Design Refine Be Mine

Dorm life gives students a bit of home on campus, but not all items you use at home should make the trek to college. The housing department at your future college sets the standards for items that are allowed and prohibited in the dorms. Most of the restrictions are based on the protection of all students living in communal housing. Reviewing the specific restrictions for your college helps you avoid breaking any rules.

Fire Hazards

• With so many people living in one building, colleges need to ban items that present a fire hazard. Incense, candles and any other items with open flames are not allowed in dormitories. Smoking cigarettes or cigars is another activity banned in and around dorms. Halogen lamps are generally considered a fire hazard and are not allowed on campus. Some colleges prohibit certain types of curtains because they may not meet fire safety requirements.

Restricted Appliances

• Many appliances are banned in dorm rooms due the potential for overloaded circuits or fires. A small dorm refrigerator and microwave are usually allowed, but other cooking implements are prohibited. Leave appliances such as hot plates, toasters, electric skillets, toaster ovens and indoor grills at home. Window air conditioners and space heaters are also commonly found on prohibited item lists. These appliances use a lot of power and can overwork the electrical system. Check on the use of extension cords, as colleges often ban them as another way to prevent a heavy load on the circuits.

Pets

• Pets are generally not allowed in college dorms. Animals make messes and often cause damage that colleges don't want to deal with. Pets also make noises that may disrupt your dorm neighbors. It's tough to leave a favorite pet behind, but college students are often too busy to take care of pets anyway. Some colleges do allow small fish tanks in the dorms. You still have pet-care responsibilities with fish, including remembering to feed the fish and cleaning the tank. Decide if you want that responsibility before setting up an aquarium in your room.

Certain Furniture

• Colleges vary on the furniture allowed in the dorms. Some colleges provide all of the furniture necessary for you and don't want additional furniture in the rooms. Most dormitories lack excess space, so a full-sized couch or other large furniture may not fit even if they aren't prohibited by the college. Loft beds are also restricted by some colleges. You may need to purchase the lofting kit from the college or meet requirements on the maximum height. Homemade lofts are sometimes prohibited to reduce the risk of a falling bed.

Drinking alcohol and alcohol abuse is a rising problem on college campuses. Binge drinking is detrimental to academic performance, as well as health and personal relationships. In an effort to curb this problem, many college campuses have instituted alcohol treatment programs. Students also commonly have access to psychological counseling on campus. However, statistics show that the students who consume the most alcohol may be the least likely to seek treatment.

Drinking on College Campuses

• 

  Some statistics suggest that the number of non-drinkers on campuses nationally is increasing. Some college campuses provide activities that do not involve alcohol, but not all students take advantage of these. In fact, in 2005, 44 percent of students attending four-year college drank at the binge level.

Consequences of Binge Drinking

• 

  The health consequences of binge drinking are obvious. Besides the risk of being injured or injuring others while driving under the influence of alcohol, it is estimated that 30,000 students annually seek medical attention after overdosing on alcohol. Alcohol abuse is highly correlated with unsafe sexual practices, such as having unprotected sex, or engaging in non-consensual sex.

Community Influences on College Drinking

• Some colleges and universities ban alcohol on campus. Even so, alcohol is often easily accessible at low prices at nearby nightclubs and bars.Statistics show that binge-drinking among college students correlates positively with binge-drinking among adults in the community. Also, states with stricter alcohol control policies have lower incidences of binge-drinking among college students.

Solutions to the Problem

• 

  The most widely proposed solutions to the problem of binge-drinking on college campuses include strengthening the penalties for alcohol and campus, and providing activities that do not include alcohol. Some people suggest that 'destigmatizing alcohol' is an important first step. These people maintain that it is vital to stress to young adults that alcohol is not the problem, but the abuse of alcohol that leads to detrimental consequences.

For many young students, their college dorm room is their first home away from their families. The college dorm room represents independence and responsibility and marks an important growing period for the young adult. Many choose to decorate their dorm rooms to express their personalities and style. Since most dorm rooms come with room mates, it is important to discuss the decorations before implementing your ideas. Bedding The most fundamental way to decorate your half of your dorm room is with your bedding. Make sure you purchase bedding in the correct size: most dorm room beds are twin size. If your college dorm rooms have extra long beds, make sure you purchase extra long sheets. Look for reversible comforters to allow you to change the look of your bed every few weeks so you don't get bored with the same pattern or color. Throw pillows make the bed comfortable daytime use as a couch, and throws and blankets add an extra splash of color or pattern to your bed. Painting Some colleges allow students to paint their dorm rooms while others forbid it. Find out if painting is an option before going ahead. Paint the walls in a solid color for a more classic feel. If you're creative, try painting a mural on the wall next to your bed. For a funky look, purchase cans of spray paint and decorate the walls with graffiti. Posters Posters are a great way of expressing yourself, especially if your college does not allow wall painting. Check to find out your college's policies on hanging posters and painting, because some might not allow nails or tape on the walls. Choose posters of your favorite movies or bands, or pick out prints of your favorite paintings. Frames add extra style to posters, or you could just tack them to the wall as is. Work Desk Your dorm room might also double as your study space. If your dorm room has a work desk or area, find some fun, small decorations to brighten up its appearance. A single stem plastic flower in a small vase next to your computer screen gives you something attractive to look at when you need a short break. Your mouse pad is a good way of expressing yourself---look for one featuring your favorite band or a pattern that you like. Organizational devices such as paper trays and pen holders can double as decorations. Look for them in similar colors to your bedding, or find a clashing pattern if you prefer.

Go here to get a new coupon from Gap Factory Outlet good for $25 off $75 purchase for four days only.

$25 off $75: Offer valid from 3/27/14 through 3/30/14 at Gap Outlet, Gap Outlet Kids & Baby, or Gap Factory Store in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) only. Not valid in Gap stores, online, or in our clearance center. Discount is allocated across items. GiftCards, packaging, taxes and prior purchases do not qualify toward the minimum purchase requirement and coupon cannot be applied to such items. Coupon must be surrendered at time of purchase. Limit one coupon per customer per transaction. Copies not accepted. Not responsible for lost or stolen coupons. Cannot be combined with other offers or coupons, including Gap Inc. employee discount. Cashiers use coupon code: SAVE25

Review

A sweet deal for students

Razer gave thin and light gaming a major kick in the pants when it introduced its Blade laptop last year. It earned a 9 verdict (and our respect) in our review of the $2,000 model, which offered up impressive gaming performance in a package measuring just 13.6 inches by 9.3 inches by 0.66 inches (that's 0.05 inches thinner than a dime when you stand it up) and weighing 4.1 pounds. This year's refresh upgrades the 14-inch QHD+ territory (3200x1800), so what do you do with 'old' models? Apparently you try offloading them on students for a 20 percent Promotional Code.

For a limited time, K-12 and higher education students can receive a discount code good for 20 percent off the purchase of one Razer Blade 2013 laptop. The code doesn't apply to the Pro model, nor does it work with the 2014 model Razer Blades.

Last year's Razer Blade laptops start at $1,800 and include a 14-inch display with a 1600x900 resolution, Intel Core i7 4702HQ processor, 8GB of DDR3L-1600 memory, Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M graphics, 128GB hard drive, 1.3MP webcam, built-in stereo speakers, backlit anti-ghosting keyboard, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, Killer Wireless-N 1202 (802.11n + Bluetooth 4.0), 70Wh battery, and Windows 8.1 64-bit.

There's also a $2,000 model with a 256GB SSD and a $2,300 SKU with a 512GB SSD. The 20 percent discount should work with any of the three configurations.

If you're interested, you can register for your discount code on Razer's website.

Cheon "Promise" Min-ki, a Korean League of Legends player who attempted suicide by leaping out of a 12th story window, was moved to a general ward yesterday after a remarkable recovery. This is according to a report from the Twitter user @insideKLoL, who was one of the very first people to report the incident:
According to his friend ReSEt, Promise moved to a general ward as his condition had improved considerably.
- insideKLoL (@insideKLoL) March 17, 2014
Min-ki was admitted to the hospital on March 12 with multiple fractures and internal bleeding after he landed in a recycling bin. He remained in critical condition until recently. A charity event was started by Inven, a Korean e-sports association. The League of Legends community raised over $20,000 for Min-ki's medical bills in its first day (check out our coverage of that here).
Min-ki left a suicide note that outlined an elaborate scam orchestrated by his team's manager, Noh Dae Chul. Chul allegedly bet against his team and forced Min-ki and his teammates to intentionally lose professional League of Legends matches. Min-ki also alleges that Chul stole prize money, sold off the team's computers and evicted them ( here is our detailed report of the initial incident).
This prompted an investigation by KeSPA, Korea's state-run e-sports association. KeSPA released its findings yesterday. The original report can be found here and a full translation can be found on reddit league of legends.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/20m5c0/kespa_has_released_the_ahq_incidents/">Reddit
. The report backs up most of Min-ki's allegations. KeSPA interviewed Casper, Hoon, Trace, and Actscene (Min-ki's teammates' League of Legends code names), and they vouched for Min-ki.
The report translation notes that Chul told his players "OGN (OnGameNet, Korea's e-sports television network) has a tradition of receiving money from big company teams that join the league as an "Advertisement fee. However, because our company is from Taiwan, the company couldn't understand and refused to pay. When I told OGN that AHQ (the team's Taiwanese sponsor) does not want to pay, OGN said if you cannot pay the fee, you must lose the game against the big company teams."

Various details of the thrown games are shared in the statement.
The only two parts of Min-ki's account that KeSPA deemed inaccurate were as follows:

• Min-ki stated that his team had given up first blood (the first kill for either side in a League of Legends match) in each thrown game. Review of the OnGameNet footage showed that this wasn't true.
• Min-ki indicated that Actscene was also participating in the throwing of games, but KeSPA found that, while Actscene had agreed to the fix before the matches, he didn't actually go through with it in the games.

A spokesman for KeSPA said that the organization has filed a lawsuit against Chul, and the findings of this report will be used as evidence in the case against him. No criminal charges have been filed at this point, but the lawsuit could have a serious impact on whether or not criminal charges are filed at a later date. Chul has not been found yet.
The spokesman also mentioned that KeSPA will be monitoring its teams more closely to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again.
To donate to the fundraiser for Min-ki, go here.

GDC has officially kicked off for us at TouchArcade, and one of the first games we've seen is Naiad Entertainment's Sneaky Sneaky. It's something of a dungeon crawler with stealth elements, as well as some light puzzle solving and enemy battles. Here's a video where Naiad explains the game by going through a few demo levels they built just for GDC.

The demo I was shown of Sneaky Sneaky was quite cool, and it sounds like Naiad has a lot more content planned for it, including implementing some more RPG type elements. They're shooting for a summer release, so we'll keep tabs on its development and let you know when it's available.

Discount