This is one block party that will smell like In-N-Out, have free tank tops and will be covered in a whole lot of pink. On Sunday, May 13 all Hope Hall residents will have the opportunity to attend the Dorm Championship Block Party from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Hope earned 2,050 points to win the title, according to sophomore Associated Students Spirit Board chair Jennifer Essig.
Though finals week is fast approaching, Hope residents seem eager to celebrate.
“I have seen nearly every girl on our floor experiencing an overwhelming amount of work. I have been shocked, though, how excited people are to celebrate the dorm championship in spite of their business,” said Gladys Bonnema, junior Hope South Resident Assistant.
AS hopes In-N-Out will motivate dorms
In the past, dorm champions have received a sponsored breakfast and T-shirts, but this year AS is trying to create more motivation for the dorm competition. A large part of that motivation will be a contracted In-N-Out truck. Every resident can receive a cheeseburger meal that includes chips and a medium drink. Grilled cheese sandwiches will also be available for vegetarian residents.
“The point of doing a really big block party this year is we really want students to know about the dorm championship,” Essig said. “When you do a dorm breakfast inside your lobby, nobody knows about it except the people who won. So by doing something really big that’s visible to other dorms it will make them go, ‘Oh, this is cool. We can win.’”
As a resident of Horton, Annika Zickovich, sophomore speech and language pathology major, says she was not even aware that In-N-Out would be at the Dorm Championship Block Party, but she thinks it will definitely boost competition.
“Who doesn’t like free food?” Zickovich said. “Dorm competitions are fun and give us something to look forward to and have a friendly rivalry over.”
Final tallies show OCC takes second, Stewart takes third
Beginning with Nationball in the fall, points can be earned throughout the year, ending with Spirit Week in the spring. Dorms also had the opportunity to earn points during a Midnight Madness free throw shoot-out and by finding the Biola Egg, which is worth 500 points. Both Hart and Stewart found the egg this year.
The final point tallies put the Off Campus Community right behind Hope in second place with 1,700 points while Stewart earned 1,350 and Hart received 1,100. Coming in fifth was Horton with 450 points, followed by Alpha with 350, Sigma with 300 and Emerson, which ended up with 250 points.
Ultimately, the purpose of dorm competitions is to foster community in and among the dorms, Essig said. This is something that Bonnema has seen at work in Hope throughout the whole year.
“Hope is a big dorm, but even with its size, I don't feel like it is about the masses, but rather the individuals that make it up who seek to have fun, work and play hard, and look for a good time,” Bonnema said.
Hope residents will need to present tickets to receive a tank top and meal. The tickets will be distributed by the resident directors. In addition to the food truck, there will be bocce ball and cornhole games set up outside of Hope, and the dorm championship trophy will be displayed in Hope’s lobby all of next year.
