Students who live on-campus do not always have to leave their residence halls to find something fun to do.

The residence halls on campus host different events for their residents to take part in, whether it involves a specific floor, the whole building or multiple buildings.

Mark Hudson, the director of University Housing and Dining Services, said each hall has different events each year, as well as new events.

Each year the residents can participate in the Residents On Campus Festival. ROC Fest is a week-long competition for the residence halls and Greek Court that lets residents participate in different activities.

“There (are) cardboard boat races, scavenger hunts, and it is all so students can get to know people on campus,” Hudson said.

The residence halls also have individual activities.

“Each hall has a tradition, Pemberton does a formal dance for their residents,” Hudson said.

Most halls sell building T-shirts and each often have volunteer activities, Hudson said.

Each residence hall gives their residents an opportunity to buy activity cards that help pay for the different activities offered by the buildings.

Hudson said he thinks these cards are good because by having people buy them, students get access to board games and cooking supplies and most buildings have prize contests that residents can enter by buying these cards.

Other activities included in the residence hall life are hall council meetings.

The halls have weekly meetings in which they discuss different issues, but some are turned into social events and activities, such as root beer pong in Weller Hall.

These events are sometimes educational, such as the root bear pong game, where residents learned different facts about alcohol.

Halls also organize events, such as Rubber Lovers or other activities that educate residents.

Kristi Eustice, the resident director in Andrews Hall, said the hall council meetings are the main place for residents to find out what is going on.

“Hall councils are the main place for our residents to get involved,” Eustice said. “By coming to hall council they will hear about some of the activities that we have.”

Eustice said Andrews Hall often has community building exercises, activities like fundraising and tailgating.

“We’ve done pie the RA and that was really fun,” Eustice said.

Activities also include things on the individual floors.

Janae Bonner, a senior biological sciences major and RA in Weller Hall, said she tries to organize different activities for her floor.

Bonner said she has done diversity programs, such as cross the line and movie and game nights.

She has made stress balls, and has tried to influence interactions on the floor by having the open door competitions.

“It gets them to branch outside their comfort zone,” Bonner said. “It’s also a way to get them to connect with others.”

Hudson said activities in the residence halls make the hall environment more welcoming and fun.

Bonner agreed.

“This is our home away from home,” Bonner said. “We want to provide as much as we can to make it a excellent environment.”

Samantha McDaniel can 

be reached at 581-2812 

or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.