Living on campus at Miami is learning. I've learned a lot about myself and other people. My interests, just who I am as an individual and how to really make a difference. The residence halls at Miami are really nice. They have a kitchenette, living areas, they all have pianos and recreation rooms. And they're just really great places to meet people and spend time with friends.
Move-in Day, everyone's here to help. There are plenty of people around to help you find your room and move everything in. And it's really just a great atmosphere. Every student gets a Miami ID that they use for getting into your residence hall. Only people in the residence hall can use the key cards get in, and only you and your roommate can use it to get into your room. So it really helps to feel safe. Beyond that, it lets you access the vending machine or pay for laundry, which are in every residence hall. It can also be used to pick up and ship out packages from the mail and package center on campus. If you lose or break your ID, you can always get another one.
I actually decided to stay here because I had all of my resources right here on campus. My meal plan was all taken care of, no matter where I am, there's always a place to eat. Also, because my schedule is pretty busy, I love the option that we have of going to an Express. And that's actually where you use your buffet swipes and get food in a to-go container and then you can bring it to where your next class is. I am on a plan with the declining dollars and the buffet swipes. And that actually works very well with my own schedule and my own personal preferences. Throughout the week, I like to use the buffet swipes because there's many dining halls available all over campus. And when I go there's also so much variety that I don't have to worry about what I'm going to eat because I know I will find something. And then on the weekends is when I like to use my declining dollars. That's when I like to hang out with my friends. A lot of the time that's when we'll come to Armstrong Student Center. And that's where a lot of the a la carte options are. Something that I have to be mindful of every time I eat here is the fact that I have a nut allergy. And when I learned that Miami is actually a nut friendly campus, it really gave me the comfort of knowing that I'd be okay, anywhere I ate on campus. It made me feel safe, and I knew that I could order anything I wanted, and not have to worry about having an allergic reaction.
Miami's dining has been really convenient. It's great to always have some fresh hot meals around, it really lets me focus on my studies. So every Sunday, my friends and I from my hall go to Western Dining Commons and we get breakfast. There's a great spread. I'm a vegetarian, and it's never an issue. I can go anywhere I want with my friends and still be able to get some vegetarian options. So I really like the stir fry options on campus. From the apple pie pizza to the mac and cheese pizza, I really like the creativity that the chefs and the culinary team brings to the menu.
I'm one of two registered dietitians with Miami Food and Beverage. We are very fortunate to have two dietitians to ensure a safe dining experience for all of our students and to help our food service staff with menu planning. In all of our buffet dining halls, we utilize an allergen coding System on our menu screens to code for any of the major eight allergens and gluten. We also have a net nutrition feature on our website, under the menu and nutrition tab. So students are able to navigate what is on the menu at each of our dining locations, and also able to find food options that are free of their allergens and the animal byproducts that might be avoiding.
We have nutrition walls in our dining commons locations that contain information about our superfood of the month, in addition to contact information for any student who requires special diet guidance. Students should feel comfortable reaching out to me with any concerns about any of their dining options on campus. We work hard to ensure a safe and enjoyable and nutritious dining experience for all of our students.
We have four stores, two of which for merchandise and gifts are in Shriver. we have 1809 Outfitters which is basically like the higher end items like Adidas and jerseys. Everything from jerseys the players could be wearing on the field to baseball caps or dad hats as your student might call them. In Brick and Ivy, which is just down the hall, we have high fashion things that are on trend and just accessories. You can find anything in there. At the Ice Pro shop in Goggin, you can find merchandise for supporting our hockey and skating teams. And then we have one in the rec center, in there you can find stuff for sports activities. I know that I don't like to carry around my credit or debit card, and so it's super helpful that I have the option to pay with my ID.
At Red Hawk Retail, there's a great department called the MiTech Department. We sell laptops, repair laptops, and also carry a lot of tech products. We do repairs on Mac laptops and Dells. One of the great things that Miami offers is the ability to use MUlaa at the campus store for repairs, to buy a tech products, to buy school supplies, and even to buy the actual laptop. When a laptop is bought at the campus store, we provide all the software that your student will need. We also do data integration, so if they have an old laptop that they need their data moved over, we can move that over for them. The MiTech Center offers personalized walk-up support where a student can come in, and we can do anything from installing a web browser to completely upgrading your system. If you have a laptop with Apple Care, we can service it here, no matter what. We offer a great program where you get a loaner laptop if you have to do any repairs with your laptop.
Even though the campus store no longer carries textbooks within our store, they're still very easy to order online through E-campus and you still do come into the store to pick them up. E-campus does have free one-day shipping on most orders. It's best if you order them at least a week before classes though to make sure that they get here on time. Miami University has partnered with E-campus in order to provide all the students with a wider variety of textbooks. These textbooks are also offered in multiple forms such as e-textbooks which are a lot cheaper for students to purchase. During the first two weeks of class, students are able to come into the campus store and they can pick the textbooks that they ordered online right up in the store.
Living at Miami has really been a great experience for me. Miami's worked really hard to give me every opportunity and resource that I need to succeed. I've met some really great people and been a part of some really great experiences, and it's really helped shape who I've become. So Miami just feels like home to me.
