ofthe world,and it's hard to replace. Still,residence halls provide a welcoming environment,a haven,a network offriendships that will lastfor a lifetime."I really love all the girls in my unit. I feel like I know them better than mostofmyfriends in high school,and they are always there for me when I need something,"said freshman Joanna Hinks. The dorm is a place to share laughter over a game ofEuchre or a bag ofalmost- burned microwave popcorn. It's also a place to share tears after the boyfriend calls from California to break up and the 18 credit hours are weighing heavy and the keys are lost and that ten-page paper is due tomorrow morning at eight. The experiences are unforgettable: moving in and wondering where it's all going to fit; singing"Amazing Grace"just before flushing the deceased pet goldfish; playing Twister at midnight; and learning that, yes, you do have to separate whites from darks in the laundry. Sophomore Elizabeth Stahl remembers her conservative roommate trying to freestyle rap to cheer her up."Or another hilarious memory was when the toilet overflowed—but that wasfunny after the fact, not while toilet water wasflooding ourroom,"Stahl said. Resident Assistants help to build unity with weekly hall or unit meetings that usually involve food and always include prayer. "I think praying together in the dorm helps us to be accountable,"sophomore Emily Thompson said. "It also brings us closer, opening up enough to talk to God together." The laughter and tears, encouragement and prayers—they combine,and slowly residence halls take on a different light. It's notjust"the dorm"; it's another home. < Every girl has different interests. Here, for example, the phone or .1.1.Packer. STUDENT LIFE 185