Lewis gives credit to those in the group for generating--and realizing--President Rudenstine's visit.
"It was a really neat idea that the students had," she recalls.
First-years on the third and fourth floor of Hurlbut Hall have also hosted a variety of interesting events to give their entryway mates a break from tedious homework.
Three weeks ago, Katrien R. Naessens '02 took planned what she deems one of the most popular study breaks this year. Naessens decided a beach "I love doing crazy things like that," shesaid. "They really foster group dynamics." Naessens says that although her perfects alwaysattend entryway meetings, often toting food andother refreshments, without student help studybreaks become routine. "We always come up with a theme, but nothingever happens," she says, "It's kind of boring." The responsibility for organizing study breaksseems to be split among prefects and first-years. Some entryways assign responsibility forevents. Others, like Lewis', generate ideas ontheir own. "Students sign-up to host study breaks, and theprefects call them and sometimes suggest themeideas," Tully says of his group's proceduralapproach. But prefects say that there are many outsidefactors that often interfere with study breaks andother activities. Many prefects lament the fact that homework andon-campus events have reduced participation. "At the beginning, attendance was large," Lewissays, noting that participation has slumped since,due in part to apathy but primarily a result ofincreasing time conflicts. "We've had trouble getting people out to theactivities with so much else going on," Bauersays. The key, Bauer says, may be trying to find waysto coordinate activities at times when a largesegment of the group is able to attend. "It just depends on how you adapt to thegroup," she says, adding that she has scheduledevents progressively later in the day to avoidconflicts. Bauer, in her second year as a prefect, plansto return for a third. "Oh, no question," she says