What I learned when my living plans went South

To support student journalism and the content you love, become a member of The Daily Orange today.

When Syracuse University assigned me to live on South Campus, I spent the summer with a pit in my stomach. I saw people cringe when I told them where I would be sophomore year. South seemed like the most avoided, desolate place to live on Syracuse University’s campus.

Before room selection, I heard about all of South’s negatives: its distance from campus, the lack of solidarity without living in shared spaces and burglaries.

I had the same thoughts rushing through my head. And unfortunately, with SU’s lack of main campus student housing for sophomores coupled with a 2-year on campus living requirement, I was stuck on South.

When I first moved into my apartment, it didn’t feel like home. The space was so large that the items from my previous dorm couldn’t fill the emptiness. I felt disconnected from my friends on main campus, and isolated from the university as a whole. But as the bonds with the people who lived around me began to strengthen and memories were made, there is no place else that feels more like home.

As my time on South comes to a close, I’ve realized that living here has taught me about who I am not only as a student, but as a person. So here’s what I’ve learned this year.

Transportation began as one of my most pressing concerns. Being from Los Angeles, I don’t have the luxury of having a car on-campus. But by taking the bus multiple times a week, I quickly learned to effectively manage my time. There’s no room for procrastination in the mornings when buses arrive every fifteen minutes. The rides themselves gave me time alone with my thoughts to reflect on either the day ahead or the day past.

I never felt alone though; I always had a sense of community on the bus because there were other people who were in the same situation as me.

The biggest surprise that came with living on South Campus was the calm. I’ve learned to appreciate the quiet and beauty on South, as well as Syracuse in general and learned independence along the way.

My roommate and I shared our own kitchen, bathroom and living room, and each had our own bedrooms. At the end of the busy days we’ve had, it’s been a blessing to have our own space to decompress. But our apartment is our little oasis from the outside world. We became best friends and truly became each other’s family. By living on the bottom unit, we also had easy access to the outside which has come in handy with the recent gorgeous weather. Our space has become entirely ours. It’s our home.

Given the structure of South Campus, — with the majority of residents living in two or three person apartments instead of thirty people to a floor — I knew I could be losing the sense of community I loved freshman year. But, South forced me to connect with the people around me in ways I never expected.

Ella Johns, a current resident of South Campus, has a “no knock policy” with her friend group, which keeps them close even without living on the same floor.

“Our doors are always open and our friends are always coming in and out. This happens so often that when someone knocks it stresses us out,” she said.

Johns joked about how living on South turned her friend group into a sitcom, with a revolving door of the same people. After already being close from freshman year, they were able to deepen their friendships by living with each other in a new setting.

I became best friends with the people that I met here. We made dinners and recapped our days in each other’s living rooms. We held get-togethers with all of our friends to throw housewarming parties and decorated our apartments for the holidays. I found a homeyness here that I haven’t experienced anywhere else. Finding a unique community made my year living on South, what I thought to be the most desolate place at SU, comforting in ways beyond belief.

So if you’re like me, and you’re nervous about where you’re living as a sophomore, remember that life is what you make it. As I look back on the year, I have learned to stretch my limits of comfort. I’ve found my home on South.

Haley Thompkins is a sophomore acting major. Her column appears bi-weekly, and she can be reached at hkthompk@syr.edu.