---Prospective students---

General info I Q&A I What if? I Buzzing I Tagging I Parking I Glossary

General Scholarship Hall information

There are currently 11 scholarship halls at KU.  Six of these are women’s halls: Watkins, Miller, Sellards, Douthart, Margaret Amini, and Dennis E. Reiger.  Five are men’s halls: Battenfeld, Pearson, Stephenson, Grace Pearson, and KK Amini.­­ 

The Crawford Community Center (you might hear it called ‘Mrs. Strait’s house’) and the Chancellor’s Fountain are other important parts of the scholarship hall community. 

All of the halls are operated in basically the same way (i.e. they all have shifts, SHDs, and proctors), but of course they vary in terms of traditions, division of officer responsibilities, overall layout, and even the kinds of shifts that are done.  Talk to some of your fellow schol-hallers and visit the other halls to learn more about the differences that make each hall unique!

 

Douthart Q&A

Can I go anywhere in the hall?
Yup!  Any door that’s unlocked, you’re welcome to open.  Of course, if it’s the door to a personal room, it’s recommended that you knock.  J

When can I use the kitchen?  Can I make anything I want? 
Douthart has an open kitchen and pantry.  That means that you can use the kitchen any time you’d like.  As long as you clean up after yourself and don’t get in the way of anyone trying to do her shift, you can make yourself a snack or a meal at any time.  Just don’t use ingredients that are for meals (they should be on labeled shelves in the pantry or the big bulk packages in the freezers).  If you aren’t sure what ingredients are needed for meals, check the posted monthly menu.

When do we eat?
Breakfast is usually a meal to be scrounged for but bagels and donuts are delivered on Friday and Sunday mornings, respectively.  Lunches are served at 11:30am every day except for Sunday, when it is served at 12:30pm.  Dinner is served at 6:00 or 6:30pm every day of the week except for Saturday.  Of course, you are welcome to grab leftovers, raid the pantry, or make yourself a meal at any time as long as you aren’t interfering with someone doing her shift. 

What kind of food do we eat?  Do I have to eat what’s served at a meal?  What if I’m a vegetarian?
We eat a wide variety of meals – from corn dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches to chicken cordon bleu, steak teriyaki, and calzones.  Lunches and all temp shift meals are simpler and not as elegant; dinners and Sunday lunch are bigger and more elaborate.
      The cooks, who plan the meals, will try to provide a vegetarian option at every meal.  Likewise, a salad bar will be set out for every meal. 
      If you don’t like what’s being served, you can always help yourself to leftovers or you can make something for yourself (as long as you’re not in the cooks’ or clean-up’s way).  You should at least try every meal, though, because the cooks work long and hard making it for you! 

Do we have to pay for guests when they come over to eat?
Nope.  Guests don’t have to pay for meals, but it is good practice to wait with them for a few minutes after a meal buzz so that residents can get through the line first (and, in some cases, on to class). 

What’s in all of these refrigerators?
·    Douthart has several freezers and refrigerators to hold all of the food it takes to keep a hall of 50 women fed.  All of the fridges and freezers are labeled to help you figure out what they hold, but here’s a quick run-down, as well: 
·    The two silver fridges in the kitchen are called the “left” and “right” fridges, and hold leftovers from meals (salad items in the left fridge, and meal items in the right fridge. 
·    The white fridge/freezer (called the “white fridge”) holds condiments, deli meats and cheeses, hummus and cream cheese, and snack items.  Late plates are also stored in this fridge.  You’re welcome to pretty much anything in this fridge/freezer.
·    The white fridge in the dining room (“the milk fridge”) holds milk, orange juice, and leftover Kool-Aid from meals.  The freezer above it holds some of the containers of ice cream. 
·    The “personal/fruit/dessert fridge”, next to the door to Henry, as its name suggests, holds fruit, leftover desserts, and any personal items that people wish to store there (like leftovers from eating out, personal fruit, personal soda, personal ice cream, etc.).  The freezer above it also holds the large containers of hall ice cream and any personal frozen items.  If you put something in the personal fridge, you must clearly LABEL IT with your name.  Likewise, if you see something in the fridge or freezer that is labeled with someone’s name (or, if it’s not fruit, pudding, dessert, or a giant container of hall ice cream), DON’T TAKE IT!!!  Please don’t eat someone else’s food.  We live in a community, and it’s just not a nice thing to do.
·    The three upright silver freezers in the laundry room mostly hold items for meals.  From left to right, they are the Miscellaneous/Dairy Freezer, the Meat Freezer, and the Veggie Freezer.  Even though the main use of these freezers is to hold items for meals, the Miscellaneous Freezer will occasionally have frozen snack foods that you can eat (including frozen bits of cookie dough!).  If you’re not sure if something is going to be used for a meal or not, check the menu.  

Are there any visiting hours?
The hall as a whole has no visiting hours, but visiting hours for personal rooms may be determined in the roommate contract.  Whenever you have a guest over, you do need to follow Douthart’s escort policy and stay with your guest at all times that he or she is in the hall.  This helps all Douthartians feel that both they and their property is safe and secure. 

What is the escort policy in Douthart?
Guests are to be escorted by their host while they are in the hall.  Douthart alumnae are excepted from the escort policy, as long as they wear one of the “Alumna” nametags provided in the phone room.  Male guests must use either the guest restroom on the first floor or the stall in the laundry room.  Male guests are only permitted to shower between the hours of midnight and 6am, provided his host checks the restroom for residents first, and waits outside the bathroom door to inform entering residents of his presence.  The escort policy may seem like a hassle, but please respect it.  Douthart is also home to 48 other women, and they need to feel just as secure as they do in their own homes. 

When are quiet hours?  What does that mean?
Douthart enforces quiet hours from 11pm to 8am every night.  That means that between those hours, you shouldn’t buzz, play the piano or other loud musical instruments, or make loud noises that can be heard through walls (play music or talk really loudly, etc).  We aren’t noise nazis, but please be respectful of other residents. 

What is the meeting attendance policy?
You are required to attend every hall meeting, which are usually scheduled 2-3 weeks apart.  If you cannot attend a meeting, you must notify the president and the secretary.  The president is the only person who can excuse your absence, but it must be for school, work, or an emergency.  A warning is given for the first unexcused absence in a semester, and a J-board is given by the secretary for each following absence. 

What is the J-board?  What does it mean to be J-boarded?
The J-board is a group made up the vice president, the returning woman J-board representative, and a new woman J-board representative.  The SHD sits on the board as a non-voting member.  They operate somewhat like a court judge. 
A J-board is like a ticket you might get from a police officer.  It indicates that you have not completed one of your responsibilities as a resident of the hall. 

What can I be J-boarded for?  Do I get a warning the first time?
You can be J-boarded for missing a shift or doing a shift incompletely.  That included phone duties and rotational shifts.  You can also be J-boarded for unexcused absences from meetings or for violating quiet hours. 
For every J-boardable offense (except for not cooking a meal), you get one warning before you are actually J-boarded.  However, because meals are so integral and have a direct impact on the lives of so many of the residents, there is no warning policy and your first offense results in a J-board.  However, cooks may get warnings for not completing a certain part of their shift, such as making a veggie option, setting out drinks, etc. 
If you’re not sure about J-board rules, look under Article V, Section C, of the Douthart Constitution.

I see that some people have pens and paper in their mailboxes.  Can I keep things in my mailbox?
Mailboxes should be kept fairly empty and not used for long-term storage!  When mail comes, the woman on phone duty should easily be able to put your mail in your mailbox.  Pens and paper are okay, as long as your mail still fits in, too!

What can I put in the storage closets?
On the 2nd and 3rd floors, there is a storage closet for your general use; 1st floor residents should use the 2nd or 3rd floor storage closets.  You may put your suitcases and empty boxes left over from move-in (collapsed) in the storage closets, as long as you leave an open path from the door to the window and avoid putting things within 18 inches of the fire sprinkler heads. 

What are hall cameras, where are they, and what can I use them for?
Historians will put disposable cameras on every floor for use by hall residents to take pictures for the scrapbook.  They will let you know where they are putting them at the beginning of the year.  If you finish off a camera, put the finished camera in the SHD’s mailbox and inform one of the historians so that a new camera can be set out. 

What if…?

…I forget the door code?
If it’s during phone duty hours, you can either knock on the door or ring the doorbell.  However, if it’s after phone duty hours or quiet hours, you should try calling a roommate or someone in the hall to come let you in before you knock or ring the doorbell as a courtesy to first-floor residents.  

…I don’t get along with my roommates?
Every effort is made in roommate placement to ensure good roommate matches, but occasionally conflicts do occur.  If you have a major problem with your roommate(s) that you can’t work out on your own by talking to each other, talk to the president!!  It’s her job to try to work out roommate conflicts.

…I can’t be here to complete one of my shifts?
Don’t worry.  You can trade shifts with someone else to make sure that your shift still gets covered.  Just remember to mark the trade on the shift trade list, so you don’t get blamed if your replacement forgets to do your shift!  There are no rules for trading shifts – only that both people have to agree on the fairness of the trade.

…I have to miss a hall meeting?
You’ll be missing out on a lot of fun!  But if you have to miss a meeting, please let the president know 24 hours in advance.  If the absence is due to class, work, an emergency, or a similarly inflexible conflict, your absence will be excused.  If not, your absence will be unexcused, and you’ll receive a warning for your first missed meeting.  Regardless, be sure to read the meeting minutes that the secretary will send out over the listserv to make sure you’re caught up!

…I have to miss a meal?
You can sign up for a “late plate” before the meal, and the cooks will put the meal in a compartmented Tupperware container.  They will label it with your name and the date, and put it in the white fridge in the kitchen.  You can warm it up any time you’d like.  Just be sure to clean your Tupperware container after you’re finished.  If you sign up for a late plate and don’t end up eating it, you’re still responsible for throwing it away and cleaning the container after three days. 

…I can’t find a parking spot close to Douthart, and it’s late at night?
If this happens, and you don’t feel comfortable walking back from a more distant parking place, call up to your room or any of the other rooms in Douthart (812-17{88–99}) and get someone to ride with you to your parking spot and walk back to the hall with you.  We want everyone to feel safe!

…I have a suggestion for one of the officers?
Great!  Our officers love to get input and feedback from the residents!  Tell her your suggestion directly, leave her a note, or tell the president your suggestion and she’ll make sure it gets passed along.

…I have a question about something that isn’t explained in this handbook?
Just ask!!  Any of the older Douthart residents would be more than happy to answer your question.  You big sis would be a perfect person to go to with questions; it’s her job to make sure you get oriented on campus and in the hall. 

 

How to buzz
Buzzing is a communication tool that has been active in Douthart since its opening.  Buzzing is used to contact individual residents and to signal meals, events, mail, and emergencies. 
- Meals and events are signaled by one long buzz. 
- Mail is signaled by giving two long buzzes.
- Emergencies are signaled by giving 4 (or more) long buzzes.  This means to get out of the hall/go to the basement.       
Each resident at Douthart has her own distinct buzz, listed on both her tag in the phone room and on the door plaque outside her room.  Buzzes are also listed on the phone sheets that are in each of the rooms and by every buzzer.  There is a buzzer on every floor – by the laundry room in the basement, in the phone room on the 1st floor, and by the fire escapes on the 2nd and 3rd floors. 
To buzz someone, quickly buzz her individual code, followed by a short pause and the buzz for the floor you want the resident to come to.  After another pause, repeat the resident and floor buzzes.  Floor buzzes are as follows:
Basement – one long buzz   ( - )
1st Floor – one short buzz   ( . )
2nd Floor – two short buzzes   ( .. )
3rd Floor – three short buzzes  ( … )
For example, the SHD could be buzzed to the basement by the following set of buzzes:
  ….  -    ….  -    (short-short-short-short, long  [*pause*]   short-short-short-short, long)

 

Tagging etiquette
If you are leaving or arriving to the hall at the same time as another resident, it’s nice to tag her when you are tagging yourself.  You should let the resident know that you’ve done this, so she doesn’t have to bother coming into the phone room.  

Parking
If you have an AP (Alumni Place) parking permit, you can park in any AP lot.  All of Louisiana Street, Alumni Place, the lot behind the Wheel, the Maggie lot, the two lots behind Sellards, and the north half of the Rieger/Amini alleyway are all designated AP lots.  There is also an overflow lot that we share with GSP on the corner of 12th and Louisiana. 

 

Glossary

AP Parking:  n. Alumni Place parking.  Areas designated for Scholarship Hall parking. 

ARC:  1. n. Academic Resources Chair.  A position on Auxiliary Board.   2. n. Academic Resource Center.  The computer-room half of Henry.

ASHC:  1. n. All Scholarship Hall Council. Congregation of elected officials from each of the Scholarship Halls.   Meetings are held weekly and monetary issues, social events, and a host of other events are discussed and planned there.  ASHC Executive Council: a group of residents elected to fulfill certain duties within the scholarship hall community, much as positions in the halls are filled.  Ex: ASHC President, ASHC programming chair, etc.  ASHC Full Council: the collective term for the ASHC exec council and the presidents and representatives from each hall.   Hall presidents and representatives are the only voting members of the council.  2. All Scholarship Hall Community.  All of the halls and residents that are a part of the scholarship hall system.

Crawford Community Center:  n. The white house located at 1346 Louisiana, across the street from Douthart formerly known as “Mrs. Strait’s house”.  This community center is for the exclusive use of scholarship hall residents.  Both the scholarship hall complex director and ASHC have their offices in this building.  The house was donated to the scholarship hall community through the will of Juanita Strait, a long-time friend of Douthart.  The center is named for the mother of a former Douthart and Miller resident, Jann (Crawford) Rudkin.

DSH:  n. Department of Student Housing.  The department of the University that all scholarship halls and residence halls fall under the auspices of.

Henry:  n. the basement supply closet, also containing the main recycling bins and the ARC

Hobart:  n. the dish sanitizer in the kitchen.  It looks like a stainless steel dishwasher.  It is NOT a dishwasher.  Food must be removed from all plates, silverware, and cups that go into the Hobart.    v. “to Hobart” – to run something through the Hobart to sanitize it.

J-Board: (noun, verb, council) n. 1. Warning letter that documents that an individual has not done their shift.   v. “to be J-Boarded”:  when one is given the letter that states that a shift is either incomplete. If a J-board is handed out there is a meeting the following week where there is a chance for the person who receives it to explain why their shift was not completed and pled responsible or not responsible. Council- The individuals who sit on the board.  It is made up of the Vice-president, the SHD, and a new woman and old woman J-board chair.

LDP:  n. Leadership Development Program. A council directed by the vice president of the All Scholarship Hall Council. It is made up of a lecture series, projects, and is designed by the incoming men and women.

Letter of Intent:   n. Poster used to show ones intention of running for a position in Douthart. It is usually made up of pictures, statements, and intentions. For ASHC, this is an actual letter describing goals and ideas that make each candidate worthy of election.

Phone Duty:  n. 1. a shift in the hall that involves answering the phone and answering the door if someone shows up for a woman in the hall to deliver mail.

SHD:  n. Scholarship Hall Director. An graduate student employed by Student Housing and living in a scholarship hall who is in charge of ordering supplies and food.  

Shift:  n. A task that an individual is assigned to do within in a week. Ex: dinner cook, bathrooms, pantries, etc.

Shift Head: n. Individual who is chosen to be in charge of scheduling the rotational schedule for their shift. i.e. Rotational dinner cooks will be scheduled by the shift head.

Tag:  1. n. the name chip on the tag board in the phone room representing any given resident.  On the solid-colored side is listed the resident’s name and her buzz; the other side should be decorated in some way to identify that the resident is out of the hall.  The side that is facing out indicates that resident’s status.   2. v. “to tag (someone)” – to flip a tag to indicate a change in status.  usage: “to be tagged in/out” – to have one’s tag hung so that the name and buzz indicate that the resident is in/out of the hall.  “to be tagged all the way out” – to have one’s tag in her mailbox, indicating that she won’t be returning to the hall that night.