Hall Government Program Ideas
Please submit program evaluation sheets so your programs can be featured as well!
“Halls that have done this” are listed so you can ask them for more information.
Caramel Apple Making
A perfect program for the fall
Halls that have done this: Esopus
Cards for Senior Citizens
Have residents make cards in exchange for some free food.
The combination of arts and crafts and food is perfect for midterms or finals time.
Halls that have done this: Capen
Condom Social / Sex Pinata
Each Hall Govt member is equipped with stickers that they give to people who say a particular word. After 20 minutes of mingling, reveal that each type of sticker represents an STI and discuss the signs and symptoms of each. Then residents had the opportunity to hit a condom and candy filled piñata.
Another variation would be to ask sex questions and those who get them correct get to hit the piñata.
Condoms may be obtained from RHSA, the HealthCenter, or Planned Parenthood for free!
Residents love piñatas! Advertise it well!
Halls that have done this: Capen
Cultural Potluck / Cook-In
Put together a plethora of food (such as lasagna, pizza, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, rice, pie, whatever you want). You may want to collaborate with your RA Staff for this program.
Advertising well in advance may be beneficial for this program so residents are prepared to come hungry.
Timing may be key! Having the program at 5:00 may help because Hasbrouck hasn’t started serving dinner, and Oscars isn’t open.
Encouraging residents to bring IPods allows them to share their music tastes / dance moves as well.
Halls that has done this: Bevier, Capen
FortMaking and a Movie
Residents are permitted to use the lounge furniture to make a huge fort in the main lounge. They then gather and watch a movie.
This can be exciting for residents because they would ordinarily not be permitted to move lounge furniture in this way. (Check with your RD before doing this program)
Hall that has done this: DuBois
Halloween Party
Candy, food, beverages. Coloring pages, donut eating contest, tarot reading cards, costume contest, raffles, spooky craft, decorate cookies, pumpkin carving. Having multiple activities makes the party more fun!
Personal invitations for each room might help for this type of program (Capen tied invitations onto Halloween Pencils)
Halls that have done this: Bevier, Capen, DuBois, Esopus, Gage, Scudder, Lefevre
Holiday Card Making
A simple program to have residents design cards for their friends.
Offering to put the cards in their friends’ mailboxes that live in your building may be an incentive.
Halls that have done this: DuBois
Movie Marathon / TV Show Premiere
This usually works well during Halloween with scary movies
It also works well when a sequel to a movie is about to open in theatres
Halls that have done this: Esopus, Scudder, Lefevre
My Big Fat Greek Party
Watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding and eat Greek desserts
Can be done with other cultures as well
Halls that have done this: Lenape
Purple (Enter your hall colors here) Tuesdays
Residents are encouraged to wear their hall’s colors on that day so they can enter a raffle.
Encourages hall pride. Many residents don’t even know their hall has colors or a mascot. This is a great way to promote that.
Halls that have done this: Deyo
Random Acts of Kindness: Cookies!
Bake or buy cookies for the hall. Residents love free food!
Hall that has done this: Bevier
Random Acts of Kindness: Donuts and Coffee for Midterms
Supply the hall with 200 munchkins, a box of “Joe,” and a box of hot chocolate during midterm week so that they can come to the Main Lounge and re-energize. This allows residents to interact with Hall Govt and other residents as well.
Hall Govt members knocked on doors so that the invitation was more personal.
Hall that has done this: Bevier
Sex and Candy
½ the group gets candy and is told that it represents something very important to them. The other ½ is told to try and get the candy from the others using any means necessary except violence. It represents sexual assault. Then, play 7-Up but with candy, and the candy represents the sexual assault.
Halls that have done this: Scudder
Thanksgiving Program
Make classic turkey hands and collect food donations
Have a thanksgiving dinner
Make turkey sandwiches
This is a perfect opportunity to gather your residents for some time together.
Serve pie to residents
Halls that have done this: Capen, DuBois, Lenape
Trashy Crafts
Use “garbage” to create beautiful masterpieces
Promote recycling!
Halls that have done this: Scudder