LIFESTYLE: Grand Arena

This week over 1000 students received what can be one of most exhilarating -- or most traumatic -- post cards they will receive this year. They got their Grand Arena lottery numbers in the mail. Tomorrow, these same students will line up inside English House throughout the morning and afternoon, each hoping to secure the on-campus room of their dreams for next year. Students with low lottery numbers -- anything under 200 -- are already rejoycing, searching for the ideal room and secure in knowing that they have at least some chance of getting it. Some with numbers in the 600s or 700s are on the verge of panic, secure in the knowledge that they will have to live in one of the worst rooms on campus next year. Or they're already making plans to live off campus. For now, though, students are searching through every available room to find the best ones, with contingencies for when their favorites are taken. "It's nice having two bedrooms," said Wharton sophomore Russ Cole, who currently lives in one of the few two bedroom doubles in the Quadrangle available in Grand Arena. "You don't disturb a person who wants to study." Besides having two rooms, Cole and roommate Jeremy Vice choose 226 Foerderer last year because they didn't want to go into the "hotel atmosphere" of the high rises just yet. The room faces into the Quad, giving a pleasant view. But the large rooms do not always bring utopia. Cole and Vice wanted to be in the upper Quad because they thought it would be quieter than lower Quad. They were wrong. Apparently, the very social and loud reputation of the Quad does not end when you move west of Junior Balcony. "Drunken freshmen like to congregate right outside our room," Cole lamented. "One night, some guy was just screaming . . . all night," Vice added. On another occasion, Cole recalled that a female student, standing just outside the room, took off all of her clothes. The room also provides the two with a front row view of the annual Quad streak. According to Assignments Counselor Doris Stone, singles in High Rise South and renovated singles in the Quad are always the first rooms to go in Grand Arena. College senior Sam Kozloff, who works in the assignments office, said their is always a long waiting list for singles. "Everyone wants a single and a kitchen," he said. "People want their own rooms all year." College sophomore Rob Lento last year chose High Rise South room 306, a single, because it is big and is on a low floor so he would not have to take the elevator. Lento, a member of Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, said he feels the biggest advantage of having a single is that he won't bother a roommate with his early hours. "I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. for drill once a week, and last semester I had 8 a.m. classes three times a week," he said. Most of the best singles on campus are in the Quad, but a majority of the large ones are not available in Grand Arena. Kevin Karg, a services assistant in South Campus, said that RAs have taken the best rooms due to the Quad's growing number of programs. "Rooms that used to be great are now taken by staff members," Karg said. "Two room doubles and three bedroom triples have become the best catches." College senior Maria Paone has one of the best Quad singles available in Grand Arena, 213 Bodine. It is bigger than most singles, has a huge closet, three big windows, and a fireplace. "I love my room," said Paone. "It has natural wood furniture, and a great view of the lower Quad. It has a real college atmosphere." Across the hall in 212 Bodine lives Wharton sophomore Chad Pritchett. His room is big and has a sink, something Paone's room doesn't. Pritchett said he "definitely" recommends his room to anyone. "When I was looking for rooms last year, this was one of the best," he said. Wharton sophomore Dana Marlin, who has one of the top picks this year, said she entered Grand Arena at the last minute when her off campus living plans fell through. Although she is not sure exactly what room she will choose, Marlin wants to live in the upper Quad because "there are generally more upperclassmen there, and it is quieter." For those seeking doubles, two bedroom apartments with a kitchen and bathroom are the most popular. College sophomore Jennifer Raymond, who has the first lottery pick for a double room this year, plans to take one on the 12th floor of High Rise South so she can live near her friends in a Community Living program. For those that want a double in the Quad but can't get one with two rooms, there is one room that may interest some -- Room 346 McKean, which has its own bathroom, complete with a marble shower. "The marble is really nice," said College junior Dave Kline, who lived in the room last year. "It's better than my shower at home." For groups of four, most people agree that nothing beats the four bedroom suites in either High Rise East or High Rise North. Several students with top choices said that they will pick the four bedroom suites in HRN. These rooms have two large bedrooms, two smaller ones, a spacious living room, a kitchen and bathroom. Wharton sophomore Luyen Tran, who lives in one of these suites in 2003 High Rise North, said it is nice having a big common room. When picking his room, Tran said he looked for a room with good carpeting, and he wanted to be on a high floor. "I wanted to be able to take the express elevator, and it's a great view," he said. Tran also said that he would not choose a room above the 20th floor because when he sits down he wants to be able to see the Philadelphia skyline. "If you are too high all you see is blank sky," he said. These rooms may sound great, but if you have a lousy lottery number, you don't have much chance of getting any of them tomorrow. But don't lose hope. You may still avoid the dreaded two bedroom quads in High Rise East. Two years ago, College junior Aresh Tabaeezadeh had the very last pick of Grand Arena. When his friends decided to live off campus, Tabaeezadeh reentered the lottery, hoping to latch on with someone that needed a roommate. He didn't think there would be any rooms left for him, but he ended up in a four bedroom suite on the same floor as his friends in a Community Living program. "You just have to get lucky," he said.

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