Student story: Move to Haymaker Hall confuses students

By Caroline Engle/Advanced Writing
 
Flint Hills Publication Workshop students looked puzzled as they arrived Sunday at the Derby Dining Center.
 
It wasn’t just new campers who seemed perplexed. Baffled return campers eyed the sparse decor in the “Derb” and wondered if they were in the right place.
 
“I had been expecting to be staying at the Holiday Inn,” said Kapaun Mt Carmel junior Katie Crandall. “When we arrived at the Derb and I found out that was not the case, I was rather confused. Through some miscommunication I had gotten the impression that we were not going to be staying in the dorms.”
 
This year, workshop director Kelly Furnas decided to house students in Haymaker Hall instead of the nearby Holiday Inn.
 
“The main reason was I thought that it was always a little awkward at the Holiday Inn to have four people and two beds,” Furnas said. “That would sometimes create an awkward situation. We were hoping that being able to get two people in a room where everyone has their own bed might be a little bit better.”
 
As a veteran student adviser and former camper, Caroline Sweeney prefers the dorms.
 
“The move to the dorms was for the better,” Sweeney said. “It’s a lot more organized. When I stayed in the hotel with the kids as a student adviser I felt really out of control. I think the dorms provide not only safety but [also] community. This feels more like a camp now.”
 
While Sweeney said she has more control of the students, Kapaun Mt Carmel adviser Ashley Watkins does not like the distance from her students.
 
“I feel like in general I don’t really see you guys as much, so I’m trying to text more and have these scheduled meetings, which we always do, but they’re usually during general session, [which was canceled this year],” Watkins said. “I feel kind of disconnected from what you guys are doing.”
 
While students may not miss the Holiday Inn for that reason, some do miss the independence that accompanied staying in a hotel.
 
“Last year we had a lot more freedom,” said Pittsburg High School senior Katie Phalen. “It seems like there’s not much to do in the dorms after the track. We just kind of sit around. There was a pool in the hotel and a TV so we could watch movies.”
 
Others who feel similarly to Watkins or Phalen may find comfort in knowing the move may not be permanent.
 
“I’m really curious to hear what the feedback is from everyone,” Furnas said. “It’s definitely not just one over the other.”