7. Scene VII: campus life
Ø Ask the way
Ø Dormitory
Ø Live off campus
Ø Example 1: At the Dormitory
1. How did the woman figure out that the man is from Sweden?
A Because of his appearance.
B Because of his accent when he speaks English.
C Because he speaks Swedish.
D Because of his name.
2. Which of the following is permitted?
A Making loud noise after midnight.
B Smoking in the room.
C Inviting overnight visitors to the room.
D Having a pot-luck party.
3. Why does the man forewarn the woman about losing her room key?
A She needs to use it while evacuating the building.
B She has to walk 15 minutes to get a new key.
C Officials might check her room while changing the lock and the key.
D She has to pay a surcharge for a new key.
A: Hi, I’m Martin. Have you just moved into Room 315?
B: Hi, I’m Julia. Yes, I just got here. Nice to meet you.
A: Nice to meet you. Where are you from?
B: I’m from a small town near Vancouver, Canada. What about you? Is that a Swedish accent I hear?
A: I’m from Stockholm. I’m impressed you knew my accent.
B: My grandparents are Swedish. Are there others here from Sweden?
A: Not in this pod, we have 5 girls from Venice Italy, Pierre from Paris, and Tony and John from the USA.
B: That’s quite an international group.
A: Yes, you are lucky to have gotten into the international graduate student dorm. I have made some excellent friends here. What is your major?
B: Law.
A: None of the others are law students. I’m doing an MBA as are the Americans.
B: So I have this booklet with the rules and regulations. It looks like there are a lot of them.
A: Not really, there is an attempt to keep the place conductive to studying. The quiet policy is in effect from 11p.m until 6:30a.m, but it is self-policed. We have not had any problems in this pod. You are not allowed to smoke or cook in the rooms.
B: I won’t do that. I was so embarrassed yesterday. I plugged in my hair dryer and it is a different voltage than that of my country. I set off the fire alarm and the whole building was evacuated.
A: Oh, I heard about that. I was in the library at the time. No worries, that happens a lot at this time of year.
B: So do we all use the same kitchen?
A: Yes, and we generally all do our own cooking ,although sometimes on Sunday night, we do a pot luck then have leftovers for a couple of days. Remember to clean the kitchen after every use. We have a special clean-up day organized by the Housing Society once every two weeks.
B: What about hot water?
A: You can use as much as you want. There are no meters. Occasionally, we run out of hot water if people take too long a shower, but that is not common. Your room has its own washroom. Laundry facilities are in the basement. There is a policy of conserving energy, you should always turn out lights when you leave, including the lounge area.
B: What about heat?
A: It is centrally controlled and there is no air-conditioning. You are lucky your room faces north as the rooms on the west side get very hot this time of year.
B: Is there a storage area?
A: Yes, in the basement. It is not permitted to put personal belongings in the hallways, lounge or other community spaces. Such items shall be automatically removed by the Housing Society without prior notification. The storage room is free of charge.
B: Would my skis be safe in the storage area?
A: Everything in the storage room needs to have a name on it. If your skis are very valuable you could ask, Maria, the housekeeper to put them in the dry room behind her Housekeeping area.
B: Are there vacuum cleaners?
A: Yes, we have one in the storage area of our kitchen. It’s important to return it as soon as you finish using it. That reminds me, I have locked myself out of my room doing vacuuming. Take extra care not to lose your key and always lock your door. It’s a 15 minute walk to the Housing Society to get another room key. It also costs $5
B: Are there room checks?
A: You will be informed beforehand if officials are to enter your room for the purpose of periodic checks of fire prevention equipment, etc. Also, if you ever hear the fire alarm, you must evacuate the building.
B: I can’t think of anything else. Is there anything we haven’t covered?
A: Hmm. Overnight visitors are not allowed in your room. There is a guest room on the first floor, but you have to arrange that with the Housing Authority well in advance. No religious propaganda in the dorm. You can’t remove furnishings from your room. Do you have a car?
B: No.
A: That’s good, as parking is a problem. Here comes Tony, let me introduce you.