Bathroom reading

East Halls residents learn alcohol facts from 'Stall Stories' newsletter

Hoping to stall alcohol consumption, the Office of Residence Life is providing students with an alternative means of accessing information.

For those students who live in East Halls, "Stall Stories," a monthly newsletter placed in bathroom stalls, provides informative news about alcohol abuse and other timely issues, said Cyndi Freeman Fail, assistant director for Residence Life, who writes the newsletter.

After University President Graham Spanier announced last year that alcohol is the No. 1 issue facing college students, Freeman Fail said she wanted to inform students about the University's alcohol policies. She said by placing the newsletter on stalls, the information is in a convenient location.

- Jason Smiles (freshman-engineering)

The stories are strategically located, Freeman Fail said, to get various information to the students.

"People wouldn't pay much attention to it if it was on a bulletin board, but with the 'Stall Stories' you have a captive audience," she said.

Besides addressing issues facing students, the stories also inform people about weekend events in their community, Freeman Fail said.

Geary Hall President Andrew Block (freshman-political science) said the stories are a good way to publicize weekend events run by the East Halls Residence Association (EHRA).

Freeman Fail said the stories are a good way to help incoming freshmen living in East Halls to adjust to life at the University.

For instance, Freeman Fail said she wrote stories about the new laundry cards, study skills and the Residence Hall Newspaper Readership Program.

The stories, Freeman Fail said, have gotten positive feedback from students. Students have asked Residence Life to update them more often because they get tired of reading the same thing, she added.

Jason Smiles (freshman-engineering) said he thinks the "Stall Stories" are a great way to inform students.

"What else would I be doing while I'm in the bathroom?," he said. "I think that they are a great way to pass the time."

One reason the stories are effective is that with classes and schoolwork, students generally do not have time to just sit down and read, Freeman Fail said. Because students have some spare moments in the stall, they can read at their leisure.

"The reality is that students are bombarded with information," she said. "That's one of the few places that students can sit down and read."