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By Geoff Smith
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 20, 1996
To passersby, it was a spectacle of lingerie-clad men and women vaulting towards a mattress. To members of the UA Residence Hall Association, it was the kickoff to Dorm Daze.Dorm Daze, one of RHA's biggest events, is now in its 17th year. The mock mini-Olympic divides the 17 campus residence halls into four teams which battle it out for the title of Dorm Daze champion.
Chris Christensen, RHA president, said the nine-day event is a method of getting residents out of the halls to discover what RHA is all about.
"RHA can be fun," Christensen said. "It is not just a weekly meeting they attend." The association meets Thursdays at 5 p.m. in Old Chemistry Room 134.
For the next week, residents will participate in scavenger hunts, movie nights at Gallagher Theatre and semi-sporting events. All the events are centered around this year's theme - "Ace Ventura." Gallagher Theatre special-ordered the two Ace Ventura movies just for the occasion.
Christensen said two of the week's most popular events are "Earthball" and "Leap to Sleep."
In "Leap to Sleep," participants throw on women's lingerie and try to be the first team to pile on a mattress. "Earthball," the most dangerous of all the events according to Christensen, involves plowing your opponents over with a giant beach ball with the hopes of eventually getting the ball into your goal.
Michelle Heiman, environmental sciences junior and resident of Kaibab-Huachuca Residence Hall, has attended Dorm Daze events for the last three years.
"It is a great break from classes," she said. "You meet people from other halls you would normally not have any contact with."
Christensen said the 4,800 students who live in campus residence halls are all automatic members of RHA. About 100 to 150 students actually take an active role in RHA's mission to improve life in the residence halls, he said.
RHA operates on an annual budget of about $66,000, which comes from a $15 fee residence hall residents pay through their rent. Dorm Daze will cost the group about $5,000.
Christensen said a way of improving the halls is through the Resource Allocation Fund. The fund assists hall governments with funding for programs, services and amenities. The fund's $18,000 is spent according to the vote of active RHA members.
A new service provided by RHA this year is the Student Action Team.
AmyLynn Vero, national communications coordinator for RHA, said the committee will be used to improve programming on critical issues to all the residence halls.
"We are getting a team of residents together who will be able to present programs on everything from the building of leadership and study skills to date rape and homophobia," she said. "Our goal is to work alongside the (Resident Assistant) staffs to support them in bringing new and interesting programs to the halls.
Besides RHA's funding and programming aspects, Christensen said all members of RHA qualify to attend national leadership conferences and participate in RHA's spring events - Mock Rock and Battlezona.
Mock Rock is an RHA-sponsored lip-sync contest held on the Mall. Battlezona is an event similar to Dorm Daze that pits the UA against Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.
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