Two residence halls brought the carnival home for their residents.
Cartmell and Mays Hall residents and resident advisors (RAs) were treated to cotton candy, snow cones, corn holes, water balloon fights and more at their annual Cartmell Carnival.
“We have so many resident advisors because Cartmell is so big, so it opens doors for residents to meet their staff that they need to communicate with,” said RA Taylor Pfaff.
The event also created an environment where students could socialize and meet other people living in their dorm beyond their room or floor.
“One of the things I love about Cartmell is the freshmen because they’re still making friends. A lot of people in this building know the people on their floor, but because our building is so tall, they don’t get to know the people who live above and below them,” said RA Cam Drew.
Many of the freshmen, including Lena Gorga, a Tennessee native, attended the event to make new friends with their peers who reside in Cartmell.
“No one from my hometown came here, so I literally don’t know anyone here,” Gorga said. “I’m trying to be open to new events. Anything to meet new people and make new friends.”
First-year students often find it difficult to transition into their new environment where they must constantly work to balance their academic and social lives, but events such as this can help solve that problem.
“When we’re doing things like this, they get to go out and meet people who can literally go upstairs and hang out in their room,” Drew said.
There are more events for Cartmell residents to look forward to this year. Drew said the RAs hold three programs a semester, two of them social and one developmental.
“The social programs are just for fun, but for the developmental program we do something educational, like bringing in an expert to teach them something,” Drew said.
