Alyssa Schiffman, Staff Writer
Last Thursday, students flocked to the end-of-the-year Housing Block Party held outside of Windward Commons. Hosted by Housing and Residence Life, the event thanks students for continuing to make their nest at Armstrong.
The event featured inflatable water slides, a giant slip n’ slide, small rides and games. Multiple student organizations participated, including several branches of Armstrong Greek life, the Art club and more.
The Block Party’s location was a strategic choice, as the event primarily targets students who reside on campus. Rides and stands were placed deep enough into the residential area—along the brick pathway between Compass Point and Windward—so as to not attract commuter students.
As Windward residents Nicole Morris and A-Zahni Streeter stated while returning to their dorms for dry clothes, “The water slides and the slip n’ slides were the funnest for [us], though it didn’t seem like a lot of people were using them.”
The turnout was estimated at 500, as many took the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors before barricading themselves away to focus on finals.
“I definitely needed this, I was completely stressed. It’s during the perfect time too, right before the last week and finals,” Streeter said.
Assistant director of Housing Angela Storck has been personally managing and overseeing the event since her arrival at Armstrong in 2011.
“We started it in spring of 2012 and it originally began because we wanted to have a way to say ‘thank you’ to the residents for choosing to stay with us. The end of the year is wrapping up and it just gives everyone an excuse to socialize and have some fun, so that was the initial reason that we started it,” Storck said.
“It’s also part of our retention efforts. We want students to be happy so they continue to live with us on campus in the future.”
Storck has focused her efforts to make the event a success for its first three years, but this year signaled a change of guard as responsibility was passed on to the Resident Student Association.
“Now that they’re getting up and running again and taking a more active role in housing, they’ll be taking over the event as one of their big events for the year,” Storck said.
