Wednesday, January 15, 1997
Dorm residents need more than TVs and computers to survive
college lifeBy Toni Dimayuga
Daily Bruin Contributor
While Baloo the bear advised to look for the "bare necessities"
in the Disney animated movie "The Jungle Book," many dorm-dwelling
students feel they need much more.
Students own a number of items ranging from the basic to the
unique, such as radios and pocket sandwich makers.
Because of the number of appliances they own and scarcity of
available outlets, some students, such as Sunset Village residents
Ric Takahashi, and his roommate Matt Garcia, were forced to
purchase power strips.
Takahashi, a fourth-year pre-business economics student,
explained that he is currently using two six-plug outlets Â
one to accommodate his monitor, computer, answering machine, desk
lamp, and Microfridge, and the other for his alarm clock, CD player
and telephone.
In the bathroom Takahashi keeps a hair dryer and electric razor
and plans to add one more item to his possession.
"I’m getting a sonic head toothbrush soon … They get your
teeth really clean," he said.
On the other side of the room, a nest of blue and gray wires is
situated between the second refrigerator and Garcia’s desk.
Buried under this morass is a seven-plug outlet for Garcia, a
fourth-year political science and history student.
These extra outlets, he explained, are for his computer,
monitor, printer, stereo, "miscellaneous" refrigerator  as
Garcia referred to it  television, VCR and Sega video
game.
At times when he is hungry and feeling creative, Garcia breaks
out a pocket sandwich maker, located in his closet next to the
iron. He used to use a Hot Pot to make coffee or Cup O’ Noodles,
but now it resides, broken, under the bathroom sink.
Garcia added that his other roommate, who although does not own
as many appliances as he or Takahashi, has a four-plug outlet for
his desk lamp and Dustbuster, and possibly for his electric
guitar.
Fortunately, students do not need to worry about overloading the
circuitry. On-Campus Housing Supervisor Ory Young assured that with
the exception of certain restricted items such as toasters Â
which can cause overload problems  the amount of appliances
students use are not enough to cause any permanent damage.
Young said that at most a breaker, which controls all the
outlets in a room, would fail, but is easily replaced. In addition,
each dorm has a generator and a backup generator in case of power
failure.
In another room first-year students Eric Chang, a business
economics student, and Jeremiah Arnold, an undeclared student, also
have several appliances to accommodate their "bare
necessities."
"We have two surge suppressors, two computers, one printer, two
radios, a Microfridge, a television, a VCR, a couple of lamps
 that’s about it," Chang said.
As far as food appliances, Chang said that they only have a rice
cooker, but Arnold mentioned that they were considering buying a
single range electric stove top.
Although they have surge suppressors instead of extra outlets,
Chang explained that lack of outlets in the rooms led him and
Arnold to buy extension cords like power cables, a longer Ethernet
cord, and longer telephone lines.
"It makes it kind of tough," he said.
The dorms’ electrical systems were most recently upgraded during
seismic renovation five to six years ago, Young said, and added
that there was a limit to what they could do.
"If we decide to upgrade the rooms we can do it to a certain
extent but the building has certain limitations. For the most part
we’re able to satisfy the students," Young said.
Though Garcia is a proud owner of a myriad of appliances, he
affirms that the comforts of modern life have not completely taken
over, for he still does not use an electric shaver.
"I’m old fashioned," he said. "I got the $1.99 for five
Bics."
GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
Adam Kipnis, a Student Technology Center employee and
second-year mathematics of computation student, inspects the wall
of cable outputs inside the Sproul Hall wiring room.