 Good afternoon everyone. My name is Mitchell Foster. My pronouns are they and them and I'm the coordinator for residents education in Holcomb Hall And I will be joining you this afternoon to tour Holcomb There's the placard right there Holcomb Hall That's right Well, if you are just coming in and joining us Make sure to make use of the chat option On the bottom of your screens for any questions that may come up during this tour But I joined you last week with Futural It's very loud out here, so we're not gonna stay here for a long time But as I was saying I joined you last week for Futural and now I'm gonna be joining you for Holcomb And if you are watching and you saw Futural too I'm the same coordinator for residents education for that building and it this building as well And I'm gonna explain how that works as this tour progresses You got a compliment on your mask from Leslie. Oh Thanks Point out any points of interest here in front of Holcomb. Absolutely. So Holcomb just like Futural is in a very good spot on campus Across the street across Garland is Pat Walker health center So our students won't have any problems accessing any services That require any attention for their health especially during what we're going through right now and On the north side of the building is the bookstore. So Just like Futural, it's also very close to the bookstore just across the street North Douglas. I mean sorry West Douglas Street and On the other side on the south end of the building It's very close to Union as well where the food court is so very cool spot And we have on this side right here is the Fulbright dining hall And it's also the building where We get our mail and packages and by we I mean me the whole staff and all of the students who live in Holcomb We have about 16 people watching us right now and we'd love to hear where you're from and Where you'll be coming. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely So this is my second year in the coordinator for residents education position I moved here from Northern California two years ago where I got my masters in California State and Chico and It's been a great experience moving to Northwest Arkansas. It's definitely a very good area Where there's culture there's a lot of good restaurants and there's a lot of good things to do Fantastic. All right. Well, shall we head in let's go And yeah, just to respond to Leslie if you don't recognize this is like from the movie up It's the house with the balloons and that Pixar movie Disney Pixar movie nice So just like future Holcomb Has a fob and you could only get in the building if you have a fob the difference between Holcomb and futurel is that here in the in the school year from 8 a.m. To 4 p.m Students and scholars office Which makes my office accessible too, but we're going to talk about international students and scholars office in a little bit And we're going to talk about what other things happen are happening in Holcomb or what we have in Holcomb as well Sounds good. All right. Let's head over here So now we're heading into the first floor study lounge where Do we want to point at your office? Oh, that's right. Yeah, absolutely So this is my office right here Very as you all could see it was very close to the front doors So literally you walk in the front doors. You look to your right and that's where I'm at So if you ever need me, I'm always in my office And if I'm not in my office, you could definitely reach out to your RA or send me an email And we could set up an appointment, but I'm very accessible this way and as I said earlier The front doors are open from eight to five During the school year on the weekdays So if you live in futural and you want to see me Because I'm also your coordinator for residents education You could just go in from eight to five through the front doors and see me in my office Sounds great. And hello Joseph glad you're tuning in. All right. So now We'll go and see the first floor study lounge that you could use to study So how have you been staying busy this summer Mitchell? A lot of preparation for when the students get back a lot of preparation as well for when the resident assistants are getting back So currently we're moving forward with our plans on RA training because RA's are gonna come back in two weeks So that's gonna be that's like what has been keeping me busy for sure for sure So this is another fog access door so you can't just walk in if you're not a resident in the hall Let me turn on the lights for you all So this is the first floor study lounge We have two private rooms or conference rooms And we have a bunch of tables and a bunch of chairs for anyone who might want to do Socially distancing of course And there's just a lot of space for quiet studying this is also a quiet study space So if you want to use this spot It is understood because of the signs everywhere that Everyone else needs to be quiet around you or you need to be quiet around other other people because it's a quiet study space Very good very good lots of places to study it seems like yeah And if you really want to be super private and super quiet on top of like it already being a quiet space These conference rooms right here actually also closed so you can close the door from for some privacy and Just make sure that when you leave this space that you leave the door open so that people are not assuming that there are people in there Great all right if you have any questions, please feel free to put it in the chat And I'll be happy to answer any of those but this is the first floor study lounge and now we're heading to The little kitchenette on the first floor and then we're going into the music room Let's go. Okay, and that kitchenette's available to any students who want to use it. I would guess absolutely. Yes So this is the little kitchen in the first floor of Holcomb We have a fridge that anyone could use Just a reminder because of the times that we are living in we are highly highly recommending all students to separate their stuff from other people stuff so when you use the fridge for storage For you to avoid Contamination, please put it in like a plastic bag or a tupperware and separate it from other people's belongings But this is available for all of the students living in a Holcomb as well as Our microwave too. So the only thing that's different from this kitchen Then the kitchen in the basement is that the kitchen in the basement has a stove and an oven But this one is just basically for fast food like fast food-making Or you know microwavable stuff, you know, we had a comment from Marla who said her son Collin was here last year and is returning again the same hall Yeah, so it had good experience with the staff here good experience with the community here And I was thinking this is one of our like we're at 140 do you haven't remember how many people reside in this particular hall 143 so it's one of our smaller Yeah, so it's very homie. I don't think we're gonna reach 143 this year So it's even gonna make it feel more homie. So I'm really looking forward to that too. Great. Great Well, thanks for that comment Marla. We really appreciate that absolutely and now we're going into the music room The music room has a piano that all the residents could use it has a sofa a Coffee table we have an ottoman and an armchair as well Most of the students that live in Holcomb usually use this also as a study space They like using this chair to study and you know casually study And some of them also use this to like hang out Yeah, of course using the piano, which is what this room is for it is a nice little piano lounge. Yeah and now we're heading towards Our Holcomb living room This is a very special community space and Holcomb in my opinion because of the aesthetics And because of what the space makes you feel it makes you feel like you're at home It makes you feel comfortable and it makes you feel like you're living in a place where Things just feel homey and good. It does have a nice intimate, but yet really put together kind of look to it Yes the other thing that's special about the Holcomb living room is in Holcomb we do a series called global series a programmatic series Where we feature a different country every time we have global series and global series is head by the graduate assistant in Holcomb as well as International students who are from that country or domestic students who have done exchange or study abroad in that country And what they do is they talk about the country. They talk about their experiences They talk about the culture and they basically share it with the campus community So during global series we turn this entire living room into a classroom so all of these furniture go in that other room right there and we bring out all of our chairs and Set up a projector and a screen On that end of the room and we basically get together This year because of COVID obviously where we're thinking that because of social distancing Protocols and requirements We're probably going to rethink the format of global series But global series is still going to be a thing that we were doing this year and it's still going to be a Holcomb signature program and if you have any interest in international studies or Just cultures at all it really is a great program for that. Absolutely All right, so so far I've showed you all the entrance of Holcomb my office I've showed you the first First floor study lounge I've showed you the kitchenette the music room and the living room and now we're heading down to the basement where I'll show you The basement lounge sure and let's to make a quick stop to by international students and scholars even though They're working from home right now. Let's let's do that. Yeah, so earlier. I was talking to you all about international students and scholars International students as scholars is a department on campus Whose office is in Holcomb and that's the reason why this front doors are open from eight to five on the weekdays During the school year is because we have staff members who work in this office. It's also It's also because of international students and scholars that We and in Holcomb get to do Exciting programs such as global series because of our partnership with them and because of the supplies That they also provide for the program. I know it's much worth the front desk now and what are some things that students might Do with the front desk? Yeah, so this is the front desk in Holcomb It's usually manned by an RA from 4 p.m. To 10 p.m. On the weekdays And from 4 p.m. To midnight on the weekends Usually in normal circumstances, there's a lot of people Gathering around here. This is where students build community. They talk to the R.A.S. They check out some stuff Usually kitchen utensils or pool sticks or ping-pong paddles This year we would like to encourage everyone to bring their own kitchen utensils so that we could avoid contamination We're also encouraging everyone to bring their own sanitizing Sheets or sanitizing wipes to sanitize all common areas as they use it Luckily for us is that this year We're going to be doubling up on sanitation of common areas in all of the residence halls including Holcomb And so there's going to be people sanitizing common areas in the mornings and then the afternoons Right, thank you. The other thing too if you all are just Checking in or coming in and joining us right now is that earlier I mentioned that across the street is where the whole staff and the residents get their mail and get their packages This front desk doesn't provide mail-in packages for our residents. Unfortunately We all have to go across the street to Morgan Hall to get our mails and packages Each student gets a notification in their email if they receive a package And all of the mailboxes are all over there, too All right, and Joseph you had a question about studying and reading a book feel free to ask and we'd love to we'd love to answer it International students and scholars absolutely. Let's do that Just like Christopher said on normal circumstances This is a very happy and joyful office and I'm pretty sure that the staff members are going to be coming back soon But right now it's a very dark space, but that is the international students and scholars office It's definitely a partner Of Holcomb Hall in international education and also in serving international students that live in in this building Fantastic. All right. All right now. We're going up to the second floor to check out No worries at all The basement lounge And I'm also going to show you all the community kitchen Christopher because we're very close to the laundry room right here. Let's go check the laundry out and then we'll head over here So this is the laundry room that is going to be used by all of the residents in Holcomb Hall We have different washers kind of loud in here, but we have different washers and multiple Dryers as well. So take a look. There's some vending right there in the corner. Yeah, we also have a new machine So this is the only laundry room that we have but it's definitely sufficient to our student population And your laundry fees are covered on your housing fees. So you don't need to worry about bringing quarters or anything like that All right, and now we're heading towards the basement lounge Where a lot of socialization and community building also happen in Holcomb We're so green. We have all our lights off. It's good So take a look around our basement lounge. We have um a big tv It's a smart tv so students could use it to log into their netflix account their hulu account their disney plus We have a pool table. We have a ping pong table and we have a few sofas For students to lounge This is literally where a lot of student groups come together Um to socialize and when I mean student groups, I just mean this is where the residents find their own group and find their own home With other residents Away from home. So it's a very I would say it's a very magical space to be honest Yeah, it's a nice warm space yellow walls. It looks very comfortable. Yeah so Again, this is the basement lounge and I want to show you next. Um, I want to show you the community kitchen Just adjacent to the lounge. So The difference between this kitchen and the kitchen upstairs is again, as I mentioned, this kitchen has an oven and a stove Um, the students can use to cook their own meals It's a very it's a very um Highly used oven and stove because a lot of our international students use their make their own food Um, and so it's always a busy busy space during the school year We've had a question from laura who's asking us. How are you? Are we how are we going to keep laundry and community areas safe with social distancing and uh, one one thing that we're doing to ensure um That those guidelines are kept Are we're going to be cleaning our bathrooms? Twice a day previously we cleaned them once a day during the week But now we're going to be cleaning them twice a day and that would include weekends as well So that's one way and then high touch surfaces will be cleaned More than they ever have been And as far as community areas and social distancing We do have some some tools in terms of academic Um Deterrence I guess uh some community standards that we're following that we can use if we have to But we're really not trying to do that We're really just trying to educate students on you know maintaining six feet of distance wearing masks at all time Those would be the main ones. Do you have anything you'd want to wash your hands? Very very important I'm having a sanitizer around you as you go around campus or as you go to the Common areas and also have um cleaning wipes with you too There are those that are in traveling packs that I always carry around When I travel or when I go from one space to another so that I could make sure that I'm just sanitizing my surroundings But housing will be sanitizing more often in community spaces that for sure. Yes awesome So, uh, we've seen the basement lounge here in Holcomb, which is a very fun area and then this is Our our only community kitchen And now I think we're ready to head up to the hall. Yeah, let's head up and see some rooms and I guess bathrooms and study spaces on the floor What floor are we going to? We're going to the second floor And the second floor is very identical to the third So, um, I don't think there's a reason for us to go to the third floor if you've seen the second floor You've also seen the third floor. So I think we're we're gonna be good And um, laur asked will there be hand sanitizer stations? There and I'm Are we putting additional? I don't think we're There are hand sanitizing stations, especially on the first floor Um, let us get back to you if we're putting more, um hand sanitizer areas, especially in the halls But the halls have bathrooms. So there's always an opportunity for you to go into the bathroom sanitizer hands I also showed you all the kitchenette on the first floor The kitchenette on the first floor also has a sink and A soap dispenser that you could use as you're going on your way out or you're leaving You could wash your hands real quick before leaving And we do have a lot of these questions answered On the housing website at housing.uart.edu I just published a new FAQ Earlier this week about that. Let's go and check out the bathroom first. Okay. Let's check out the bathroom It's not usually this dark either. Yeah, it's not usually this dark. We're just turning off all the way you have six bowls of toilets and five shower stalls here Let's go ahead and check out one of the shower stalls. Let's do it The shower stalls also has a changing station. So you walk in There's a space for you to change and then you walk further in and that's where the shower is Nice to have a seating area Exactly And should we go look at the study spaces on the floor? Yeah, let's go take a look So we have two study spaces on each floor as well In addition to the study space in the first floor in addition to the basement lounge if you want to use that as a study space as well, that's possible It's right up here We're coming into it So you can totally use this area to um take a seat Read a book Read a few of your handouts for class Um, yeah, and it's a very sunny space. It's always so bright in the day It's pretty cheery in here. It is very cheery. Yeah Yeah Would you say that you see students from time to time using it in that way like small study groups? Sometimes I see one or two people Sometimes I see just one they you know, they close the door so that um, they could get privacy There's a lot of opportunities in Holcomb For private studying as you could see there are like two little conference rooms in the first floor study lounge Um, and this is also one of those things that places you could close the door study and you know Um, get as much as you can from your study time. And that's why they're here. Yeah makes sense All right, and now we're going into the other study space, which is the smaller one But it's also available on either floors on both floors on the second and the third We have arm chairs, um for studying Students also frequently use this for quite a quiet space I don't know. It's probably about 12 feet by eight feet something like that. Yeah, I would say so. Yeah I think that's a pretty nice pretty nice size space. Yeah I want to show you all a sample of a double room in Holcomb So if you come in You'll see that there are two twin excel beds Um A three drawer dresser And built-in closets And also a built-in. What are you seeing in the built-in closet? Um, what do I see in the built-in closet? We have a mirror. We have a mirror. Um, we have a rod suspension rod We have spaces for your shoes And then another space for some more stuff and then you could also use The space up here for that storage So really a lot of storage space in those and then each student gets like I mentioned a three drawer dresser um this um desk And another drawer with a lock Okay, and we have another question coming in from Laurie and, um She asks is there a chance to see a single room? Absolutely. Okay. Guess what Laurie? We're gonna go see a single room Let's do that half a size of a double room. Um, rightfully so It has one twin excel bed It has one desk one three drawer dresser Um, another one that has a lock on it for private belongings and then a built-in Closet as well Same dimensions Approximately Looks like a couple more drawers. Maybe you're a couple more shelves in there. Does it look the same? Yeah Okay, and a big window out there Well You ready for them to come? Absolutely. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone come in the fall in a matter of a few weeks I'm very excited to meet everyone who is going to be living in Holcomb. It's a very homey Community, it's a small community. So you get to really meet a lot of people and Be close with them if you so wish And of course thinking about social distancing and precautions I wish to see you and socialize with you and build community with you When fall semester comes Excellent excellent. Now is the moment if you have any questions for dimensions. Um, yes, we'll be happy to entertain those and Joseph asked I have another question about clean sustainable environment for safety on campus and you know, we do Do our best when it comes to sustainability encourage you to bring a bottle for yourself for water and And recycling is done throughout. Yes. So each floor has its own recycling bin. Um, so in the school year We have big bins up here close to The top of the staircase this way and then that recycling bin Is a space for you to throw your bottles your plastic bottles mix paper and Cams Great, great. Okay. Well without any questions about dimensions I think we'll probably sign off and keep the tour rolling next week with a couple other halls, but Mitchell, you've been a pleasure. We've we've enjoyed interviewing you twice this this week Uh, and thank you for your time. Thank you so much. Thanks for joining y'all And if you're watching and you're going to be moving in in the fall, I'll see you then