Different Students Living Environments

This is a photo essay I have created for our Journalism class. It is entitled "Different Students Living Environments." The photo captions can be found below the slide show. Enjoy.



Upperclassmen are always fighting over Centennial Suites during the housing lottery because of the spacious, apartment style rooms. Suites consist of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living area with refrigerator, microwave, and cabinets. Seen here are roommates (from left to right) Crystal Gant, Tina Calcagno, Melanie Bonifacio, Lisa Julkowski, Lindsey Trent, and Jane Killmar in their living area on Thursday night.

Junior Andrew Infanger resides on campus in a Mazuchelli Hall single. He has successfully converted this former convent room, into a messy, jam-packed, college dorm room, which he calls home. Andrew is seen here sitting at his computer desk on a normal Thursday night after returning from a midnight security shift.

Andrew’s room is jammed packed with his belongings, as everything from his bed to his sink is in one single room. His closet is large in comparison to other dorm rooms, but is no exception to the tight space. Storing his bike, clothing, shoes, and even extension cord there is not unusual to dorm living.

Opposite of Andrew’s cramped space, junior Lisanne Scannichio’s living area is very spacious. She rents out this home just past the CTA Green Line in Oak Park with her sister, who is also a college student at DePaul University. “I love my new home. I lived in the dorm the past few years and now I feel like I am finally on my own,” she said.

Inside Lisanne’s house there is plenty of living space with a large living room, full-size kitchen, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. Pictured here is one section of her kitchen cabinets, which provides more than enough space for her snacks and supplies. Lisanne even has four empty shelves ready for the next time she goes grocery shopping.

Freshman students must adjust to sharing a small dorm room with a stranger as part of the “college experience”. First semester freshman roommates Marissa Surma and Amy Miller pose in their Power Hall double on Wednesday night. “Even though our room is small, I love having a new home away from home,” Surma said.

Unlike Scannichio’s large and part empty kitchen cabinets, Surma and Miller each have their own set of plastic food drawers. Shown here is Miller’s drawers complete with peanut butter, microwave soup, and dishes. As most of their meals are eaten in the cafeteria, they say this small space is adequate.

Junior Lauren Ruebe moved into her own apartment off of North Ave in Melrose Park on September 13, after she became unhappy because of the cramped and outdated living environment in Power Hall. According to Ruebe, the best part of her apartment is the bathroom because she does not have to share it. Ruebe is seen here putting on her make-up Tuesday morning before class.

Senior Dan Humphreys and Junior Andrew Bednarczyk share a dorm room on the second floor of Centennial Hall. Friday night they play a video game of Madden football on their XBOX 360, as they look in opposite directions. According to Bednarczyk, the XBOX 360 is an important element in their room.

Along with the XBOX 360, Humphreys and Bednarczyk say that another important element of their room is their two televisions. The spacious Centennial dorm room allows them to do this. “The best part is that we can watch the Cubs game and play video games at the same time,” Humphreys said.