As deadline approaches, the third floor of Fisk Hall is frantic. Cherubs swarm the four classrooms filled with PCs to finish and print their articles. Some have been there for hours developing stories. Others make only short appearances just long enough to produce a hard copy to turn in after writing in the dorm.
“I like working on my own computer because I’m [familiar with] it so it is easy,” said Alyssa Kincaid, of California. “Plus it has all of my work and my music in one place.”
Edward “Boomer” Dangel also prefers his own laptop because having a familiar computer makes finishing assignments easier.
“Working on my computer is like having a home-field advantage in a football game,” said Dangel, of Tennessee. “It’s the same computer that I’ve typed my school papers on for three years, and it’s what my fingers are most used to.”
Other cherubs find the dorm a more suitable workspace because they have the option of working in either their dorm room or in a common area.
“Most people end up working in Fisk anyways because they didn’t bring a laptop, but I brought a laptop, so I prefer working in my room,” said Lynn Shin, of Hawaii. “I think it’s a better environment because it is quiet, it’s more comfortable, and I can spread my work out all around me.”
On the other hand, Rebecca Lawson, of Illinois, gets more done in Fisk Hall. “When you go to Fisk you have work on the brain. Being at the dorms is more about friends. You would rather hang out with your friends than get work done,” she said.
Fisk also provides cherubs with Internet that is not available in the dorm. And with the occasional dance party in the common rooms after check-in, Fisk becomes the ideal place to work.
“I can get a lot of work done,” Hailey Edelstein, of New Jersey, said. “I work in my room, too, but I don’t have Internet and when everyone is out in the common rooms talking it is really hard to concentrate.”
Team work is key in the four writing rooms. They provide a collaborative space for multiple people as deadlines approach.
“I like it when other people are in [Fisk] with me because I can ask them to read my stories and they can improve them,” Ali Tomek, of Nebraska, said.
