By MEGAN MAHARRY, Staff Reporter
Residence life is a large part of the college experience.
By living in the dorms on campus, an opportunity presents itself to meet a variety of people, and also become involved in campus life.
The residence halls at Northwestern work hard to make students feel at home by providing many activities designed to get students involved within their dorms.
Kaylyn Hansen, director of housing at Northwestern, encourages students in the dorms to get involved.
“I believe that getting involved on campus will help students in being successful while in college and it can teach skills that being in the classroom cannot,” Hansen said.
In addition, Hansen said her favorite part about going to the dorm events is meeting the residents.
Events that the dorms have held this semester include, a spa night, “Mean Girls” movie night, and hot chocolate and S’mores night in South Hall, a Pokémon Go activity and a corn hole tournament in Coronado Hall.
In the athletic dorms, Ament Hall hosted a Sunday night football party, while Fryer Hall held a back to school cookout, a movie night, and S’mores night.
Tatum Radcliff, Fryer Hall supervisor, oversees the events the resident assistants organize. Radcliff said, each RA has the opportunity to plan one event per semester with a partner. The RA’s are encouraged to reach out to the residents for ideas, and residents can suggest any ideas they may have.
“Overseeing these events is one of my favorite parts of being a Hall Supervisor, because I get to see my RA’s grow as leaders and other girls come and enjoy their hard work in putting them together,” Radcliff said.
Kelsey Leveling, Northwestern senior, and Fryer Hall has been a resident assistant for the past three years. She and the other RA’s in Fryer are in charge of organizing and putting on the activities in the dorms. Leveling said the dorm activity planned for December is making Christmas ornaments for Fryer Hall.
From a student’s perspective, Leveling said getting involved is an important part of the dorm experience. “The more involved you are, the more people you meet, and the more Fryer feels like home,” Leveling said.
The RA’s and hall supervisors of each dorm work hard to create enjoyable events for their residents to attend. These events establish a positive environment for the residents, and can help residents become more involved in their dorm life of campus.
Kaylyn Hansen; Director of Housing; klhansen@nwosu.edu
Tatum Radcliff; Hall Supervisor, Fryer Hall; tjradcliff@nwosu.edu
Kelsey Leveling; Residence Assistant, Fryer Hall; kbleveling08@rangers.nwosu.edu