Budget approval for the third annual Residents On Campus Festival will be voted on at tonight’s Residence Hall Assocation meeting.

Ashley Hoogstraten, RHA programming and diversity coordinator, said the expenditure request for the Mardi Gras themed event will include between $300 and $400 to fund the various activities, which will be part of the week-long event.

Some of the money will be recouped through t-shirt sales during ROC Fest, Hoogstraten said.

RHA President Jarrod Scherle said he does not foresee any difficulties in getting the representatives to approve the funds.

ROC Fest is a week of friendly competition between residence halls. During the week the residents compete for individual prizes and a trophy for their residence hall.

Hoogstraten said the scoring system of ROC Fest will tie in with the Mardi Gras theme. Residents will receive beads for attending activities and winners will be given an extra set of beads.

Participating residents will turn in their beads during the final ROC Fest activity on Sept. 29 in exchange for raffle tickets, which can be used to purchase items RHA will have for sale.

Hoogstraten said ROC Fest is an important program because it is one of the biggest events the association sponsors during the first semester. She has looked forward to this year’s ROC Fest since she began her term.

“ROC Fest was a big reason why I ran for this position on the RHA executive board this year,” Hoogstraten said.

Hoogstraten said any member of the residence halls is invited to participate in any event that interests them.

Scherle added people do not need to be a part of RHA or have much knowledge of the organization to become involved in ROC Fest.

Scherle will outline what ROC Fest is about during his report to the RHA assembly at the meeting and hand out packets to representatives with times, dates and places of events for the fest.

Scherle said the packets will give individual residence halls’ executive boards time to create teams and prepare for the events.

ROC Fest will begin with a cardboard boat race at 3 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the campus pond, located between the softball field and the tennis courts behind O’Brien Stadium.

Scherle and Hoogstraten said they participated in the cardboard boat race last year and enjoyed the hectic nature of the activity.

Scherle said he enjoyed watching residents try to cross the pond and come back without falling out of their handmade cardboard boats.

Residents and members of RHA are not the only people on campus who enjoy ROC Fest.

Mark Hudson, director of Housing and Dining Services, said he enjoys the event but does not participate because he is not a resident.

He enjoys the communal atmosphere the festival creates within the student population.

“Anything that brings the student resident community together is great,” he said.

Hudson said the cardboard boat races last year were one of the funniest things he has ever seen.

Hudson also said the event allows students a diversion from classes and all the other pressures of college life.

“It’s fun sometimes just to go off and do something kind of goofy,” Hudson said.

Hudson said the activities also serve as a learning experience for students because it shows them how to work as a team and still have fun.

Hoogstraten agreed with Hudson on reasons why students attend ROC Fest.

She said students enjoy the chance to participate in an event with their friends and fellow residents.

“It’s something to do with other students,” Hoogstraten said. “There’s RSOs, but those are different from ROC Fest.”

Hoogstraten said a sense of pride for the individual residence hall is also another aspect impacting student attendance.

“They definitely like to represent their residence halls,” Hoogstraten said.

She said the residence hall with the most wins will be awarded a guitar trophy for their victory.

Hoogstraten said Carman Hall has won the guitar trophy the last two years.