Fun and Interesting
 Campus Buildings—A Geologist's View
A brief
campus tour, created by the
Department of Geology, includes discussion of the stonework in
several campus buildings.
Media History
This quirky site, hosted by the School of Journalism and Mass Communications,
includes a fun
and informative timeline of media-related events
from prehistoric times to the present.
 A
Summons to Comradeship
Two of the most significant collections in the world of posters
from World War I and World War II are located in Minneapolis. The
University Libraries
owns an impressive six thousand items. The collection contains
posters from government, commercial, and charitable organizations.
 Annual
Cereal Survey
Each year University Dining Services surveys residence hall students to find
out which 12 cereals are the students' favorites, and the top vote-getters are
served at all Residence Hall Dining Centers. The winners this year are Reese's
Puffs, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Trix, Life, Cap'n
Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios, Go Lean Crunch, Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats, and
Special K Red Berries.
Suzanne Hedrick, marketing manager for University Dining Services,
acknowledges that the majority of cereals on the list are highly
sugared, but she says "Students chose one cereal from each
of four categories: chocolate, healthy, organic, and sugared, and
these are the top vote getters. We make sure that we serve a selection
of cereals that are not sweetened. Our goal is to let students
choose what cereals we will serve so that we can standardize the
selection for all the dining centers. This way, when students eat
at different halls, they know what to expect."
What Students Really Want
When it comes to housing, anyone can tell you students value
privacy, proximity to campus, and reasonable rents. Only a student,
however, can talk about the
details that are important to them when it comes to their on-campus living experience.
Housing & Residential Life recently identified some student suggestions that
were gathered through surveys, committee meetings, forums, and comments from
University of Minnesota students.
- Don't charge more money for a great view.
- Supply two-ply toilet paper.
- Don't plant those "stinky shrubs" around the halls.
- Don't buy round tables; buy square or rectangle tables that
can double as TV stands.
- Don't buy those "two-butt" couches; buy comfortable
ones.
- Make sure you have enough dryers in the laundry.
- Put cable outlets and ethernet everywhere.
- Don't charge separate for cable, put it in the room rate.
- Have common space that is open 24/7.
- Build enough bike racks.
- Plan for small-group workstations in computer labs.
- Video game machines are so '80s. Stick with ping pong, foosball,
and pool.
Send an e-postcard
to your student!
You can send e-postcards featuring
campus scenes, Gopher sports, and "Wish You Were Here" greetings to
your student, courtesy of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. The
cards are a great way to congratulate a student on a new job or accomplishment,
show friends some of the University's sites, or just say hello.
Austin and Kelly’s Moving "Must
Haves!"
Austin and Kelly, this year’s Parent Orientation Coordinators,
offer the following list for students moving into the residence halls.
They stress that this is just an idea of what will come in handy—every
student should consider his or her own needs, interests, and current
possessions as they pack their boxes!
Our list contains the basic items that we found helpful but it
is just a start. If you have a roommate, we encourage you to stay
in contact through out the summer and coordinate some of the larger
items that you may want to bring such as a mini-fridge or a TV.
Please see this complete
list of appliances that are allowed in the residence
halls.
Remember: You will have the opportunity to purchase school supplies
at the Bookstore in Coffman Memorial Union as well as during a
private event exclusively for first-year students held at a local
Target Store during Welcome Week!
| For Your Room! |
School Supplies |
 Picture
of parents |
 Book
bag |
| Posters
& pictures |
Calculator |
| Dry
erase board |
Envelopes
and stamps |
| Command
Strips |
Flash
drive |
| Alarm
clock |
|
| Telephone |
|
| Extra-long
twin sheets and bedding |
Winter
Weather Gear |
| Fan |
Heavy
jacket |
| Power
strip & extension cords |
Boots |
| Lamps
(not halogen) |
Mittens |
| Snacks |
Hat |
Dishes/cups/utensils
|
Long
johns |
| Small
tool kit |
|
| Plug-in
air freshener |
|
| |
Personal
Items |
| |
Insurance
card |
| Toiletries |
Photo
ID |
| Medicine,
first-aid kit |
Sunglasses |
| Shampoo,
conditioner & toothpaste |
Watch |
| Towels,
washcloths & maybe a robe |
Camera |
| Shower
basket & shower shoes |
Umbrella |
| Detergent
and dryer sheets |
|
| Febreeze |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| Organization |
|
| Storage
bins |
|
| Shoe
rack |
|
Public Art on Campus
The University has more than three dozen inventive and lasting
public
art pieces scattered across the University's campuses. The artworks
may
memorialize people and mark historic events. Or they may be expressions
of social or political discourse. One of the U's first public art
installations was the bronze statue of Governor John Pillsbury
on the
knoll in Minneapolis, which dates to the early 1900s.
The Jane Goodall Institute's Center for Primate Studies
 The
center was established at the
University of Minnesota in 1995 by Anne Pusey. The center's Web
site includes
a "Meet the Chimpanzees" section,
giving a sense of the daily life of chimpanzees, along with photos,
videos, and activities.
 Norman
Borlaug—The Peaceful
Revolutionary Norman
Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize laureate who is credited by many
as saving more lives than any other scientist, received both his
masters and his Ph.D. in plant pathology from the
College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences at the
University of Minnesota.
 Preserving
Books Underground
The Minnesota
Library Access Center (MLAC), located on the University's
West Bank, supports libraries throughout Minnesota by providing
efficient, climate-controlled storage for important, but infrequently
used collections. Located in one of the caverns below the Elmer
L. Andersen Library, MLAC provides Minnesota libraries with secure,
assured access to their materials allowing libraries to use collection
space in their own buildings more efficiently.
Maroon and Gold Gardens
Over the past several years, parents attending Parent Orientation
have commented on how beautiful the University of Minnesota looks,
especially noting the flowers and ornamental plantings all around
campus. Maroon and gold gardens brighten the grounds throughout the
summer and linger into fall, welcoming students back to campus with
a blaze of school spirit.
For those who want to put some Minnesota color in their own gardens,
selecting plants to create the right blend of maroon and gold requires
careful planning. Not every red or maroon plant blends well with
the various yellows. Jim Blake, from the University's Landcare Operation
division of Facilities Management, identifies the three maroon and
gold plant combinations used in campus garden plots:
- Red Wizard Coleus with Bonanza Gold Marigold.
- New Look Celosia in red and yellow.
- Crimson Barberry (a shrub), again using the Bonanza Gold Marigold.
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