Dorm social events geared to students
By Aaron Kokoruz
Staff Reporter

College can be a great time for crayons and fruit snacks said Adrienne Burch, a Colby Hall resident assistant.

Burch, a junior education major, said one of her most successful hall socials was based around a back-to-school theme and included coloring, finger-painting and Play-Doh.

“It was such a hit,” Burch said. “It was such a surprise. It just shows that college kids don’t have to grow up. Acting like a kid can be a great stress reliever.”

Hall socials play an important role in creating a sense of community in residence halls and are especially important to help freshmen meet new people, Burch said.

At the same time, each residence hall has its own unique identity and uses its hall socials to match that identity, said John Walls, president of Tom Brown-Pete Wright Residential Community. The unique identity of the on-campus apartments, for example, is that the students are older and concentrating more on life after college rather than meeting new friends or trying to get used to college life, he said.

“The older students living on campus need to have some interesting incentives to go to hall socials,” said Jaclyn Wilbur, a senior fashion major. “When you’re a junior or senior, you aren’t looking to go to a social to meet people, because you already have a group of friends.”

Freshman premajor Heather Bond said she plans to go to some of the hall socials in Wiggins Hall this year.

“I think it’ll be a great chance to meet other freshman girls that I may not otherwise get the opportunity to talk to,” Bond said.

Moncrief Hall RA Jessica Green, a junior environmental science major, said she has to plan socials for more than just freshmen.

“The residents on my wing are about half freshmen and half sophomores, so I try and cater our hall socials to get people together and meet new friends,” she said.

In contrast, hall socials in the Tom Brown-Pete Wright are going to be strongly geared toward out-of-college living this year, said Walls, a junior advertising and public relations major.

“The entire purpose of the on-campus apartments is to prepare juniors and seniors for life after college, so we’re gearing all of our socials to reflect that mission statement,” Walls said.

Attendance for hall activities is usually low, Walls said. This is partly because there are so many other organizations on campus and students’ schedules are hectic, he said.

“When I lived in Milton Daniel, I never went to any of the hall socials because I had so much other stuff to do that was a lot more important and would have a better influence on my college experience,” said Perry Cottrell, a junior entrepreneurial management major.

This semester, chefs from Central Market will be coming to Tom Brown-Pete Wright to instruct a cooking class, Walls said. It is in those different types of socials that organizers hope to get people interested so they attend, he said.

Other hall activities will include a seminar from Career Services and potluck dinners, Walls said.

The RA’s also benefit from hall socials, said Roger Fisher, director of Residential Services.

“RA’s, themselves, learn programming skills, leadership skills, organizational skills, etc. as they plan such programs,” Fisher said.