care of jones college
- bootsinthestars
- Jul 17, 2017
- 8 min read
c/o: Jones College 23 Sunset Blvd Houston, TX 77005
Welcome home.
[To my Pennsylvania friends and family who maybe don’t understand why I came back from a blue and white university bleeding purple and green: this is why. To the friends I made at Rice this year: nothing has given me more pleasure than the cheer battles and late nights with you. And to my new fellow Jonesians: you are now part of the best college. This is for you.]
....
I was looking forward to college with all of my heart and soul. When I found out I’d been admitted to Rice, I just about exploded. My parents and I went out for 10 pm fries and milkshakes. I just about exploded again, then, because apparently 10 pm fries and milkshakes are not always the best idea. Cue the agonizingly slow crawl through three months of waiting, waiting, waiting for the letter in the mail that meant almost as much as admission itself. The college assignment. I was painfully anxious. My family didn’t quite know what to do with me. I’d pace back and forth from the mailbox to my computer, checking email and mail every twelve minutes just for some news. I cracked about three days before the letter came and stalked every single residential college’s website, trying to figure out which living space was the best. This distinction was almost entirely dependent upon whether or not the bathrooms were communal (more on this in a bit). Mary Gibbs Jones College does not have personal bathrooms. That was the first thought I had upon opening the letter. Mary Gibbs Jones does not sound very badass. This may be something you’ve thought since getting the letter. Don’t worry. The very idea of a non-badass Mary Gibbs Jones will become absurd by the time you’ve been at Jones for a week. The rest of the summer passed in a blur. I joined the Jones O-Week Facebook page, which proceeded to both terrify and excite me for whatever the heck I’d signed up for. Don’t worry if the posts and comments of the advisors and coordinators get a little weird. Your sense of humor will evolve (devolve?) and someday everything will make sense. There are a lot of reasons that I love Jones. Most of them are people, to be honest. But here are some of the things you have to look forward to at the best college on campus (in no particular order):
O-Week
This is your summer camp. This will also likely be a strong contender for “Best Week of Your Life.” You’ll learn about Rice, explore Jones, meet future best friends, pick classes, and fully deprive yourself of sleep.
O-Week for me was, more than anything, a whirlwind of new faces. I’d never met so many people in my life -- and I’ve never cared so deeply so rapidly about those around me. It was the most jampacked seven days I’ve ever survived. I loved it. And while I’d like to tell you everything about what O-Week at Jones entails, the magic lies in the experience. Just be present, let it happen, and have a blast.
Jones Cheers
The cheer battles at Rice are legendary, and in my personal experience? Jones has got the best cheers (and anti-cheers). There’s nothing quite like a sea of green and purple bouncing in sync to “JIBA, JIBA, we got some Jones up in here!” and repelling any rude, deeply offensive counter-cheers coming from any of the other residential colleges.
[One of the things you’ll learn at Rice is that we like to verbally disparage the other colleges. You’ll occasionally hear things like “Martel isn’t a college” or that “Brown has poorly maintained facilities” based on university-wide inside jokes that you’ll very soon be privy to. They are absolutely jokes, though, and this is important to remember. Martel is a college! Brown has very well maintained facilities (can confirm their bathrooms have been renovated and their kitchen is absolutely stellar). Don’t worry, you’ll get in on all the jokes and Rice-speak soon enough. Just know that while we may “hate” on other colleges, we love the people who live in them.]
The Jones Anthem
Really, really, really. Listen to it. Feel the hype. Dance a little.
http://jones.rice.edu/s/Jones-College-Anthem.mp3
Communal Bathrooms
There was literally nothing else I cared about when it came to college assignments. I was preoccupied with what seemed to be the worst thing in the world: communal bathrooms. Looking back now, I find it immensely funny.
Here’s the thing.
Jones bathrooms are a great way to make new friends.
It sounds weird. It’s a little weird. But I’ve had some of my best, most memorable conversations in the bathrooms at Jones -- with people I very infrequently would have seen otherwise. The communal bathrooms are an adventure. You never know who you’re going to be brushing your teeth next to or what music is going to be blasting from the shower stalls or who’s going to be dyeing their hair in the sink.
[And if you really just don’t want to use the potty while there are people around, no shame in camping out for a little while.]
Saturday Night Dinners
Serveries are closed for Saturday dinners. When I first got to campus, the idea of finding my own food made me panic. I was very new to Houston and car-less and had never spent any significant amount of time in a city before at all, really.
It all works out.
People are always heading all over the place for dinner on Saturday nights. If you’re craving a certain flavor or vibe or restaurant, you can always message in one of the many group chats you’ll become a part of once at Rice. Almost without fail, someone will offer to accompany you. Some days, you’ll end up going to floor dinners on the Metro; others, you’ll pile twelve people into a car and eat so much you need a nap. And if that’s not your vibe? Rice Village is a nice walk or bus ride away -- perfect for the lowest key of personal adventures and alone time. If that’s really not your vibe, you can always count on Postmates to deliver your dinner (or midnight snack. We’ve all been there).
The A-Team
The Jones A-Team is the best A-Team! Our college coordinator, RAs, and magisters are the coolest people (with the coolest dogs and families). They pride themselves on being accessible and involved with Jones and are incredibly easy to talk to. Dinner conversations, late night political chats, food-centric study breaks, they do it all.
Michelle, our college coord, is without a doubt the glue that holds Jones together. She’ll make sure you get your mail, your daily candy fix, and time with her pup, Beau (among other things. Many, many other things. So many other things that you will probably never truly understand how much Michelle does for you).
You’ll see Kerri and Bru walking around campus every day. Some nights, she’ll host watch parties in the Jones movie room. Bachelor(ette), anyone? Allison, Ian, and baby Owen are also always out and about, toddling around with Layla, the most independent dog you’ll ever meet. Allison and Ian like to organize board game nights where Jonesians come together and lovingly destroy each other in an assortment of obscure board games.
And our magisters? They’re entering their first year at Jones, too; they just might be more excited than you to don the purple and green. Jason, Jennifer, their two sons, and their fluffy pupperino will be living right next door to Jones in a beautiful house that’s never failed to make me feel at home.
The A-Team is so ready to meet you and support you in all of your various endeavors and sit next to you at dinner and give you the good kind of life advice that comes with experience and genuine interest. They make Jones a real family and they already love you.
Official Rice University Instagram Accounts
Today’s Instagram account recommendations are @ricedining, @ricesweets, and @fondrenlibrary. They’re the perfect combination of highly amusing, informative, and motivational. Also, sometimes you’ll get advance notice on the desserts that’ll pop up around campus for dinner so you can sprint to the servery directly after class and be the first in line for face-sized cinnamon rolls.
Floor Culture
The floor lobbies at Jones are pretty unique among the residential colleges. Each floor’s got couches, a table, and a projector -- for movie nights, study nights, painting nights, do-whatever-the-heck-you-want-to nights. The lobbies are a great place to meet new people, hang out with friends, or study in public (re: procrastinate for hours).
Floor lobbies are also where floor culture starts. Floor culture can really be whatever you want it to be, which is absolutely something to be excited about. No matter what you hear about what a floor’s been like in the past, the Jonesians living there in the present are what matters. Each floor has a mix of returning students and new students, people with different majors and people from all over the world. And if you don’t feel like you fit in with your floor? No big deal. There are quite a few more to visit (protip: the entirety of Jones is your home and you are welcome anywhere and everywhere).
Mattresses
I don’t know how or why but my mattress at Jones was more comfortable than my mattress at home. I’m 90% sure it was Tempur-pedic and I literally did not have to use a mattress topper. You may want one for extra comfort, but just know that your bed at Jones will come through for you.
Community
The culture of care is not a Jones-specific phenomenon, but we are pretty dang committed to it. Lilo sums it up pretty well with the whole “ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten” thing, I think. This doesn’t just apply to life or death situations; you can find Jonesians working together to study, practice presentations, curate date outfits, figure out how to operate lobby projectors, and even launch a full-scale college defense from Baker 13 runners -- all for the love of Jones.
Rice has also got an amazing support network of peer advisors for literally any occasion. The minute you arrive at Jones, you’re set up with a whole team of O-Week advisors who’ll carry you through your first year (and beyond). You need a band-aid or a shoulder to cry on? Your Rice Health Advisor (RHA) has your back. Struggling with planning your courses for next semester? Hit up your Peer Academic Advisor (PAA) buddies. Academic Fellows are there if you need some help with coursework or writing essays, Peer Career Advisors have you covered for job and internship help, and Strive Liaisons are always present for help navigating Title IX amidst problematic relationships. And for every official advisor, you’ve got about five other students who are ready to help you out however they can. The support system at Jones runs deep.
….
So here you are -- already through the worst of the waiting!
From where you stand, there’s less than a month until your O-Week advisors lovingly scream in your face as they shuttle your belongings from your car to your new room. Less than a month until you put on the Jones green for the first time, less than a month until you officially become a Rice student, less than a month until you start on the Next Great Adventure.
Don’t worry. It’s going to be a good one.
Welcome home.
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