It’s only natural that as the end of a semester draws near, students start to become anxious about the upcoming exams. The amount of homework and tests steadily increases with no end in sight, and tensions run high with no activities to bring relief. The excitement of dorm events such as Coly Christmas and Steggy Keggy offers a much -needed break for students to relax from schoolwork for a while.
Both Coly Christmas and Steggy Keggy are traditions in which each wing decorates with a different theme and the rest of the students walk through and vote for the best one. This year, Coly Christmas was the week before first semester finals and offered a night of laughter and diversion for overwhelmed students. Steggy Keggy was this past Monday night with the intent to mentally prepare students for the homestretch before summer break.
At Coly Christmas, the wings had a variety of themes, including Boy/Girl Christmas, Canada and Wal-Mart. This year’s winner was Second West’s Canadian theme, but all the wings gave solid performances.
Sophomore Sam Rall, a resident of Second East, enjoys participating in Coly Christmas for many reasons.
“It’s exciting to bring the wing together and coordinate something like that,” Rall said. “It’s fun to involve everyone and make a good time out of providing humor and entertainment to campus.”
Steggy Keggy had the theme of Board Games, and each wing decorated to a board game of its choosing. The winner of the popular vote went to First North, which had the theme Jumanji. The other wings also received awards designated by the judges who went through at the beginning of the night.
As a first-year resident director of Stegenga Hall, Hannah McBride is new to the behind-the-scenes side of Steggy Keggy. She said she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the preparations and being able to see the final product.
“My favorite part is walking through the hallways, both in progress and during the actual event,” McBride said. “Beforehand, I get to hear music playing and people laughing about stuff that’s going up, and help everyone running around asking for weird stuff.”
The students who participate in dorm traditions have just as much or more fun than the students who observe. Dorm traditions offer periodic breaks from the stress of school and an opportunity to have fun with friends. Freshman Katy Kuiper enjoys the atmosphere created by Steggy Keggy.
“My favorite part was the quality time spent getting the wing ready,” Kuiper said. “It was fun to be around my friends and just relax.”
