Comparing and Contrasting the TIP campuses

By Kathy Garner

TIP is love, no matter where you choose to go to. Recently, there were some changes made to campus locations that made this statement so much the more true. Now, in order to be a fourth year-fourth year, the average TIPster must go to two campuses; one for first (and maybe second) year, and then another for the remaining years. Each campus has its perks, its downsides, and its traditions. However, TIP is the overall bond between each campus, and no matter how many campuses you go to, you will always be a TIPster, and thus in a tight-knit family. Because this is only the second year that TIP is at UGA, this campus is a conglomeration of many other campuses and traditions. These are a few facts about where UGA TIPsters are from.


Texas A&M: I spent my first year during Term 1 2008 at Texas A&M. There are a couple things A&M has that the other two campuses I’ve been to don’t. My first choice is sinks in the dorm. I was under the impression those were pretty standard, but evidentially they aren’t. When you’ve gotten used to just waiting a few minutes for your roommate to finish washing her face and brushing her teeth to having to walk all the way to a bathroom to find that every sink is already taken, you miss them.



They also have a lounge section for one of their laundry rooms, which is nice when you have ten minutes left on a washer and don’t want to walk upstairs to your dorm. They have their lounge one and a regular in the dorm laundry room. It also has the cheapest laundry rates; $1.50 to wash and dry (.75 each) (It should be noted that they have gotten new dryers since I was there, so the rates may have changed).



However, as with all dorms, there are downsides. One of the minor ones is the bunk beds. Neither of the other two campuses had bunks, but I’d trade the normal beds for a sink in my dorm. Second, there were no common rooms like on other campuses. They had two lounges (the one with the laundry room (which was in a seperate building) and one with a TV), but common rooms on second through fourth floor were just dorms with different furniture. It's also difficult to pack and unpack with rolling luggage because there are no elevators in Moses Hall.


One of the worst downsides to A&M was the prominent Texas heat, most noticeable during Aggfest (the RCs were really concerned about our hydration, and ‘minimum one glass of water at dinner’ was a daily rule). Events in Aggfest, Texas A&M's TIP field day, consisted of the ones that the entire team had to compete in (Tug-o-War, Dorm Blob, Cheer, and some sort of relay) and the ones that each camper signed up for (trivia, field games, and others). Another tradition was the staff taking us to the Bonfire Memorial after the Staff v. Student game. Final dance was Thursday, and slideshow/talent show was on the last night, where you were allowed to drag your mattress into someone else’s dorm and spend the night with people who weren’t your roommate.



Appalachian State University: Definitely one of the cooler campuses I’ve been to, both in temperature and atmosphere. I chose to take psychology at ASU in 2009. It had the most perks of any campus I’ve been to. In addition to being a gorgeous campus, and the central building for classes feet away from the dining hall used, they allowed you more freedom during free time; you could choose to go to the student center (an arcade room and the campus bookstore were located here), utilize the computers at the library, play Frisbee on the quad, or go to the dorms and take a nap. They also had a central common room on each floor, and a room with a TV on the first floor.



During Term 2 2009, the washers and dryers had signup sheets to help with the typical Sunday morning rush to wash clothes, though these were usually disregarded. However, their laundry is most expensive, $2.50 to both wash and dry clothes ($1.25 separately). They also only had three showers in the bathrooms. A&M’s water might not have heated up correctly, but it did help that there were more than three. At ASU, there was also a dress code (which I feel was reasonable; girls couldn’t be too suggestively dressed, guys couldn’t sag).



Traditions were also the strongest at ASU. PITfest, ASU's TIP field day, was mainly ‘camper signs up’ for events; Jello-snarfle, pudding feed, cheesy poof face, and dizzy bat, among others. The entire team did have to come together for cheer, and staff v. student Ultimate Frisbee was held following PITfest, but in other years the Ultimate Frisbee game has been part of the PITfest competition.



University of Kansas: Media and Message TIPster Ella Sivertsen attended the KU campus at Term 2 in 2009, and shared some facts about her experience.


There are a standard four to a dorm room instead of two because the rooms are in the newer "suite style", meaning that there is a small study area in between two bedrooms. They also use bunk beds, and they have a private bathroom. Common rooms are located on each of the seven floors, and laundry rooms are in the basement. The prices are reasonable at $1.50 for a wash and dry ($0.75 separately). Despite the common knowledge that Kansas is extremely flat, the TIPsters in the Creative Writing class had to climb two huge hills every day on their way to class. The music played at the dances was also more censored because the students were younger.



University of Georgia: One part of UGA that everyone loves is the food. There’s a nice selection, it tastes great, no wonder- they've won 73 national awards! Getting to take a bus to class instead of walking in the heat is also a major plus.


Laundry is moderately priced at about $2 for a washer and a dryer ($1 for a washer, .50 for 20 minutes of drying time with 40 minutes recommended), and the laundry rooms are located on both floors that TIPsters live on, but with only four washers, it can be difficult to do laundry during the Sunday rush. The downside of the Georgia laundry rooms would be the fact that you need a card to operate them.



DAWGfest, UGA's version of the traditional TIP field days (KU's Swampfest, ASU's PITfest, and A&M's Aggfest), consists of the entire team coming together for a cheer, and then events in which the TIPster signs up for during planning.

Each campus is a unique place that facilitates bonding, allows for friendly competition, and helps make great memories for all TIPsters. No matter where you are, where you're from, or where you go, each TIP campus is a home away from home.