Food, friends and fun — and etiquette — were on the minds of Kansas University students at Oliver Residence Hall the final week of classes for the spring semester.

With nine floors and approximately 600 students at Oliver Hall, many students capitalized on opportunities to socialize. On May 12, Oliver residents B.J. Cheeks, Julie Olson and Paul Gutierrez shared their experiences living in residence halls.

“The best thing about the dorms is that you get to meet a bunch of different people and you always find something to do on the weekend,” said Cheeks, a Phoenix freshman majoring in English. “On your floor, you’re like a family. It’s like a neighborhood.”

Olson, a Barrington, Ill., freshman and member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, enjoyed the camaraderie at Oliver Hall.

“Everyone is pretty friendly in the dorms, so it’s easy to make friends,” she said. “I come down to the cafe a couple of times a day, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there.

“I have met a lot of people in Oliver. My roommate was one of my best friends in high school. I didn’t go potluck. I’ve met a lot of girls from my area in Chicago, which is nice. The majority of people are from Kansas. I’m actually in a sorority, so I’ve met more people in my sorority than dorm. I kind of regret not meeting as many in my dorms. At the end of the year, I was able to meet more of them.”

Gutierrez, a Las Vegas sophomore majoring in communication studies, said the Oliver food was fine. He wished food officials would expand the dessert offerings.

“The food’s all right,” Gutierrez said while munching on chicken tenders, green beans and hot dogs. “They don’t have any apple pie, and chocolate pudding comes in a blue moon.”

Loud music at inopportune times is commonplace at Oliver, Gutierrez said.

Decorations add personality to a door at Oliver Hall.

“It can get a little rowdy here,” he said. “The music blasts late at night, 11 or 12 o’clock when you’re trying to study for a test.”

Gutierrez’s taste in music also causes friction with roommates and students on his floor.

“I consider myself to be a unique individual,” he said. “Everybody on my floor and other floors smoke. I’m not a smoker. They’re more into heavy metal, rap kind of music. I’m more into soft rock and oldies genre. They think I’m crazy for not liking their style of music.”

Bathroom maintenance — or lack of — also peeves Gutierrez.

Kansas University Nathan Hermanson, second from left, shares food with B.J. Cheeks, lower right, during lunch at Oliver Residence Hall. Pictured clockwise from lower left are John Caffrey, Olathe; Hermanson, Olathe; Alex Haneberg, Chicago; and Cheeks, Phoenix.

“Everybody thinks it’s funny to put toilet paper all over place or tear down the doors,” he said. “Even though the cleaning guy comes in Monday through Friday on a consistent basis, it can still get messy in a heartbeat late at night.”

Gutierrez’s freshman year at KU was a major adjustment, especially since he grew up an only child. He had to learn to be considerate of his roommate the fall semester.

“I had to turn down the TV late at night when he was asleep,” he said. “I was up against the TV late at night with the volume down low. That was definitely a drawback.”

Gutierrez’s solution?

He moved to another residence hall room and lived by himself the second semester.

– Photographer Thad Allender contributed to this story.

Kelly Daigle, Littleton, Colo., freshman returns to her room in Oliver Residence Hall.

Kati Benton, Abilene freshman, studies for a communications course. Although her room is small, Benton has made the best of the space, decorating every nook and cranny.