As most upperclassmen know, University housing typically tries to foster a sense of community. Common rooms in each residence hall would typically be a social hub for students. There would occasionally be events within residence halls, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day parties. 

However, much has changed since last spring. Plans for St. Patrick’s Day and end-of-year parties came to a screeching halt, and now such holiday events would be a violation of University guidelines. Many common rooms are even temporarily gone, having been transformed into extra rooms for students. Still, the Inter-Hall Council (IHC) has worked to keep spirits high. 

IHC is a student organization that aims to improve community living in residence halls. There are individual councils for each hall, as well as a wider council. For West Campus, there is a shared council, while most of the residence halls on Main Campus and South Campus have their own individual councils, run by students who live in the buildings they represent. IHC’s wider council is responsible for campus-wide events. These events include Freshman Orientation and Nova Harvest.

At Freshman Orientation this year, IHC shifted its events in part to an online focus. Usually, IHC’s role in Freshman Orientation is to run the Water Ice Social. At this social, which is similar to Cat-chella, freshmen receive Rita’s Water Ice, wear necklaces with colors corresponding to their dorm and socialize. This year, the event was cancelled. Instead, IHC held games of “Mafia” online. Freshmen could sign up online and play with IHC members. 

Nova Harvest is an annual fall festival at the Riley Ellipse, hosted solely by IHC. There are games set up, at which participants can win prizes, along with cider and donuts for snacks. This year, Nova Harvest will be cancelled as well. However, IHC will have a fall campus event. They have not decided yet on what it will be, but they are looking to possibly partner with another club to plan it.

Sophomore Matthew Gaetano was in charge of St. Monica Hall and Katharine Hall last year. He has recently risen to his current job on the IHC Executive Board as an event planner for campus-wide events. Gaetano encourages freshmen to apply to IHC. 

“It’s a great way to make friends and get a leadership role freshman year, and it’s not that demanding,” Gaetano said. “It’s fun to build events for the community and bring people together when we need it most.”