i lived in xavier last year, and i am actually returning there this year (i live on the 4th floor, and i work at the front desk... you will definitely see me around!). i'm sure that you will get mixed reviews about the x-box- you either love it or you hate it. the 3rd floor was the asian studies/chinese/japanese floor last year, and i believe that it will be the same this year as well. there is one bathroom per sex per floor (total of 2 per floor), and there are 5 toilets, 3 sinks, and 3 showers in each. i have to say, the bathrooms are NOT the nicest things you will ever see, especially the 3rd floor girls... there is graffiti all over that one for some reason. however, it really isn't that bad , and it could be much worse. xavier is VERY convenient for most classes, but not so convenient for meals... you can eat at the bottom line in pigott (one of the classroom buildings) which is nearby, but it mainly has prepackaged salads and sandwhiches, plus a menu of about 6 hot sandwhiches. c-street (the main cafeteria) and the bistro are both in the student center, which is a bit of a walk, but since campus isnt really that big in the first place, it isnt TOO far. the cave is WAY far away though, which kind of sucks when you want to get groceries and have to haul them all the way across campus. there is a bus stop right next to xavier that goes straight downtown to pike place and westlake center, which is nice. as for the weather, i grew up here, so i am pretty used to it, but you will probably think that it is pretty cold come october and november. and it is VERY wet. be forewarned. there are heaters in every dorm room though, so you won't freeze to death or anything! as for my opinion of xavier, i really liked it a lot... there are definitely some things that are a hassle sometimes (there is no elevator, and it is kind of secluded from the student center, library, and other res halls), but we have the biggest rooms on campus, which is REALLY nice, our lobby was JUST remodeled last summer, we have the modern language department in our building (which won't really matter to you unless you take languages, then it is nice), and it is more of a tight-knit community because it is much smaller than either bell or campion. plus, it isnt like you are limited to only having friends in xavier or only hanging out in xavier... su is a great place for meeting lots of people. so really it just comes down to making the best of what you have, each dorm has hits faults and its good points. and if you don't like it as much as you would hope, then its an experience that you can say you have had, then you can move to a different dorm next year! =) this is really long, but i hope it helped! enjoy the rest of your summer, and i'll be seeing you pretty soon in the x-box!
katie mahaney