Dorm Council: A Work in Progress

Years ago, St. Labre had a Dorm Council. This fall, as Matt and I watched the kids come home from school and plop in front of the TV, as we watched them struggle – on their own – with the same subjects, we decided the dorm needed social and academic leadership. As JVs, sometimes our ideas are cool, and other times, well, we're the JVs. Leadership and ownership has to come from the kids and so, with Roger's backing, we set about resurrecting Dorm Council.

We had each student nominate two classmates, and then asked each nominee to submit a paragraph explaining his or her ideas for the dorm and why he or she would be a good Dorm Councilor. The responses were impressive, instructive and hilarious.

They responded to “Why you?” with devotion and sentiment – “I will do whatever it takes to make this dorm a better place;” “I got nothing here but friends and family” – and honesty interspersed with poetry – “I want to be on Dorm Council because the dorm is so boring and there is nothing to do in this boring place. Plus, this dorm is empty just like an empty heart with no love and care.” Initiatives included pool and ping pong tournaments, game nights, hikes, dances, water fights, peer tutoring, subject quizzes for candy and, one of my favorites, “seeing who could make the best thing and getting a prize for it.”

From 30+ nominations, we received statements from eight students, seven boys and one girl. The process of writing their statements self-selected devoted, active individuals, and we were excited to accept all eight. Since every one of them wrote of being bored, Dorm Council has focused its first month on social programs.

In January, the Council ran a successful pool tournament and a great game night in which 23 of 35 dormies participated. (The activity was thought up, planned and executed by two Dorm Councilors.) The girls met the boys in a heated game of Charades with a free pass from study hour at stake. An hour into it, in the final minute before prayer, the girls pulled it out by one, with a successful depiction of the movie Juneau. The boys’ shouts of “pregnant igloo!” and “Donny is an Eskimo!” proved too little too late.

Indepent of Dorm Council but encouraged by their enthusiasm, Matt and I set up a hike and a sledding adventure, and continued with weekly flag football, pictured above. We have the Valentines Dance coming up on February 11th (oohhaah) but we hope to loose the Council on some academic and community service initiatives in the future.