Hello Catlett Hall,

We hope that move-in and adapting to life in Iowa City has gone well so far, and you are enjoying living here in Catlett. My name is Alejandro, I am the hall coordinator of Catlett Hall. I had the pleasure to meet some of you during the orientation meetings, or in years past if you were a Catlett resident before. Alongside with Spencer Owen, the assistant hall coordinator, we manage the building, supervise your RAs, and make sure you have everything that you need to be successful in college from a housing perspective. Another really important person in our team is Mary Fredrekson, our office administrator, who supervises the desk, helps with room changes, keys and a lot of the administrative tasks that ensure this building runs smoothly.

We wanted to send you this email to not only welcome you to Catlett, but to let you know we are here to support you. Hopefully you have met your RA by now, as they will be your first point of contact for any situations you need help; though, if it ever escalates or you feel you need more help than the RA can provide, you are welcome to come to us. If you see us around, feel free to stop any of the three of us at any point and introduce yourself. We love meeting the students with whom we will be sharing space for the next year!

Finally here are some reminders:

Trash, furniture, and vandalism

Please bring your trash and recycling to the first floor. Our custodial staff is incredibly overworked and short-staffed, so there is no reason why they should have to stop and pick up your trash from the hallways or the lounges. Please remember this is a policy violation. Likewise, removing furniture from your room or taking furniture from the lounges or common spaces is a violation to the code of conduct. This includes delofting your bed. If you need a new bed configuration, go to the front desk and ask them to submit the proper form. Tearing down bulletin boards, door decorations, breaking tiles or any type of vandalism to our building is not acceptable. Let’s have a good year!

University Counseling Services

As some of you may know, we have two embedded therapists in our building: Katy Griner and Cathy McGinnis. Counseling is free for all of you as Hawkeyes, and you are able to schedule with them or many of the other incredible counselors in the university, if you find yourself struggling. If you need more information on this and other services surrounding mental health we have a lot of resources in our office (304, right by the desk).

Front desk and package pick-up

Our front desk is open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day. You should also save the phone number in case you ever need anything: (319) 335-1249. The front desk has trash bags, dry erase markers, board games, resources for the recreation room and for cleaning that you can rent out with your student ID! When you get a package you will receive an email telling you we have it. Sometimes carriers will say the package has been delivered but packages normally go to central mail and then come to us so it might take a few days from receiving that email. Please remember that package pick-up is only between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and then after 5 p.m.

Locked doors and guests

Please avoid letting people you do not know, or you know are not Catlett residents into the building or locked areas. You are responsible for anyone who you let into the building or the halls. So, if you do not know someone do not let them into the space, because if they were to, for example, break an exit sign or bring in alcohol you would be held responsible for their actions as you let them into the space. Remember, when you have guests over you are expected to escort them through the building and they should not be left to wander around, or in your room without someone who lives there.

Battle for Catlett

As some of you might have heard during the orientation meeting, as a way to have some fun, create community and recruit for HAWC (Hall Association Working for Catlett, a form of student government for Catlett Hall) we will host a week-long competition on the second week of classes, Aug. 28 to Sept. 1. This competition will pit each floor against the others to determine which floor can score the most points and win the Catlett Cup (and bragging rights). The competitions will vary: some will be physical, mental, or require skills like counting or dancing. It is our hope that this will be a great way for you to meet other members of your floor, make new friends, bond with your community, and get to know us as figureheads of Catlett as well. More details will come soon, but hopefully you are ready and excited to show your floor is the best!

Roommate Agreements

Roommate Agreements are coming up! There will be more information coming from your RA, but this is a good chance for you to start talking to your roommates, or thinking of the things that you need to have a comfortable living environment.

Once again, welcome to Catlett and we hope that you have an incredible year!

Sincerely,

Alejandro Rico, hall coordinator
Spencer Owen, assistant hall coordinator
Mary Fredrekson, office administrator

Contact us!
t: (319) 467-0032
e: uhd-catlett-hc@uiowa.edu