Written by Abigail Davis, Staff Writer
Dayton, TN – In preparation for Homecoming weekend, Bryan College’s SGA hosted four Dorm Wars events on Oct. 3-6. These included Trivia Night on Monday, Capture the Flag on Tuesday, Karaoke on Wednesday, and Dodgeball on Thursday.
The dorms facing off in this first-ever battle were Woodlee, Long, Arnold, Houston, Robinson and the Townhouse and the Rhea house, the latter combining to create equal numbers for each side.
Freshman senator Andrew Morris, a Biology major, was asked about the inspiration of the first annual Dorm Wars, which was planned by him and other SGA members. “The idea behind it was [that] everyone loves a good competition, and competing for something is fun, especially when it’s a trophy,” Morris said.
On Monday, no victor was instantaneously declared, as the points were only to be announced on Thursday. Due to a technological mishap involving kahoot, the 70 student attendees of the event wrote the answers to the trivia quiz on paper.
On Tuesday, students showed up to decorate various flags and hide them in the Triangle and Quad, which soon descended into chaos as the event began. Fueled by energy drinks and competitive spirit, the students raced onto the field at 8:30 p.m. Alliances were quickly made and broken, spies descended upon unexpecting dorms, and various distraction methods employed as teams attempted to gain an advantage. In the end, Robinson and Woodlee managed to protect their flag from harm, but the other teams still got points from stealing other people’s flags.
Carlos Vasquez, a Sophomore Biology major and resident of Long, discussed his experience at all four events. “My favorite event was the capture the flag game because it was fun and we got to work together as a dorm,” Vasques said.
On Wednesday, karaoke was hosted in the college cafeteria at 8 p.m., the second to last event of the Dorm Wars. Contestants got up to sing their favorite songs, including I Want it That Way by The Backstreet Boys and Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus. SGA members decided their favorites through a vote, but waited to declare a winner until Thursday’s official crowning.
At the end of the event, homecoming court winners were announced. For the senior class, winners were Mackenzie Heiss and Ben Paul; Sadie Bryan and Moshe Cope; Bethany Watkins and Michael Stewart; and Dana Rice and Jacob Mann. For the Junior class, Ivey Evans and Josiah Gelatt won along with Lauren Cox and Ryan Beaty. Sophomore winners included Carisse Arseneaux and David Quillman; and Rachel Norman and Chase Nichols. The Freshman class was represented by Riley Reinhold and Andrew Morris; and Anna Driller and Kirby Johnson.
On Thursday, Bryan College students came together in Summer’s Gym for an epic contest of will, athletics and strategy. In the end, Woodlee came out on top for dodgeball, boasting matching shirts, skill and numbers.
Jasmine Mathis, a Freshman Communications major, attended this event as a representative of the Arnold dorm. “My favorite Dorm Wars event was probably either Capture the Flag or dodgeball. I liked that everyone got to work together as teams and [I] had fun competing with the other dorms,” Mathis said.
In the end, this event determined the winner of the first annual Dorm Wars as well. Woodlee was officially declared winner, spawning celebrations and disappointment on the Bryan College campus. As the tradition continues, the other dorms on campus hope to take the crown next year.
Abigail Davis is a freshman Communications major with a minor in English and Business. In her free time, she enjoys writing, video games and reading.
