• The Loft has free peanuts.

• The Wal-Mart on state Route 59 closes, but the one on Tallmadge Road is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• It’s possible to substitute similar classes for required ones in your major, but ask your adviser before you sign up.

• The Zephyr lets you rent out its second floor for parties.

• Franklin Square Deli and Susan’s Coffee and Tea have frequent buyer cards, letting you support local businesses and get free stuff at the same time.

• $500 of your tuition and fees goes to the athletic department each year, so it doesn’t hurt to go to at least a few games of some sort.

• You pay for membership to the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. If you don’t like to work out, there’s a free pingpong table, a hot tub, computers and space to play dodgeball.

• The Firefly charges all customers for a drink on the weekends, so it’s not a free place to hang out even if you don’t smoke.

• There are board games in the basement of the Student Center.

• Upperclassmen who live on campus can opt out of the meal plan to save some money.

• ‘None for under 21’ signs don’t matter to the police.

• Ask to see your apartment, not a model room, before you sign your lease.

• There are usually boxes outside Rosie’s in Tri-Towers if you need them for packing.

• The Giant Eagle in Ravenna still gives out free samples, and it actually has a Get-Go station if you can drive that far for gas.

• If you’re living in the dorms, don’t fill out a RapidTrack at night unless you are prepared to be woken up in the morning.

• If you plan to move out of the dorms, take into consideration the free Internet, cable, heating/air conditioning, water and phone lines you’ll be leaving behind.

• Couches on the curb to be thrown out can be revived – you just may want to invest a bit to clean them.

• Parking Services will waive the first ticket for every car, not every student. Get a new car between junior and senior year? Doesn’t matter that you got a ticket the first week of your first semester. The new car has a clean slate.

• The clear display cases in the Student Center are free to all student groups, as long as you fill out a request form. They’re first-come, first-served.

• The Kent Plaza Theater has a $5 college ID night on Mondays and Tuesdays.

• Twin Lanes has $1 games on Mondays after 9 p.m.

• If your Kent FlashMail says it’s full, but you’ve cleared out your inbox, check the trashed and sent mail. Those need to be emptied too.

• The Health Center’s hours are frustrating, but the nurse hotline is open 24-7.

• Resident assistants can’t come into your room without first telling you (during breaks), but security and campus police can.

• Your age doesn’t matter in a dry hall. It’s still dry.

• Campus jobs pay more than minimum wage and work around your class schedule.

• There is no overnight parking downtown.

• Don’t count on PARTA to be your DD. It’s unreliable.

Rachel Abbey is a senior newspaper major, the Forum editor of the Daily Kent Stater and a fountain of countless random facts. Contact her at [email protected].