This is our last cyber -hello before I get to meet you in per son! Of, for our r eturners, unti l I see you again after 2.5 r eal ly shor t summer months! The RAs off icial ly star ted RA tr aining ear l ier this week, so l i fe

in Eco is r eal ly picking up speed. I encourage you to share this issue of the Eco Updates w ith your fami ly and/or those helping you move in, i f you have people coming w ith you. There are just so many things to think about when i t comes to moving your l i fe from your corner of the wor ld to the unique l i ttle community that is Eco, and i t 's helpful to have someone else give your brain a break when packing and prepping.

I want this newsletter issue to be something you can read now and feel l ike you really know what to expect when you move in to Eco, plus something you can re-read later and understand w ithin the context of your ow n space here. I know I can't prepare you for ever ything (l ike just how much your calves w i l l burn i f you walk up Libe Slope), but I 'm here to help you before you move in, whi le you l ive here, and even after you move out! I 've now worked in r esidence l i fe at f ive di f ferent col leges al l over the US, from a co-op of 48 women to a coed hall of 800 f i r st-year students. Eco tr uly is an incredible place and I want you to feel

comfor table from the moment you ar r ive so you can focus on leaving your legacy - you al l have something to share!

I 'l l see you soon!

Sam Benson Residence Hall Director sab459@cornell.edu (607) 255-1094

(Everything that is underlined and bold throughout this newsletter is a link!)

Summer 2017 Issue #4

Getting Ready

Before You Move In

When You Ar r ive

After You Move In

Mai l and Pets (two things that are not r elated)

What Not to Br ing, Suggestions to Br ing, and Things to Share

Eco UpdatesMOVE- IN DAY IS ALMOST HERE!

CONTENTS

can you bel ieve t he t ime has come?!

Yoshi is also hard at work prepping for the year!

Our compost! I ran out of pics, sorry.

bef or e you move in

If you are bringing things that come packaged in a box (like a lamp you need to assemble),

save the box to pack it back up in May! You can flatten it to

save under your bed or send it back with those who helped

you move.

Bringing storage drawers? Use them as packing drawers! Make

sure you aren't wasting any empty space and think of the packing game as high-stakes

Tetris. The same goes for room furniture - you can make it perfect if you get creative!

Invest in big packing boxes or storage totes now. Boxes can

be carefully flattened and refolded for a couple years, and plastic storage totes can last for

undergrad, grad school, and professional life (speaking from an RHD who knows firsthand!)

Remember that 4,000+ Cornell ians are moving in Fr iday - that's why we have a move-in schedule! We won't give your room away i f you don't move in

f i r st thing in the morning, so please avoid

creating headaches for yourself and others - stick to the schedule. I f we have ever yone ar r ive according to schedule, we'l l have enough EWOKs to help ever yone move in quickly and calmly!

Now that you are a Cornell student w ith a housing contract, you must abide by both the Cam pus Code of Conduct and the Resident ial House Rules. Violation of the Code of Conduct may result in a r efer r al to the Judicial Administr ator (JA), and violation of the House Rules may result in a conduct hear ing w ith the RHD or a r efer r al to the Peer Review Board (PRB). The House Rules cover ever ything from room decorations to guest pol icies to campaigning, so we highly suggest r eading through them since you'r e r esponsible for adher ing to them! Ask any of the staff i f you have questions.

Eco has three ful l-size fr idges and fr eezers for the hall to share in our community ki tchen - just label your food and store i t in there (and don't forget to throw out anything that goes bad...)! I f you want something for you ow n room, you can rent a microfr idge (microwave-fr idge-fr eezer combo) from our vendor her e. Chat w ith your roommate to spl i t costs! (Keep in mind that standalone microwaves are not permitted in student rooms, but we do have one in the community ki tchen.) You can also br ing your ow n fr idge or fr eezer , but i t must adhere to the electr ical guidel ines (7.3 amps to star t; 1.5 amps whi le r unning) - you don't want to over load cir cui ts and inconvenience your whole f loor !

Don't be that person!

Check out the Eco

Mentor advice here - it will get you excited and help you feel like you already know the

community!

Want to know about our hall

traditions and how you can be a part of them? Read about some of

them here!

Let RHD Sam know

if your Eco Mentor hasn't contacted you yet - they should be

your first friend in the hall and you'll

meet soon!

*Pr o Tips*

Last names H-O

8am to 11am

Last names P-Z

11am to 2pm

Last names A-G

2pm to 5pm

If you arrive anytime before or after 8am - 5pm on Friday, August 18th, you'll need to

go to RPCC to pick up your key and ID card

Don't hesitate to

e-mail RHD Sam if you have any

questions, big or small!

sab459@cornell.edu

If you have something that requires tools to assemble, don't forget to bring them with you!

GPS systems often don't recognize Eco's address correctly - check here for Ithaca

directions!

While Eco is small, i t can sti l l seem pretty busy on Move-In Day. We'l l mark off the closest parking spots to be "Unloading Spots Only," and as soon as the EWOKs f inish unloading your car we ask that you please move i t fur ther away to make space for the next ar r ivals! Thanks!

While we do a walkthrough of the enti r e bui lding the night before Move-In Day, there w i l l inevi tably be some maintenance issues that we just don't know about unti l you ar r ive and f ind them yourself . There w i l l be a laminated purple half-sheet of paper taped up in your room w ith instr uctions on how to submit a maintenance request, but i f something needs to be taken care of immediately (over f low ing toi let, broken bed fr ame, etc.), just f ind any of the staff members and we'l l take care of i t! Keep in mind that thousands of other students are also moving in, so i t may take the workers a bi t of time to make i t over to Eco i f another bui lding is having

a big issue l ike a broken water pipe or something.

After you check in, you'l l r eceive an e-mai l about f i l l ing out a RIC Form, a Room Inventor y Condition Form. You have 48 hours to f i l l out this onl ine form, and i t al lows you to self-r epor t the state of your room so the staff can see i f you've created any

damages when we inspect i t when you move out. There w i l l be a laminated green piece of paper taped up in your room w ith instr uctions on how to f i l l out the form as well as some Eco-speci f ic detai ls and tips to include on the form. There's no such thing as too many detai ls, and the staff can answer any questions you may have about this impor tant form!

I f you are an approved ear ly ar r ival or w i l l be ar r iving any day/time after Fr iday at 5pm, you'l l need to check in at RPCC for both your key and ID card!

MAINTENANCE REQUESTS & RIC FORMS

How do you get into Eco?

Between 8am - 5pm on Friday only, we'll have the front door propped open and hall staff

will be stationed there.

To get int o Eco at any ot her t im e, you need t o have your

ID card.

Pick this up at New Student Check-In at Barton Hall

bet ween 8am - 4pm . We highly recommend parking at

Eco, going to the closest shuttle bus stop at

Triphammer & Jessup, then taking the shuttle to Barton because there is a LOT there

(except parking...)!

To get into your room, you need a room key! Hall staff

will be inside the Eco entrance and will give you your key

upon arrival on Friday.

When you ar r ive at Eco

Last year's RA team and EWOK team on Move-In Day - they worked for 12 hours straight that day!

Sti l l need stuff for col lege l i fe? You can f ind almost anything at Dump & Run! This is a massive r ummage sale coordinated through Cornell , and al l the proceeds go to char i ty. You can f ind ever ything from storage racks to mini fr idges to school supplies to clothes. Plus i t 's way cheaper than a store!

We know there is unfortunately a lot of packaging waste associated with moving to

your new home.

Ever y r esident w i l l have a blue r ecycl ing bin in their room for single str eam recycl ing (paper , plastic, cardboard, glass, etc.) plus a mini bin for landfi l l waste. The dumpster s are r ight behind the bui lding, so i t 's easy to take larger i tems out there (please don ' t l eave boxes i nside for som eone el se to take out ! ). We also have special r ecycl ing boxes by the ki tchen for thin plastics, batter ies, and more!

af t er you move in

- Fall Break: Saturday, October 7th to Tuesday, October 10th (Eco stays open)

- Family Weekend: Friday, October 27th to Sunday, October 29th

- Thanksgiving Break: Wednesday, November 22nd to Sunday, November 26th (Eco stays open)

- Eco closes: Fr iday, Decem ber 15t h @ 2pm (no except ions)

- Eco reopens: Wednesday, January 17th @ 9am

- February Break: Saturday, February 17th - Tuesday, February 20th (Eco stays open)

- Spring Break: Saturday, March 31st to Sunday, April 8th (Eco stays open)

- Eco closes: Wednesday, May 23rd @ 2pm (no except ions)

- Eco closes for seniors: Monday, May 28t h @ noon (no except ions)

Put these dates in your planners and buy plane/bus/train tickets

now! Trust me, you'll thank yourself later!

Impor tant dat es f or t he year

DUMP & RUNSATURDAY & SUNDAY

Please have a sust ainable m indset !

To put it in perspective, think about your moving waste then multiply it by

approximately 3 MILLION fellow college first-years also moving in in August. Please do what you can to keep your and Cornell's

waste contributions small!

Fr iday Night

- Welcome BBQ @ 6pm @ Eco (families welcome)

- College Transition for Parents @ 7:30pm @ Call Auditorium (Kennedy Hall)- Mandatory Hall Meeting

(first-years/transfers only) @ 7:30pm - OLs (Orientation Leaders) will pick

you up at your room between 9 - 9:30pm for First Night!

Expl or e t he hal l !

You'll feel more comfortable the more you know your way around, so after (or

before) unpacking take time to find the RHD office, RA rooms, RA office,

laundry room, Narnia, TV lounge, study lounge, and

more!

I f you are r eceiving mai l/packages, use the address below. Eco has a mai lbox for each resident in our lobby, but they can only hold small i tems l ike letter s. I f you r eceive a package, i t w i l l be delivered to RPCC and they w i l l e-mai l you when you can come pick i t up!

Your NameCornell , Eco House, Room #

1 Countr y Club RoadIthaca, NY 14850

Returning residents, you also need to re-register your pets for this upcoming year! Please use the new form!

As you may have heard, we can have pets in Eco! Whi le you can't br ing your fami ly's dog or cat, Eco al lows small pets l ike guinea pigs, bir ds, leopard geckos, hissing cockroaches, etc. to cohabitate w ith us. Last year we had 50+ pets in the hall ! With great power comes great r esponsibi l i ty though, so be sure you are being a r esponsible and conscientious pet ow ner for the sake of both our fur r y fr iends and your human housemates.

For the Pet Policy and dir ections for r egister ing your pet (which must be done BEFORE you br ing your pet to Eco), visi t the For m s page of the hall websi te!

ECO PETS

@CORNELLECOLOGYHOUSE

@CUECOHOUSE

GROUPS/ ECOLOGYHOUSE1718

Follow us on Instagram for #FreebieFr idays and tr avel mug giveaways from now unti l move-in day!

Follow on Tw itter #moveindayisalmosthere #yay #wefol low back

Join our Facebook group - i t is a big info hub for the community dur ing the school year !

Don't forget to sign up here for the amazing

Oswegatchie retreat!

If you're an early arrival, reach out to your group via Sam's e-mail

on 8/6!

Check out BigWords.com to

get all your textbooks very

cheaply!

A close up of Steven, a pet guinea pig living here!

Suggest ions of t hings t o br ing

What not t o br ing- Spider /octopus lamps- Fabr ic wall hangings

w ithout proof of f i r e tr eatment

- Extension cords- Appliances w ith

immersion coi ls- Water heater s w ithout

automatic shutoffs- Appliances w ith open

heating elements- Halogen bulbs- Candles/incense- Hover boards

- Bedding for a tw in XL bed and a good pi l low

- Powerstips w ith on/off sw itch

- Laundr y hamper- Lots of command str ips to

hang things on the wall - One really good pair of

headphones or earplugs- Gener ic medicine l ike

ibuprofen, al lergy meds, upset stomach meds, etc.

- Shower i tems and towel

To Shar e wit h Your r oommat e

- Laundr y dr ying r ack- Extra f loor lamp- Bathroom cleaning

supplies (environmental ly-fr iendly prefer red!)

- Wif i router (i t can be cheap - you only need i t to cover your room)