Author: Emily Phillips
Now a couple months into the first year of the new housing policy that requires students to live on campus for three years, Residence Life and Housing Services (RLHS) is working hard to keep students entertained. Residence Advisors (RAs) along with Hall Coordinators (HCs) and Community Directors have spent a lot of time coming up with fun events and programs that students can participate in on campus. One of these was the friendly softball game between Middle Campus ResLife and Middle Campus residents on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Rangeview RA Jeff Bee (senior) organized the softball game, getting his team of ResLife staff together and then sending an e-mail to all of Middle Campus (which is comprised of Berkus House (1601), Norris Hall, Pauley Hall and Rangeview Hall), inviting residents of each residence hall to play. Ten members of Middle Campus ResLife staff and nine Middle Campus residents showed up at Bell Field on game day, with Norris, Pauley and Rangeview fairly evenly represented.
According to Bee, the Geology department generously donated bats and balls to the game, and students used their own gloves, scrounging around for as many extras as possible to make sure every player had one. To keep the game good-natured, they played seven innings without an umpire, and rather than using the traditional three strikes or four balls, each hitter was allowed either three swings or five pitches. However, according to the RAs, the game did not lack healthy competition.
“The game was competitive but friendly,” Rangeview RA Nicole Leung (junior) said. “But, the team of residents definitely had an advantage over the staff since they had baseball and softball players on their team.””The residents killed us,” Bee said.
The residents did clinch a decided victory, beating the RAs with a final score of 30-12.
Despite the landslide, the game was a good opportunity for community building amongst residents as well as with their ResLife staff.
“Just being in the sun and hanging out with staff and residents made the program memorable,” Leung said. “I definitely met some new residents.”
Pauley RA Isaac Cohen (junior) agreed, saying that it was great to meet students from other halls.
Assistant Director of Living and Learning Communities Maureen Regan stated that while ResLife staff members can come up with these programs and events on their own, students are encouraged to take an active role in improving their campus life by making suggestions to RAs and Community Directors.
“We don’t want students to say there’s nothing to do, so let us know what you want to do,” she said. “We want to make your three years on campus exciting and enjoyable.”
So, will we be seeing a Middle Campus rematch anytime soon?
“Definitely,” Leung said. “It would be even more fun if more staff and residents came out to play.”
“Maybe we won’t play softball, but there will definitely be future competitive events between staff and residents like kickball, basketball or bowling,” Bee said.
ResLife encourages Lower Campus and Upper Campus residents to suggest similar athletic programs to their RA staff if they are interested or have ideas.
“What I’ve been encouraging a lot of students to do is to seek out their RAs and say, ‘This is something we’re looking for, this is what we’re interested in’, and the RAs will find some way to program for that,” Regan said.
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