February, 2002

John Iannone, ed.,
Graduate Assistant

Inside this Issue

Proud to be an RA!
Personal Safety Tips
Using your Air Conditioner
HIV Testing
Intramural Sports

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Proud to be an RA!

Jimmy Moore - Apollo Area Coordinator

Do you want to be able to say those words? Do you want to be an RA? Applications will be available beginning the week of January 2, 2002 from any area office or from the web at the housing website.

Applicants must be full time UCF Students with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA, exhibit demonstrated leadership skills in other organizations or affiliations, and have a minimum of one year living experience in a residence hall or other community living environment such as the affiliated communities here at College Park.

The compensation package for serving as an RA is second to none and is competitive with that of other schools. The exact compensation depends on placement and will be discussed during Round 1 Interviews.

The real benefits, however, are the skills you will learn. RA's are trained extensively in first aid, CPR, critical incident response, mediation, listening skills, leadership skills, developing and promoting programs, and much more. In short, you’ll learn skills that will help you throughout your college career and far beyond. To make the deal even better, employers know what an RA is, so it looks great on a resume!

Now that we have tempted you, why wouldn't you want to apply to be an RA? Stop by your area office or go online to get your application soon. Hurry, the deadline is February 8th, 2002 at 5pm to turn your application in to the Academic Village Area Office (the residence halls right under the water tower on campus).

Good Luck! We hope that next year you will be one of the lucky few who can say they’re proud to be an RA!

Get Your Application Online!
http://www.housing.ucf.edu/ra

Application Deadline:
February 8, 2002 at 5pm

Self-Defense Resources

Tae Kwon Do
Classes offered at the UCF Rec. Center.

PEM2405
Self-Defense for Women and Men.
UCF Main Campus.

www.police.ucf.edu
More resources and links on personal safety.

Are You Aware?

Last month, we outlined some safety tips to keep your apartment and your belongings secure. This month, we’re looking at your personal safety.

Here are some tips you can use around the property and around campus to avoid attacks before they happen.

Awareness: By far, the most important thing you can do for your personal safety is to know who and what is around you, so you can avoid problems before they happen.

As you go anywhere, look around. Look into shadows, behind trees and bushes, and around parked cars. Would-be attackers want to have the advantage. If you see them first, they’ve lost it. Chances are they’ll wait for an easier target.

If you see something suspicious, get to a safe place as quickly as possible (such as your apartment), and call your area office immediately. Don’t be a victim if you find you have the choice.

Preparedness: This one is simple: if you’re going to your car, have your keys out and be ready to open the door. Get in, lock the door, start the car, and get moving as quickly as possible. The longer the process takes, the longer the window of opportunity for a carjacker. Similarly, if you’re headed to your apartment, have your keys out and ready so you can open the door, get inside, and lock the door behind you once you’re in there.
Arm Yourself: No, we’re not talking about ANY type of weaponry. What we are talking about is cell phones, friends, and knowledge.

If you have a cell phone, always carry it with you—there are countless cases in which a cell phone call has saved lives.

If your workout entails running, or if you walk for transportation—do it with a friend. If you don’t have a car, carpool with friends or take the bus.

Finally, if you want to know more about defending yourself, there are hundreds of resources available to expand your knowledge. Look at the sidebar for some examples and remember to be aware and be prepared everywhere you go.
Residence Life, College Park, the Police, and aware residents have already made a significant impact on the crime rates in our community. We’ll continue working hard to make this community as safe as it can be, but remember, your first line of defense is always yourself.

Proper use of your air conditioner will ensure that your apartment will ALWAYS be comfortable!

Warm Weather is Back...

The appliance most likely to break down in your apartment is your air conditioner unit!

You know that if that happens, you’re going to have at least a day of warm weather INSIDE your apartment until maintenance can get to you. So, here are some tips on the operation of your air conditioner, so it won’t break in the first place.

First of all, your home a/c is NOTHING like your car a/c! When your car is hot, you crank the a/c to max until it’s cooler, because it blows colder air faster. Your home a/c can do only two things: blow cold air into the apartment, or blow hot air into the apartment. The fan will never go faster or slower—it is only on or off, nor will the air ever be colder or warmer.

The reason it works is that it will keep blowing that cold (or warm) air into the apartment until it reaches the temperature you set. Then it stops until it needs to blow more cold air in.

So, the bottom line is: moving the thermostat down to 55 degrees will not make it 70 degrees in the apartment any faster. It only means it will reach 70… and then KEEP GOING until it reaches 55, making your roommates mad, AND breaking the unit once you do it enough… bringing us right back where we started in a really warm apartment!
To set your air conditioner, agree on a temperature with your roommates, set the thermostat, and put the fan on “auto”. If it’s hot outside, set the unit to “cool”, and if it’s cold outside, set it to “heat”. It’s that simple!

Keep it at that temperature and you’ll ensure your a/c unit a long life!

Don't Get Pricked!

REACH Peer Education now offers HIV testing using the Orasure test (no blood draw necessary). This service is being offered to UCF students and the surrounding community for $10.00. REACH Peer Education offers both anonymous and confidential Orasure testing. The hours for making an appointment are Monday and Tuesday 10:00am to 8:00pm, and Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. For more information or to make an appointment please call (407) 823-5457.

Intramural sports are a lot of fun, but in order for the events to succeed – YOU have to be involved! Sign-up on-line and challenge yourself to become the champions!

Intramural Sports at Krossing and Court!

Intramural Sports are back at Affiliated Housing! Here are some of the events and sports happening this semester:

Gameroom challenge (2 Person Billiards & Foosball Tournament)
3-on-3 Basketball Tournaments
Whiffleball Tournament.

Each event is designed to be fun, exciting, and challenging. If you win, you get bragging rights for the complex and a spiffy Intramural Champion T-Shirt.

Each sport and event will have UCF intramural representatives to help keep control, but good sportsmanship is always the rule!

Beginning this semester you can sign-up on-line at www.imsports.ucf.edu by clicking on the 'PLAY' button at the top left corner and then following the appropriate links. Each event has a deadline to sign-up and then a play date. Watch for flyers coming your way soon!

Remember, anyone who lives at Knight's Court or Knight’s Krossing can participate in the events. Check the front page for signup deadlines and play dates!