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Scott One

CHAPTER 13:  Shying away

Finding a comfort zone
  For some, building a social life comes one small step at a time.

BY ERNST LAMOTHE JR.
NEWS-GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
Published DECEMBER 3, 2004


   Five minutes. - - Ashley Baltazar spent a total of five minutes at the annual Quad Day in August, where hundreds of campus organizations try to sell themselves to students.

   Baltazar didn't leave because they weren't doing a good job or because she was overwhelmed by the heat. She just doesn't like crowds. So there was no chance that you saw her jumping up and down with the Orange Krush on Wednesday night .

   "I don't go to games," she said. "I don't like screaming."

   She believes her crowd phobia has been an issue since around sixth grade.

   "I think it is because I am overweight," said Baltazar, of Richton Park. "I think people are always judging me. I know they are not, but I am paranoid about my experiences. It's been ongoing for a while. I will always to a level think people are watching me."

   More than three months after Quad Day, she's opened up a bit but still shies away from attention. Being a quiet person on a social floor can be difficult, but two women are dealing with it on Scott One.

   "I am not looking to be a social butterfly," added Baltazar. "I don't think it is something I like doing. I feel more comfortable sitting at my computer."

   She joined the Women in Computer Science club this semester as her social outlet on a smaller scale. The club has about 12 members as opposed to the larger computer science organization on campus, which boasts hundreds of members.

   "It's a nice organization because I know all the people's names," said Baltazar. "I didn't want to be in a big group."

   The club combines academic education, featuring speakers from Motorola and other companies, with a social aspect such as playing Scrabble at a coffee house on campus.

   Baltazar again busted out of her comfort zone and joined the floor for a bowling trip to the Illini Union on Tuesday.

   "I hadn't gone bowling in a few years. I think it is fun," she said. "I don't watch bowling competitions, but I think it is pretty cool."

   So is she officially an extrovert?

   "I wouldn't say I am less shy," said Baltazar. "I think I am more comfortable."

   For Shannon Smith, the phrase Christmas in July means it's time to trim the trees. She owns one-fourth of a Christmas tree business, started by her father, and has always been involved.

   "We have pictures of me and my brother playing in the trees and they are our size. It's fun to watch over time how we grew with the trees," said Smith, of Woodstock. "It's a huge part of my life and I have a lot of fun doing it."

   She carried a little bit of the family business into Scott One.

   "I definitely brought back a Christmas tree and I am not sure if that is allowed in the dorm," she said.

   She becomes bubbly and excited when talking about her passion, but she's a self-described shy person. A quiet farm girl, whose favorite musician isn't the Dixie Chicks but a hard-core rapper named DMX.

   Smith is very comfortable in her shyness. She prefers reading to going out. Her roommate Leslie Selcke took her to a party early in the school year. Smith stayed for 10 minutes before leaving.

   "One of my teachers told me that when I got to college, it was going to be an open-your-eyes experience and that all the people who were goody-two-shoes in high school would go insane," she said. "I am pretty much the same. I don't party that much. A party consists of me and my roommate watching Disney movies."

   Smith enjoys quiet environments.

   "I like to go to different libraries and test them out," she said. "I am a nerd like that."

   Smith wakes up between 5 and 6 a.m. for her morning cardio workout in the basement of Scott Hall. In order to get good sleep, she goes to bed around 11 p.m. Few people on Scott One sleep that early.

   Residents organize a movie night every Wednesday at 11 p.m., held in the women's floor study lounge. And while it's an excellent bonding activity, it also leads to knocking on the women's breezeway doors from Scott One guys late at night, which can make it difficult for people to fall asleep before midnight.

   "Sometimes our floor is kind of noisy," said Smith.

   Resident Adviser Doug Bach said Smith and Baltazar are easygoing and have nice personalities, which some people might not see due to their soft-spoken nature.

   "Both of them are a little more reserved and quieter than most of the girls on the floor. I haven't seen too much of them this semester," said Bach, of Wheaton. "I do encourage them to participate in the programs. I would like them to feel like they are part of the floor."

   As a project early in the year, Bach learned some interesting facts about each of his residents. He said Baltazar enjoys online comics and Smith is a huge Nicolas Cage fan. The latter information is evident after walking into Smith's room, where a cornucopia of Cage pictures wallpaper her room.

   Those pictures and her belongings may not be part of Scott One for too much longer. Smith e-mailed Bach a week before Thanksgiving break requesting a floor transfer next semester because the floor was too loud.

   "I took that personally because it is my job to make sure that everyone has what they need on the floor," said Bach. "It's important that everyone on the floor is able to get work done and get their sleep. I kind of feel like I am not fulfilling my obligations completely."

   

You can reach Ernst Lamothe Jr.at (217) 351-5223 or via e-mail at elamothe@news-gazette.com.


CLICK TO SEE PHOTO
OTHER STORIES IN THIS SECTION:

CHAPTER 33:
The Finale: Lessons Learned

Things and People have changed
CHPATER 32:
Another Freshman

Treating everyone the same
CHAPTER 31:
Alarms

An alarming pain
CHAPTER 30:
Mom's here

Mothers and Daughters
CHAPTER 29:
Practicing murder

Deciding to play a part
CHAPTER 28:
Well Adjusted

Frats help frosh cope
CHAPTER 27:
Religion Part II

Examining their beliefs
CHAPTER 26:
Religion Part I

Living their spirituality
CHAPTER 25:
The list

Listing life's changes
CHAPTER 24:
Decisions, decisions

A series of decisions
CHAPTER 23:
Treading water

Making a quiet splash
CHAPTER 22:
Airborn

Flying off the radar
CHAPTER 21:
Balanced life

A multidimensional student
CHAPTER 20:
Overachiever

A will to achieve
CHAPTER 19:
Fresh face

The long route to Scott One
CHAPTER 18:
Lessons learned

The many sides of Doug
CHAPTER 17:
Break's over

Back on the job
CHAPTER 16:
Untold stories

Creating their own fun
CHAPTER 15:
Semester finale

The finals frontier
CHAPTER 14:
Marathon man

Big wheels keep on turning
CHAPTER 12:
Homecoming

Home is where you sleep
CHAPTER 11:
Semi-retired

Life after high school sports
CHAPTER 10:
Orange County

A Krushing experience
CHAPTER 9:
No Doze

Late night with Ryan Fraser
CHAPTER 8:
Voting Virgins

A vocal voting minority
CHAPTER 7:
Romance Revisited

Breaking up is hard to do
CHAPTER 6:
Rule Breakers

Rules: A friendly reminder
CHAPTER 5:
Mutiple Choices

Calculating test results
CHAPTER 4:
Living Together

Friends & roommates
CHAPTER 3:
Going Greek?

The rush to fit in
CHAPTER 2:
Football & Romance

Watching the Illini is different as a student
A long
CHAPTER 1:
Getting started

Slide on in to Scott One, week 1