7 ways to stay engaged with your dorm

With the stress that comes with schoolwork, having a crutch to fall back on is crucial. The dormitory is where the heart is, they say. However, sometimes it can be intimidating to step forward and reach out to your neighbors! To help, we asked Kripa Paudel (Sargent’24), Resident Assistant (RA) for Stuvi 2, to share her tips on the best ways to get involved in your on-campus residence hall.

Attend floor meetings

These meetings are organized by your RA once at the beginning of the school year and then several times during each semester. Keep up to date with upcoming events and take advantage of these opportunities to get to know your roommates.

Go to room events in your building or community

Each dorm hosts monthly events like karaoke night, movie night, etc. Some events are tied to holiday seasons and others are held simply because they’re fun! Definitely participate! This is an opportunity to meet students you have never met before in class or in a club! Maybe that person you always pass in the elevator could be there.

Join RHA (Resident Hall Association)

This group exists for you to get the most out of your campus life experience. Be the voice you want to hear and help implement programs and suggestions that could improve your dorm! They also receive a budget for sponsored events.

Apply to become an AR

Join the team! Help enrich and support your halls of residence and be a source of support for the people on your floor. This could be a good role for you if you are a natural leader. RAs also get free housing and meal plans, an added bonus.

Attend AR events

From time to time, the ARs on each floor will host floor-wide events similar to what they do for the Residence, but on a smaller scale. It’s a great way to make friends and branch out with different people you might not see across the hall! Also, it’s not like it’s out of the way or anything. It’s on your floor.

Attend faculty-in-residence events

Did you know that some faculty and staff live in apartment-style accommodations in your residence hall? Yes indeed they do, and often they will be kind enough to cook or cook for you. Keep an eye out for a brownie night sign in your lobby. Usually the teachers will have an open door policy where you can come in and grab a treat at certain times.

Start a floor group chat

This is the simplest hack, and definitely worth it! Floor group chats are ways you can connect by sending funny memes, asking questions, and more.

Reaching out and making new friends at a big school can be tough. It’s always good to start with your neighbours! We asked Kripa for a simple tip for bonding in BU: “get involved in what interests you”.