A Sense of Belonging: Women’s Dorm Traditions
Written by Jenny Wiland
For many Hillsdale students, the term “dorm traditions” brings to mind Galloway Residence’s weekly bonfires or raids between the various men’s dorms. But the guys don’t have a monopoly on classic dorm traditions. Though they may not be as famous, the women’s dorms on campus have their own rich traditions to bring the girls together.
Take Benzing Residence, for instance—a women’s dorm whose residents tend toward the quieter side, but still enjoy their own culture. Every fall, the Benzing girls get together to paint the piano in the lobby. After the resident assistants (RAs) give it a fresh, white coat, the girls will gather for an evening of snacks, music, and art. It all centers around the girls decorating the piano with designs of their choice, from tiny flowers to expansive galaxies.
“I think it’s a good reflection of our dorm,” says Benzing RA Emily Brausch, ’23. “It’s homey and welcoming. All the residents are invited to add whatever they want to the piano. It’s their own mark they leave on Benzing for the year.”
While the piano gets repainted every year, the piano bench does not. The ladies of Benzing paint their initials and graduation year on the bench, leaving their mark within a years-long heritage that will endure after they leave the dorm.
Benzing also partners with Mauck Residence to put on the Hillsdale Hoedown every year. This event welcomes students from all parts of campus to enjoy apple cider, line dancing, and a pie contest. Flannels are highly encouraged, and the past couple years have even featured a competition for the best flannel outfit.
While everyone is invited, Benzing and Mauck make sure to advertise the event to freshmen. “I remember, as a freshman, hearing about it and going to it and having lots of fun—and that was before I even lived in the dorm that was putting it on,” says Emily. “It provides them a social opportunity to just go with friends, get out of studying for a little bit, and go have some fun!”
Benzing and Mauck aren’t the only dorms that reach out to freshmen. New Dorm hosts an annual tailgate for the first home football game of the season. They invite freshmen women to come hang out on the dorm’s patio, coat their faces in blue and silver glitter, and walk over to the game together. “We think it’s really cool to invite freshmen women into a community that has at least some upper-class women, too,” says New Dorm head RA Rachel Warren, ’23. “I remember it was really cool as a freshman to be invited over to a sophomore and junior dorm, and to walk to the game with them.”
Even when COVID-19 put the football season on hold in 2020, New Dorm faithfully held its tailgate. They walked down to the field and cheered on some Simpsonites who were playing a pick-up game.
New Dorm also hosts Toga Party every year, where all of campus is invited to come hang out, hear live music, and wear bedsheet togas. Though New Dorm is young, these traditions have already become part of the dorm’s identity.
“I think it gives people a sense of belonging when you have these events. And I think traditions, because they create consistency, help establish what you want to be and what you want to represent as a dorm or as a community,” says Rachel. “You can look at New Dorm and say, ‘who are they? Oh, they have Toga Party.’ They like to get excited. They do the tailgate. It establishes what you’re trying to be, and then gives people something to look forward to.”
From weekly Waterman tea to the annual Maucktails gathering at Mauck Hall where ladies enjoy mocktails, charcuterie, and music as they glamor up for the President’s Ball, all the various women’s dorm traditions enrich both dorm culture and the overall campus community. “When it’s with all of campus, it’s something that you’re going to be known for—you’re associating that event and that tradition with that dorm, and your perception of what it’s like to live there,” Emily says. “And when it’s just the dorm, it’s creating the community inside of the dorm, and bringing everybody together.”
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Jenny Wiland, ’23, studies rhetoric and public address with a minor in psychology. She loves her cat, dark chocolate, and writing stories, especially science fiction and fantasy.
Published in December 2022