# College Dorms?



## satz (Jan 20, 2005)

I've noticed some members here allude to the fact that they are currently staying in college dormitary style accomodation while completing their studies. Anyone like to comment on the particular challenges and issues that christians face in these settings?

I've personally found staying there to be rather challenging. Its great fun and and you get to meet lots of people, but most will be unbelievers. Its easy to either a) get to close to the sin 'line' or b) get so caught up in unsinful activities that you ignore spending time on God centred things. Its definitely an area i need to improve much upon.

anyone care to share their experiences?


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## LadyFlynt (Jan 20, 2005)

college? what's college?

(sorry, couldn't resist!)


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## RamistThomist (Jan 20, 2005)

I hate dorm life! I am "hall commander" (Resident Assistant) for a bunch of people who couldn't care less about college. I am getting paid rather nicely for it, though.

Advantages: (I am sure there are some)(I have never been impressed by the argument that you won't get any social involvement if you are off campus.)
Disadvantages: Sleep, study, and spiritual development are out of the question. I have people screaming, shouting, cussing down the hall. I go and tell them to shut up and they are quiet for the night, but can a zebra change its spots? The showers,depending on the place, are usually filthy. In fact, it is cleaner not to shower! I am kidding, sort of. One also feels cramped in a dorm room.


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## Puritan Sailor (Jan 20, 2005)

I lived off campus and didn't regret it one bit. It kept me from alot of temptations. Helped me save some money too.


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## ReformedWretch (Jan 20, 2005)

If were including secular College here it is my belief that the dorms are literally "dens of iniquity". My daughter lived in one for two years and it sickened me to even visit. I honestly believe I would have been more comfortable taking a tour of a whore house.

I am not being over dramitic at all either, I honestly felt that way. I was thrilled to get her out of there and into a small appartment of her own. I shudder just thinking back.


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## Ivan (Jan 20, 2005)

Many years ago, when I was in undergraduate school, I was living with my parents, but had the "itch" to be on my own. I took a tour of the dorms at my college, quickly turned around, and went back home. 

That was in the early 70's.


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Jan 20, 2005)

Since I had to go to university in a different city from my parents I moved into a campus dorm. They are dens of iniquity as someone else has said. People are trashed all the time on drugs and alcohol. Vommit is cleaned up daily. The usual crowd stagger into breakfast - or lunch - or dinner - with hangovers. Little work seems to be done by the first years as they are carried away with dorm life. You name it, it happens, lured debauchery (both homosexual and straight), drugs, 100% random hook ups... parties most nights. The walls thump and shiver with the beating music...

Anyway you have to ignore it and hope for a better future in Christ. There were 2-3 active Christians in my dorm out of 319 other people. I never met any other Christians there the whole year no matter how hard a campus outreach program tried to find more. (I did have fellowship at a local church though and that became my soul peice of sanity for the week and I joined in with as many bible studies as I could with the logic that fellowship with flimsy modern church's is better than 'fellowship' with heathens and apostates who dance around in lured behaviour)


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Jan 21, 2005)

...and you can all pray for me as I will be returning to one in March...


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## JonathanHunt (Jan 21, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Draught Horse_
> but can a zebra change its spots?



I hate to break it to ya, but...


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jan 21, 2005)

My college was single-sex (although there were co-ed dorms on campus). The rule was "no women on the premises after 11 pm." I recall, however, that one night the firm alarm went off and 3 am and we all had to go outside. By my count, there were more women who came out of the building then men.


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## blhowes (Jan 21, 2005)

Now that its been 'several' years since I've gone through the dormatory experience, most of my memories of living in the dorms are good ones. In my freshman year, most of the guys on my hall partied pretty heavily, but there were some who were faithful witnesses for our Lord. I started my freshman year as an athiest and my sophmore year as a Christian. Praise the Lord.

The 'buck-buck' competition we had one evening was fun. And then there were the water fights (we're talking full-size garbage cans full of water) and the all-campus snowball fights. Whenever you got tired of studying (which happened regularly), there was always somebody on the hall who also wanted to just sit around for a while and shoot the breeze. And most evenings, of course, there were the McDonald runs. And I still wonder how the fellow jumped off the roof (10-15 ft high) without breaking his ankles (he said his dad was a fireman and taught him)...

Anybody recall any good dorm experiences and fun things you did/do?


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## SoldierOfTheRock (Jan 21, 2005)

I go to a fairly small christian college here in Ohio. I came here with the mindset that surely if I were going to a christian college then it would be a world away from my highschool crowd... I was wrong.

I find that you can not take the sin nature out of someone by putting them into a new location, whether it be a "christian" college or not, sin is still there. I am not perfect, and I help fulfill the sin quota every now and then too. Yet a few weeks ago we had a unit meeting with our RA and we talked about how we really do not act any different than the secular schools. True, we dont do drugs, have sex, or curse as we walk doen the hall, but the sin is still there.

Thankfully going to a "christian" college we all have the same standard, or proport to, and this gives us a basis to help each other out in our different areas of sin. Overall, all dorms are clean and great, until you put people in them. 

Thankfully our unit and our brother unit are cleaning things up, it really is a world of difference from what it was.

Something crazy we did? Well, we flushed a dead mouse down the toilet!


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## PuritanCovenanter (Jan 21, 2005)

Man, Navy barracks life sounds like heaven compared to College Dorm life. And we didn't have restrictions. When I went to College after my military service I opted to live at home. Great move.


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## FrozenChosen (Jan 22, 2005)

I live in Harper Hall, a co-ed honors dorm at Auburn University. My roommate moved out last semester so it's nice to have my own room.

I think dorm life at a public university is a great experience for Christians ready to be challenged. I enjoy the exchange of ideas and the philosophical ideas spread around, and the ability to share my beliefs and get to know people who don't believe in Christ.

I don't think that evangelism simply means "you should come to church," but really getting to know people and bringing the gospel to bear on their lives by lovingly challenging their beliefs and showing the love of Christ.

One of my friends here who is an atheist feels like he can talk to me about his life and his experiences, because he knows I really do care about him, and not just what he's doing on Sunday morning.

Dorm life is like living on a mission field sometimes. It's a shame that I don't do my best to treat it as such.


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## FrozenChosen (Jan 22, 2005)

Oh, fun dorm experiences...haha.

- There were a couple of guys on our floor who, by having alcohol in their dorm, lost everyone visitation for a whole week. One night several of us were playing a video game on the dorm's LAN and we left our doors open, yelling at each other. The two guys were like "shut up!" and all of us yelled out "NO!" I thought that was a bit amusing.

- Birthday prank - Our friend Chris had a birthday the day before mine, and we decided to prank him. As he walked back from another dorm complex on campus, I hid behind a tree and watched him and called back to a bunch of the guys in the dorm who were waiting in the lobby, letting them know that Chris was about to be in. Hidden behind the bushes outside was a trash can full of water (not of trash, we took the bag out). Oh, I should mention that this was in November and it was nice and cold outside. So as soon as they see him through the window, a dozen guys rush him and pick him up and dunk him in the water. And that was amusing.

Except for the fact that the next day was MY birthday. I was definitely watching my back, but nothing happened.

- For the Auburn/Tennessee football game we all crowded into Zach's dorm room and packed 20 people into that tiny space. It's pretty amazing to think that we could all actually fit in there, but everyone was sitting on anything. As the resident sophomore I led the cheers, and a lot of people were saying that I should try out for Mic-Man, the guy at the games who leads the cheers.

- The usual, soccer, wrestling in the halls, video games galore, movies.


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## satz (Jan 22, 2005)

daniel, i'll agree that dorm life is an excellent chance for witnessing and evangelism. The fact that you actually live togeather and don't just meet in school does make it much easier to get people talking on important issues as opposed to just talking about school work and superficial stuff like that.

on the other hand, we do need to be VERY careful we don't end up being influenced by the worldlings around us. I think the biblical record is that israel certainly had a poor record in this aspect. While living with unbelievers gives good oppurunities for building relationships, the fact that we live with them means we effectively get no 'rest' from the world each day. That can be very trying for a christian.


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## ReformedWretch (Jan 22, 2005)

> on the other hand, we do need to be VERY careful we don't end up being influenced by the worldlings around us. I think the biblical record is that israel certainly had a poor record in this aspect. While living with unbelievers gives good oppurunities for building relationships, the fact that we live with them means we effectively get no 'rest' from the world each day. That can be very trying for a christian.



*AMEN!* One would have to be very firm and strong in the faith to withstand the dorm enviornment in my opinion. Not saying it can't be done, but I believe it would be exhausting.


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## RamistThomist (Jan 22, 2005)

I go to a "Christian" college and the dorms are dens of iniquity, the sins of which are only limited by rules. I'll pass on the "challenge for Christ" in living in secular dorms


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## SmokingFlax (Jan 22, 2005)

My experience in dorm living (back in the mid 80's):

Heavy drugs: (cocaine, lsd, mushrooms, the beginning of synthetic drugs -"ecstasy", and, of course, lots of marijuana). And, how could I forget, plenty of drunkenness at least 3-4 days per week.

Amoralism: mostly "straight" whoremongering and whoredoms as it was still shameful to declare oneself "gay" at the time (though I saw and heard plenty of evidence for that too). Rampant std's and abortions.

Race and class warfare (the unspoken little secret): It was a real eye-opener when I finally realized (after a year or so) that the line of separation had much to do with -
A) If your daddy made the big bucks (or you acted like it) 
or
B) If you were Jewish

At least a few people committing suicide (by jumping out of high rises, etc.)

I wasn't a Christian at that time and I'm very hard pressed to even remember ANY kind of godly witness at that time. Even so I still HATED my time there as I watched myself being slowly corrupted and hardened in my own particular sins.

All this being what it is, I'm still convinced that the worst thing about my time at college was the rotten to the core humanistic philosophy that (unbeknownsdt to me at the time) was the "foundation" for everything that I learned.


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## FrozenChosen (Jan 26, 2005)

Compared to some of the dorms mentioned, our dorm is fairly tame. Yes, we have many problems, and some of the drunkenness is in there. But not too much of the drugs and everything.


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## satz (Jan 26, 2005)

> _Originally posted by FrozenChosen_
> Compared to some of the dorms mentioned, our dorm is fairly tame. Yes, we have many problems, and some of the drunkenness is in there. But not too much of the drugs and everything.




yes, i was thinking pretty much the same thing. While my own dorm is far from an ideal dwelling place, it not nearly as bad as some of the ones described here...


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## Ex Nihilo (Jan 26, 2005)

I like dorm life. Both my roommates have been great, and all the girls on the hall have been good girls. But female dorms are always a bit nicer.


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## A.J.A. (Jan 26, 2005)

I spent two semesters in a big high-rise dorm. Maybe I was just oblivious, but I didn't see all that much. But then, it happened that most of the people on my floor were a little older than most college students. I was the youngest, and then the second youngest in the second semester.

There was a Marine in the room next to mine, and then one door further down was the RA (she wasn't called an "RA", but some other term I forget that meant the same thing). One time we were all drinking and partying, and I was drinking (yes, I was under 21) in the Marine's room and said I was going over to the RA's room to see what was happening. The Marine told me I didn't want to see what was happening. I asked why. It turned out that the RA's brother was at that moment sodomizing the Marine's roommate. Needless to say, I stayed in the Marine's room. That was the worst thing I heard of happening.

Oh yeah, there was a basket of condoms with a sign that said "Happy Hunting".

[Edited on 27-1-2005 by A.J.A.]


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## ReformedWretch (Jan 26, 2005)

> Oh yeah, there was a basket of condoms with a sign that said "Happy Hunting"



Ugh!


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## SmokingFlax (Jan 26, 2005)

Oh man (A.J.A.)...I'm tryin' to eat here!


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## A.J.A. (Jan 26, 2005)

Either the RA was very diligent about keeping it restocked or no one ever took one because there was always the same amount.


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## satz (Jan 26, 2005)

> _Originally posted by A.J.A._
> Either the RA was very diligent about keeping it restocked or no one ever took one because there was always the same amount.




Why don't we try to be optimistic for once. prehaps no one ever took one because they would have nothing to do with such vile activities?


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## SmokingFlax (Jan 26, 2005)

I'm surprised that the Marine didn't pound the sodomite...

I would've...and then demanded a different roommate.


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## ReformedWretch (Jan 26, 2005)

> _Originally posted by SmokingFlax_
> I'm surprised that the Marine didn't pound the sodomite...
> 
> I would've...and then demanded a different roommate.



Well that's not very tolerant!


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## SmokingFlax (Jan 26, 2005)

Yeah I guess that I can't run for public office now...


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## RamistThomist (Jan 27, 2005)

My uncle's first roomate was a sodomite. My uncle slept with a gun under his pillow until he could change roomates.


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## SmokingFlax (Jan 27, 2005)

Wow! They let the students have guns on their campus? For some reason I can't imagine it.


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## A.J.A. (Jan 27, 2005)

The catamite in this case was the second roomate, as I remember. The first was another Marine who graduated at the end of the Fall semester. After Sept. 11 they both thought they'd be called back to active duty, but they never were.


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Jan 27, 2005)

One dorm I have been in (visiting really, never spent the night there...) had hyper security with all sorts of checks and balances to keep strict control of everyone going in and out. They just had people watching... the year before one of the students in a rage stabbed 3-5 (I forget) of his fellow students to death and following then cut them all up and hid them away in lockers....

Fortunatly in my dorms at my university I do not have to share rooms with anyone and we just get little closet sized rooms all leading onto the same corridor - 32 people a corridor.


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