After a great first year as a College Student Personnel M.Ed. student at Ohio University, I've moved to Evansville, IN to begin an 8-week internship with the Department of Housing and Residence Life at the University of Southern Indiana. I found USI in February through ACUHO-I (the Association of College and University Housing Officers- International) and I chose USI over a few other offers because I couldn't get over how friendly the two professionals who interviewed me were, and because I've been looking for some experience not just in residence life, but with judicial work and conference services. I felt good about my decision from the start, and I feel even better about it after my first two days in Evansville.
I arrived in Evansville yesterday afternoon after a 7-hour drive from Athens. Kourtney, an Area Coordinator with HRL, met me outside of my new apartment, located in Leslie Hall. The apartment contains a living room, a kitchen, and two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. I have the option of having a roommate-- I haven't had one since my freshman year at Miami University-- and I told Kourtney I would make a decision by Tuesday.
After moving in, I made a trip to the local Wal*Mart to stock up on groceries, then ended the day by exploring USI's beautiful campus. Leslie Hall is located in a large residential area containing several apartment buildings, most of which look the same. I would estimate that each building contains somewhere between 8 and 12 units-- definitely human scale. I believe there are a few suite-style buildings that resemble more traditional residence halls on campus, too. The Housing and Residence Life office is located right across the street from Leslie Hall, so my commute will be short (although not as short as my elevator ride from Bromley 610 to my office on the first floor!). I passed my new office building on the way to the "main" part of campus. I'm not sure if it has a name like "College Green" (OU) or "Academic Quad" (MU), but it's a beautiful area that contains a lot of new buildings, fountains, seating, and green space. I found a few administrative buildings, the rec center (a few students were playing basketball on a court outside the facility), the library, and the student center, which, although it was closed, looked impressive from the outside. I can't wait to learn more about these buildings and explore campus even more.
USI is located about two miles from the closest retail area. The campus seems pretty isolated from the rest of Evansville but it's a quick drive to a suburban area with everything I'll need to get by this summer. This morning, I ventured back to this suburban area and made a stop at a local grocery store, and then I ventured a few more miles down the Lloyd Expressway, one of the city's main thoroughfares, to downtown. My first stop was the Evansville Visitors Center, located in a building called "The Pagoda." The employee staffing the desk is a current USI student, and only had positive things to say. Another employee working in the building also raved about USI; apparently Newman Hall on campus is named after her father (!). These two people gave me a ton of literature on events and places to visit, and also recommended that I stroll down the walking path by the river, which I did. It's a beautiful day in Evansville, so a lot of people were out doing the same thing.
After my walk, I decided to drive around downtown a little more in search of a coffee shop with wi-fi. I found a neat-looking street with a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and clubs, but it seemed like everything was closed. Fortunately I ran into some kind people who told me that the nearest coffee shop with wi-fi was at Casino Aztar. They pointed me in the direction of Casino Aztar, where I found a coffee shop called the "Riverside Cafe" (formerly a Starbucks). That's where I am now.
It's been a great weekend so far, and I can't wait to make the most of my internship at USI (work starts Tuesday) and the most of every minute in Evansville. I've been really impressed with how friendly complete strangers have been to me, and the area by the river-- I'm looking out at the river right now from my seat at this cafe-- is beautiful. I usually adjust to new environments pretty quickly, and I can already tell that USI and Evansville won't be an exception.
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