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Woodland RHC hosts Harry Potter party

chathamcommunique

Rea and Laughlin decorated cupcakes. The Apartment had “Sweets and Treats.” Fickes focuses on loving their neighbors. But on Monday, February 2, the residents and non-residents of Woodland Hall alike were brought together over their love of the story of the boy who lived. For its Community Hall Night, the Resident Assistants (RAs) of Woodland threw a Harry Potter themed party.

If any Chatham Cougar had journeyed into the usually quiet dorm’s lounge after the life-sized cauldron (meant for the inevitable event evaluations), they would have found a setting that would have had most Potterheads (Harry Potter fans) jumping for joy.

With the well-known Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry crest hung across the door and a snack table that would have given the candy cart on the Hogwart’s Express a run for its galleons, the RAs of Woodland Hall kicked off Chatham’s Annual Hall Olympics–a tradition meant to bring communities together and simultaneously raise money for Relay for Life.

Senior RA Brittany DeMeno planned the event. When asked why she chose J.K. Rowling’s magical world as a theme, DeMeno lightheartedly responded, “Because I love Harry Potter, and this is the only event I got to plan this semester.”

DeMeno’s fellow RA, sophomore Tahmina Tursonzadah, went on to add that the party was meant to, “commemorate Harry Potter.”

Happily sipping butterbeer and dawning the Harry Potter’s famous circular glasses, attendees of the party commemorated the beloved stories by watching the film adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” stepping away only to make wands, try on the sorting hat, and to sample Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (not to be confused with Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans).

Quoting their favorite lines and reminiscing with one another over favorite and saddest moments in the series, Chatham’s Potterheads enjoyed the party.

One student in particular, sophomore Maggie McGovney, proudly showed off her Hufflepuff pride dressed from head to toe in her house’s colors.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be a Harry Potter party, but I originally went to support Woodland in the Hall Olympics,” McGoveney said with excitement, “Only when I realized it was a Harry Potter party did I decide to stay for the duration, because Harry Potter has been my love ever since I was six.”

McGoveney went on to say, “If Chatham had more Harry Potter related events, I would be a very happy lady.”

While Woodland must wait for the results of Hall Olympics to be revealed by Residence Life, J.K. Rowling’s tale about a determined young boy proves to be one that has touched the hearts of many.

 

Rea and Laughlin RHC host open mic

chathamcommunique

On Friday, January 9, Rea and Laughlin’s Residence Hall Council (RHC) opened their doors once again for their Open Mic Night.

The Rea Coffeehouse served as the designated venue for this special event. Students filled the main room and food and drinks were served throughout. Laced with graffiti stained walls, the location added to the sense of intimacy and “realness,” one student stated, while also creating a cool background for the performers.

As a returning RHC member, and co–organizer for the event, Abigail Beckwith was excited for the announcement of the Open Mic Night once again.

Courtesy of Chatham Student Affairs

Courtesy of Chatham Student Affairs

“We came up with the idea for the event last semester and it was a hit,” Beckwith said.

Beckwith went on to explain the importance of the event as a place where,  “expression is valued,” and, “students aren’t pressured to perform [the way they are] in similar events such as the talent show where judges are present.”

Beckwith also stated that while there was a mic and a stage, students were, “welcomed to share their experience,” through any medium and were, “encouraged to take advantage of the safe space.”

The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with many students claiming a sense of ease as they supported their fellow classmates. The mix was diverse with performances by many different Chatham women. While students took to the stage they were met with a promising applause that was calming for the nerves. Many who attended had never gone to an open mic and were excited to be a part of a new experience.

Courtesy of Chatham Student Affairs

Courtesy of Chatham Student Affairs

Encouraged by the crowd, sophomore Tahmina Tursonzadah showed her support for the event by performing an act of her own. Tursonzadah wowed the crowd with her rendition of “Fine By Me” by Andy Grammer.

She later stated how participating in an open mic, “gives students a chance to express themselves in an unique environment that they may not find somewhere else.” Tursonzadah also went on to say how proud she was as a former RHC member to be able to, “come back and share the stage with such wonderful women.”

As the night went on the performances ranged from poetry to spoken word as students told their stories to an eager crowd. Many told tales of personal triumph along with affirmations of their worth that brought the audience to a grand applause.

As the night dwindled down, sophomore Suzi Nanthavong, another member of Rea and Laughlin’s RHC was content with the evenings turnout.

“The event seemed like a success, lots of people showed up and had a really good time,” she said.

Sophomore Megan A. Cooper, also a member of the RHC, was, “pleasantly surprised,” stating that the, “first week back can be hard, but I was thoroughly impressed with the support from the Chatham community.”

Cooper further explained how the committee was concerned with the turnout due to short notice, but nevertheless was, “highly entertained.”

Woodland RHC hosts a Hippie Night in Rea Coffeehouse

chathamcommunique

Everyone was getting groovy at the Woodland RHC event on November 13. Woodland’s Residence Hall Council hosted a Hippie Night, where Chatham students could find their inner flower child. Rea Coffeehouse was taken back time, with a tie-dye station, a hippie photo booth and puffy paint.

Even the food was festive with  confetti cake and peace sign cookies courtesy of Pankhurst Catering. The event was a combined effort of the entire Woodland RHC, with Jessie Hinkle acting as president, Heathir McIntyre as Vice-President, Amber Starr as Communications Coordinator, and Olivia Bauer as Sustainability Coordinator.

“At first we didn’t knoe what type of event we wanted to hold. What we did know is we want to have it in Rea Coffeehouse. Once that was established, the idea evolved from there” said RHC advisor Kaitlyn Bonzo.

The idea for the Hippie Night was inspired by an activity that was held a few months earlier. On September 1, The Office of Residence Life and Student Activities-Student Affairs sponsored a tie-dye night in each residence hall. The event was a huge success. However, there were limited supplies and many students did not have the chance to participate. Woodland RHC wanted to provide them with the opportunity.

“I think the event turned out very well,” said Starr. “Everyone, including myself enjoyed the tie-dye and the puffy paint.”

The event certainly peaked student interest with around 44 people in attendance.

“We are very happy with our turnout. All the supplies have been used, almost all of the t-shirts have been taken and all the cake is gone. It seems people really like the event”, said Bauer.

New Coordinator of Residence Life and Woodland RHC Advisor, Devin Fabian gave the event high marks.

“The event really shows how innovative undergraduates are and how well they know their fellow students.” The number of students who came out of their rooms to spend time with one another, created the community spirit our office strives for.”

Students also agreed, saying it was fun event and a great time to spend with friends and make memories.

“I could not be more pleased with the event,” said Hinkle. “ My board is a wonderful group of hardworking ladies and I could not have done it without them.”

The next RHC event is the Hockey Tailgate hosted by the Rea and Laughlin on December 6 at 8 p.m. in the McKnight Hockey Center located at Shady Side Academy. In partnership with the Chatham University Relay For Life Committee, the Rea and Laughlin RHC will be collecting “bail money” to “free Carson from jail.”

All funds raised will go towards Relay for Life to help fund cancer research. Relay For Life will take place February 6 from 12 p.m. to midnight.

The Communique’s Squirrel Code is also doing work with Relay for Life through “Selfie with a Squirrel.” Take a selfie with a squirrel or donate to Relay For Life. Join a team or start a team and then nominate three  friends to take the challenge. Post the pictures using the hashtag  #selfiewithasquirrel or #SQRLCODE.

Chatham students play a life-sized game of “Clue”

Admin

On Saturday, March 22, the Fickes Hall RHC took over the Mellon Board Room to create a life-sized game of “Clue”.

The evening began when the last guests filed in and sat at the tables set up in the room, each of which was labeled with a different location concurrent with the beloved board game. Students ate a delicious eggplant and lasagna dinner provided by Parkhurst dining.

By the end of their meal, however, participants began to notice something odd as those in costume began moving around suspiciously. The movement culminated with a scream from the next room, followed by the characters carrying in an unknown “corpse” (this proved to be more of a comedic event than a dramatic event).

Participants in the evening were then asked to disperse themselves among the six characters (Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, and Professor Plum). Each team was then given the task of finding the clues that were hidden around each table/location, and eventually finding out whom the murderer was.

The rest of the evening proceeded as if it were a regular game of “Clue”, with life-sized characters and locations. The game brought out the competitive side of each of the participants, and proved to be a lot of fun when two teams ended in a tie.

When asked about why the Fickes RHC decided to host this event, member Indigo Baloch said, “It began that we were interested in doing a murder mystery dinner theater…but then when we were trying to think of a theme, we came across ‘Clue’ and it was something that we were all familiar with and that we all liked, and it became the event.”

At the beginning of the evening, the RHC asked if anyone had not played “Clue” in the past, and were surprised by the number of people who were not familiar with the game.

One of those participants was first year Alice Shy, who said, “it was educational because I had never played ‘Clue’ before, so it was fun to be able to participate in a life-sized version of it. That was a very fun and interesting twist on the game.”

Seeing the classic board game brought to life was an exciting experience regardless of whether or not players had played the game previously or not. While the performance of the murder did illicit more laughs than gasps, the event was overall a success.

With a great sense of friendly competition and camaraderie, everyone in attendance (and even those who arranged the event) had a blast, and the “Clue” Murder Mystery dinner became an instant hit.

Rea Coffeehouse goes back in time to the 1920s

Admin

With the Rea Coffeehouse cleanup occurring on Saturday, March 1, the Rea and Laughlin Residence Hall Council (RHC) decided to increase interest in the space by using it to host the event “Roaring 20s in Rea Coffeehouse” on Friday, February 21.

The space–which was decorated with string lights, fake alcohol bottles, and tall round tables covered in blue and white table clothes–was filled with people milling about as jazz music played from the speakers on the stage. In keeping with the theme, first year Abby Beckwith stood behind the bar making mocktails with inventive names like the “Bees Knees” (lemon, honey, and orange juice), “Beer with Root” (root beer), and even “Hard Cider” (regular apple cider).

In the main room, people–dressed to the nines in sparkling shirts, flapper dresses, and headbands–stood around socializing and enjoying the atmosphere. When asked where she got her 1920’s themed outfit, First Year Margaret McGovney enthusiastically praised the usefulness of thrift stores for finding such clothing items.

Among all of the socializing, some students chose to take advantage of the music and danced–showing off their talents for swing dancing in the process.  In explaining why the event appealed to her, First Year Sarah Bangley explained that she used to go to a swing dancing club, where she learned some moves, and that this event “seemed like a good excuse to go swing dancing.”  “Also”, she said, “it just sounded like fun.”

Senior Birtie Yarroll echoed her sentiments, and went on to explain that she would take “any excuse to come down here and look at the angry feminist graffiti.”

Both were glad that the Rea and Laughlin RHC was making use of the Rea Coffeehouse, and they agreed that there should definitely be more events like this one in the future.

Tahmina Tursonzadah, First Year Rea and Laughlin RHC member, and one of the people in charge of the event, later explained that the point of the event was to get people interested in the Rea Coffeehouse in preparation for its official opening. As she said, they were trying to “get the juices flowing in this place.”  In addition to that, though, it was also just a normal RHC event to allow Chatham students to get together and socialize, explained Junior Emily Kocian.

Kocian, who also helped to plan the event, explained that she did so because she, “really like[s] being part of the community and being part of the planning process.” She also emphasized that the planning was really a collaborative effort among the entire RHC.

One of the ideas that Kocian and the RHC came up with was a makeshift photo booth consisting of a white sheet strung up against the wall.  First Year Alice Shy stood near it to take people’s photos, either with or without the fake lips and mustaches.

Other activities included a station for making headbands, with materials including sparkling elastic bands and feathers, as well as hot glue to hold everything together.

The participation and enthusiasm at the event made it clear that McGovney was not alone in her opinion when she enthusiastically exclaimed, “the 20s are awesome!”