The Lockstuffers.

It is done all over, lock stuffing. You've seen it, maybe even done it. Jamming a wadded up paper towel into the latch of a residence hall entryway or suite door or room to make coming and going easier. Easier than messing with that dumb card key which half the time you forgot anyway. That is if you are a lock stuffer. In some buildings it is all over but others not at all. Often depends on the RA. Some buildings the convention is the place is totally stuffed Friday pm for the party weekend. Then late Sunday or early Monday campus security does a walk through and unstuffs all the stuffed locks, back to a normal week.

Are you your buildings designated lockstuffer? Or are you the student who seriously has second thoughts about the whole deal?


Lockstuffing, along with underage drinking and flaming sofas falling past your dorm room window is a mainstay of the student experience on Planet College. Your feelings about it may not matter in your current environment. But if you are having serious second thoughts about lock stuffing or the general atmosphere in your building it is probably wise to talk to some one about this.

Locks are made for security. To limit accessibility to only designated people. Students often store several thousand dollars worth of possessions in their rooms. Easy access can mean easy theft, some times on a very large scale.

The subject of campus security is now a priority in higher education, it should be. Large populations of young people gathered for a specific purpose can be a target for intentionally criminal behavior. Not everyone who looks like a student is a student.

Locks serve as a general line of primary security. Yes, defeating them is easy. But that is not the point. You are paying a great deal for among other things your own security. While it may seem 'lame' to complain about or even mention lock stuffing to the RA or the housing office, it is your safety. Better to seem 'lame' than come back from a weekend and find most of your stuff has disappeared.

The Mid-Term Is Coming And Presentations Will Be Due

Experienced instructors on Planet College wisely use the resources of their students to further the instruction of the class. One classic method is class projects. That is some time during the course of the term each student is required to make an in class presentation about one aspect of the course. These presentations are usually scheduled to begin somewhere around the middle of the term. This is because the class first has to get a general grounding in the subject before a student can present an appropriately researched topic.

Depending on the course subject, students are assigned or else choose one particular area to expand and explain. If for example, the course is American History, The Civil War, a student may be assigned one battle or one personality such as a general to explore for the class. If the course is Gerontology, Powers of Attorney or Public Accommodations for the Aging may be assigned among many others. Geology students may be required to report on the results of a field trip. The possibilities are endless.

If this is all new to you here is a Planet College tip. Along with the topic which you may be assigned or may choose you may also be required to choose a date for your presentation. If you can choose a date for your presentation choose one around the early middle of the presentations.

The reasoning behind this is simple.

If you choose a time too soon it wont give you enough time to prepare. Mid-term is the time when a student suddenly seems to have a lot due including preparing for mid-term tests. If you choose a late presentation time the temptation is to put it off. Procrastination is insidious and any sign of "Oh I can do it later." must be addressed promptly. Scheduling your presentation early in the middle of the available dates gives you enough time to prepare but also enough pressure to make sure you will actually do it.

Make That Payment, IBR

Recent statistics from a group which monitors student debt have shown that more former students are defaulting on their now due loans. They fail to make payments. Failing to make any loan payments affects an adult's financial life for quite some time. The consequences are almost uniformly negative.

When a student agreed to accept a loan he or she also agreed to return the money, almost always with interest, in the form of payments, usually on a monthly basis. Lately some graduates faced with what appears to be a mountain of debt and their meager monthly earnings from that 'great' job they got after graduation have chosen to forego these payments.

If you are a former student and you managed to remain awake during the exit interview the last semester before you graduated you probably heard a lengthy explanation of your obligations regarding any student loans you have outstanding. During that presentation the presentor emphasized that you really did have to pay that money back no matter what.

Faced with virtual plague of non-payment lenders are devising methods to allow students to address their obligations practically. One method is called Income Based Repayment, IBR.
This method is exactly as it says; your schedule of payments is based on your income. Just that simple.

If you are currently stuck along with so many others in a low income or no income situation it is prudent for you to now look at your loan situation. If you haven't been making scheduled payments you may be in danger of or already in default. This situation can be remedied but first it must be addressed.

Your lender or lenders no doubt have on-line sites as well as eight hundred numbers. Promptly contacting them to discuss your status can do much to ease troubles down the road. During this discussion ask if they provide IBR, income based repayment. This program may be the means for you to remain in somewhat healthy financial status while you sort out your position.

IBR, call and ask. Might help.