Session 4 Programming Awards

Congratulations to the Programming Award winners for Session 4!

The winners are...
All-Hall Programs:
Kelsey Lantz & Sarah Lebens (Mohn) - "Are you Smarter than a 5th-grader?"
Rand RA Staff - Slinky Races
Ellingson JC Staff - An Evening with Dr. Musil

Elective Programs:
Micah Marty & Laura Schmiedicke (Mellby) - Pinhole Cameras
Tara Ritter & Amy Belfi (Hoyme) - Field Trip to the Science Museum

Bulletin Boards:
Kate Helmich (Mohn) - Where in the World Do Oles Study?
Jared Fisher (Mohn) - Famous RAs
Erik Akervik & Scott Grandt (Kildahl) - Zombie Awareness

Kelsey, Kate & Sarah (from Mohn):

Representatives from the Ellingson staff:
Althea & Erin (from Rand):
Anna (from Ell) and Scott (from Kildahl):

Laura & Micah (from Mellby):

IHC Casino Night

The InterHall Council (the hall council presidents from each of the 10 halls) organized the 1st Annual IHC Casino Night on Friday, January 23, 2009 in the Sun & Gold Ballrooms.

Nearly 400 Oles attended the event to try their luck at blackjack, poker, bingo, roulette, plinko and Super Smash Brothers. Skill, chance and some good old fashioned luck resulted in lots of people winning prizes. Sweet, sweet prizes like these (yeah, that's a TV):

The ballrooms got a little crowded:

We even had faculty & staff on hand to help deal card games!

Your hall council presidents for Interim 2009:

Kneeling: Tasha Seliski (Mohn) and Colin Hutchins (Rand)
Back row - left to right: Anna Higgins (Hill Kitt), Althea Speaks (Hoyme), Casey Keyes (Kildahl), Ben Wilson (Thorson & Interim IHC Chair), Laura Smith (Hill Kitt), Olaf Samuelson (Larson), Joe Kemper (Mellby), Charlie Potts (blog author & res life staff member), Kai Redalen (Ytterboe) and Bryan Wells (Ellingson).

Thanks to all of the faculty & staff who volunteered their time to help and thank you to the hall councils who all pitched in to decorate and organize this great event. Congratulations!

I am... Residence Life

Hard to believe that we are already half way through Interim. Time to be thinking about Student Staff Selection for 2009-2010! RA and JC applications are now available here. Current staff members interested in returning to staff next year should look for SRA and SHC applications here.

If you have any nominations for any of the student staff positions, please send me an email at potts@stolaf.edu and let me know! I'll gladly contact any and all nominees to encourage them to apply!

Session 3 Programming Award Winners!

Congratulations to all of the nominees for the Session 3 Programming Awards! There were a lot of great programs squeezed into a short period of time before the hectic pace of December picked up.

Congratulations to those nominated (award-winners are highlighted in red):

All-Hall Programs
-Kelsey Finks & Abbey Holt (Hill Kitt): Back to Kindergarten Night
-Mellby Hall RAs: String Quartet & Holiday Decorating
-Kiersten Hoiland & Libby Tande (Kildahl): Finals Week Paper Editing
-Bryan Haimes & Bryce Kennedy (Larson): Larson Nacho Bar Night
-Bern Youngblood (Ellingson): Physics Night
-Jonathan Woolums & Kate Helmich (Mohn): Seasonal Affective Disorder presentation w/the Counseling Center

Bulletin Boards
-Aurora Vincent (Ytterboe): St. Olaf During World War I
-Micah Marty (Mellby): Meet Your Interim RA
-Aline Skogstoe (Thorson): Riddles
-Jimmy Coghlin (Rand): Oh, Canada: Canadian news, history, etc
-Emma Johansen (Mohn): Interaction board - What would celebrities say?
-Emily McNee (Thorson): How to Build a Snowman


Electives
-Laura Schmiedicke (Mellby): Christmas Fest Lasagna Night
-Kate Helmich, Kathryn Thompson & Kayla Johnson (Mohn): Bedtime Stories
-Chelsea Ray & Elizabeth Mitchell (Hoyme): Trip to Chapati
-Alyssa Zuehl (Larson): Puppy Chow Night
-Kyle Glanton (Mohn): Root Beer Floats
-Anne Steeves (Hoyme): Secret Santa & Ugly Sweater Party
-Stephen Anderson & Taylor Brorby (Thorson): Thanksgiving "Leftovers"
-Ana Cline & Anna Bakk (Ellingson): Stress-Free Night

Session 2 Programming Award Winners!

Thank you for a great second session of programming! There were LOTS of great programs this session.

We had many more nominations for the programming awards this session, which is a testament to the hard work you all did putting on fun and informative events for your residents.

Congratulations to the following award winners:

Bulletin Boards:
Joanna Cullen (Ytterboe) - 20 Ways to Love Your Body
Scott Grandt & Erik Akervik (Kildahl) - I Saw You on Facebook
Althea Allen (Rand) - Arctic Adaptations
Kate Helmich (Mohn) - The 6 New Food Groups
Micah Marty (Mellby) - The History of Moats

Electives:
Hilleboe RAs (Nick, Gage and Grace) - Hilleboe Pancake Breakfast
Carrie Stillman (Ytterboe) - Gluten-Free Baking
Carrie Heiberg & Erin Shishilla (Ellingson) - Spray Paint T-Shirts
Anne Steeves (Hoyme) - Hoyme Girls' Night (with Alumni Guests)

All Hall Programs:
Katie Wisdom & Laura Kauffman (Kildahl) - JC Jeopardy
Thorson RAs (Stephen, Taylor, Pa Houa, Emily & Aline) - Veteran's Day Party
Katelyn Wright, Sarah Johnson & Brian Thompson (and Hill Kitt staff) - Hill Kitt No Sit All Night Party Right Techno Rave

All award winners received a certificate at the Res Life Holiday Party on Tuesday night. We'll announce the Session 3 Programming Awards during interim!

Good luck with finals!

Session 1 Programming Award Winners!

Thank you to all staff members for planning terrific programs during Session 1. There were tons of cool events and activities in the residence halls thanks to your efforts.

And congratulations to all the winners of Session 1 Programming Awards!

The top All-Hall Program of the session was given to the Kildahl JC staff for their "Homecoming Spirit Week." The Mohn JCs sponsored a Powderpuff Football Game for the women on 8th and 10th floors as one of their Elective Programs. The 9th floor men helped officiate and cheer. Pictured below are Kayla Johnson, Anne Higgins, Kathryn Thompson, Ty Robinson, Jonathan Woolums and Kate Helmich.


Another Elective Program award went to some of the Hill Kitt staff for their Campus-Wide Scavenger Hunt. Pictured below are the winners: Kelsey Finks, Andrew Fjerstad, Katelyn Wright and Abbey Holt. Not pictured are Ted Eschweiler and Nicole Smith.

The top Bulletin Board award-winners were Erin McHugh & Sarah Charleston from Hoyme, Jared Fisher from Mohn and Brian Thompson & Ryan Hoel from Hill Kitt.


Some photographic evidence of these great bulletin boards....

Erin & Sarah's "History of Halloween" board:

A couple of shots of Brian & Ryan's "Getting to Know Campus" board, complete with accurately timed distances between locations to help first-years find their way:


Unfortunately there are no pictures of Jared's "Accidental Inventions" bulletin board, but it was great!

Congratulations to all award winners and a big THANK YOU to all staff for their programming efforts during Session 1. You'll have the opportunity to nominate your fellow staff for program awards next session, so stay tuned!

Student Staff Spotlight!

Student Staff Spotlight!: Aurora Vincent



Aurora Vincent is an Ytterboe RA. She's a senior from lovely Iowa City, Iowa. She lived in Mohn for two years, lived in an Honor House last year and is enjoying life in Ytterboe this fall.

Why did you decide to become an RA?
I wanted to meet a lot of new people. I have already met more than I thought I would!

What have you done to get to know the residents in your corridor?
We went and saw the NASA truck [during Homecoming week], and that was amazing. I like to walk around and talk to people.

What celebrity would you hire to play you in a movie about your life?
Sarah Michelle Gellar... because she was Buffy!

What has been the most rewarding part of your res life experience so far?
Getting to know people - I like the community and camaraderie that has developed.

What is the best program you have been a part of?
We did face painting for homecoming and the Ytterboe BBQ (it's a tie).

Describe your ideal meal.
Definitely home cooked. It would include fried chicken, mashed potatoes, lots of corn, and grapes. And black forest cake for dessert.