Erin and Adam wanted a way to improve house unity and taming group dominance within the house. Origination of this program began at the beginning of November, after Halloween decorating went well because of house members beginning to intermingle with one another. Erin Collins and Adam Rowlett, student advisors of the 5 South community of Missouri Hall, brainstormed ideas of ways to increase house socialization, especially with those residents that seemed to "take over" the lounge space. During the second week of November, Collins and Rowlett planned events for each day of the week after returning from Thanksgiving Break. Each day would have a different theme that would draw in residents with different interests to participate.

Word Count: 116

For the program Best Week Ever, each day was set up with a certain activity for the residents. Monday night started off with a game called Bigger and Better. In this game residents are divided into groups and are given a paper clip. They must trade the paper clip for something bigger and better. The objective of the game is to obtain the best object(s) in the fewest amounts of trades within the respected time limit, one hour. Residents were required to work together in their groups to brainstorm strategies for obtaining the best object. Tuesday night was a game night in which residents were given the opportunity to choose form a variety of board games to play. During Best Week Ever, residents played Apples to Apples for well over an hour as they got to know each other's sense of humor and personality. Wednesday was the most successful day by far-- Study Day. During Study Day, Collins and Rowlett rearranged the furniture so it was not centralized around the television and also put 12 bean bags throughout the lounge to make for plenty of space for studying. About 50 people took part on this day while they enjoyed cookies and refreshments provided by the student advisors as the lounge was respectfully quiet for almost three hours. Residents could then socialize and do their homework as well rather than choosing one over the other, especially a few weeks before finals. Thursday was also a successful day as residents took part in painting, making snowflakes, and incorporating many other decorations into the lounge for the holidays. Not only does the lounge look appealing, festive and welcoming, residents enjoyed being creative and exploring the lives of their fellow house mates while creating a magnitude of inside jokes throughout the evening.

Word Count: 298

The goal of Best Week Ever was presented to the residents as a "fun week" to relax before finals began. The underlying goal of Best Week Ever was to unify the house, especially those groups that do not spend time with one another. The program was designed to get more people involved, make the lounge more accessible to all residents, and getting to know fellow housemates.

Word Count: 66

Residents genuinely enjoyed themselves throughout the week and even asked for a study night to be incorporated on a regular basis next semester. The residents are now proud of the lounge that they "built" with decorations and a stronger sense of community. Residents are no longer nervous to begin a conversation with a housemate that is not a part of their social group. Different social groups intermingled, therefore, making everyone less uncomfortable with each other and the lounge space. Overall, the increased amount of respect that residents have for one another now has led to less problems within the house and a greater respect for the house and the space as a whole.

Word Count: 113

Best Week Ever is a strong program that surpassed all expectations of the goals set. Residents not only intermingled, but now are familiar with one another past a surface level. Residents are no longer hesitant to begin conversing with one another and join in on an unplanned activity in the lounge. The variety of events throughout the week sparked interest and the enjoyment kept the residents coming back for more. A greater respect has been implemented between housemates as well as for the space as a whole.

Word Count: 87

Missouri Hall is a community style building with three wings that are connected by a centralized lounge. This set up made it easy for advertising since everyone has to go into the bathroom or through the lounge at some point. On other campuses, especially suite style halls, more advertising would need to be done in order to captivate the interest of residents and make them want to stop by each day to check out the activities. Other campuses could also use campus events or activities within the city to adapt to the needs and interests of their residents.

Word Count: 98