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Pope Airmen participate in Dorm Council

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Cammie Quinn
  • 43rd Airlift Wing, Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Pope Airmen meet monthly in their bay room to discuss issues they face and ways to improve quality of life for all dorm residents.

More than 330 of Pope's Airmen live in the dorms and they have come together to develop improvements for their standard of living. The Dorm Council, which consists of Airmen who live in the dorm, is an organization that allows Airmen to get together and voice their concerns about their living conditions, peer cohesiveness and opportunities to volunteer within the community.

These Airmen talk about and develops ways to make living in the dorms more enjoyable, not only for themselves, but as a way to achieve Pope's vision to make the base a sought after place to live, said Airman 1st Class Jessica Lyles, 43rd Operations Group and Dorm Council President.

Airman Lyles was elected president only two months ago, and has already pulled the group together to improve dorm life. Since her election, several meetings have been held, addressing key issues such as bringing dorm residents together to make the dorms a home away from home.

"As president, I listen to them and together we work to make things happen," said Airman Lyles. "For example, they said they wanted a cook out so we coordinated everything and now it's in the works."

The cook out is scheduled for April 29 in the dorm courtyard and will include a three on three basketball tournament starting at 2 p.m.

The council plans for more than fun and games, however. The members hold residents accountable for the cleanliness and appearance of the dorm area. Airmen are responsible for maintaining a professional appearance on and around their dorm area.

Every week, the bay orderly program requires two Airmen from each dormitory building to leave their normal work sections for five duty days to perform dorm clean-up duty and standby with the dormitory master keys in case someone gets locked out of their room.

"Saturday mornings we see first-hand the trash and mess left over from Friday night," said Airman 1st Class Arielle Garcia 43rd Civil Engineer Squadron. "There is nothing wrong with having fun in the dorms, we just have to take ownership and keep our living space clean."

The Dorm Council provides Airmen with several chances to volunteer. They are currently coordinating with local schools to provide mentorship for students.

"There are opportunities off base for volunteer work," said Airman Garcia. "Airmen can read books, tell stories and spend quality time with children or the elderly who are in need of a bit of attention. You never know, you could be the difference in somebody's life."

For more information about the Dorm Council, contact Airmen Lyles at 910-394-7343.