Moving out of a residential hall and into a college house comes with its own baggage.
From spinning a chore wheel to watching movies on a living room couch, off-campus life allows students to shed their old dormitory habits in favor of new responsibilities. But, what stays from a dorm to a house is roommate (or rather, housemate) bonding.
To inspire your house’s next bonding activity, The Beacon staff have compiled the best adventures to embark on with your housemates.
Handing down clothes
Suggested by Camille Kuroiwa-Lewis, Living Editor
My closet now consists of a majority of my housemates’ hand-me-downs. My favorite skirt, my favorite PJ bottoms — these cherished pieces are made all the more special because they were once cared for by the people I cook beside and watch TV with. Though housemates share many things (utensils, bathrooms, chores), sharing clothing is by far the most bonding. So grab some well-loved clothes and have a housemate pick through the piles. It’s a testament to the fact that the people we live with have impacted us, from the laughs we have down to the clothes we share. Additionally, this could even be made into a house event (with enough participation) — temporarily turning your home into a thrifting district.
Swig Night
Suggested by Maggie Dapp, Sports Editor
Are you and your housemates obsessed with eight women who may or may not be following the tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Us too. If your house is binging The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a show following Mormon ‘MomTokers’ that infamously consume doctored-up soda at chains like Swig, get bonding with a Swig Night. Turn on the TV, crack open the Coca-Cola and coconut cream, gather together your limes and sugar-free syrups and recreate recipes like these. Let’s hope MomTok survives this!
Movie night
Suggested by Tiffany Marquez-Escobar, DEI Editor
As an avid Letterboxd user, I’m always ready for a movie night. Anytime someone says, “I’m thinking of staying in,” I’m already sprinting to turn on the TV. For me, there’s nothing better than getting all the housemates together, eating snacks and sharing commentary on whatever we’re watching. Some movie night picks I’d recommend are “The Shape of Water,” “X” or “Superbad.” Even if some of what we watch freaks us out in the moment, I always feel like spending that time together brings us closer. Plus, the inside jokes that come after are the best part.
Secret Santa
Suggested by Naara Conlon, Social Media Reporter
For the past three years, my housemates and I have had the tradition of being forced into buying gifts for each other. Just kidding! I love my girls. Secret Santa is the perfect way to show our appreciation for everyone while simultaneously saving money by not having to purchase individual gifts. After each roomie pulls a random name from a hat, they then have to buy a gift for that person. The most exciting part of the game is that the keeper of your gift is sworn to secrecy and nobody truly knows who is responsible for whom, nor what the actual gift is. We make a day of it by decorating our sad little Charlie Brown tree, participating in a gingerbread house competition (it gets real ugly) and drinking liters of hot chocolate with Jim Carrey’s “The Grinch” playing in the background.
Trivia night
Suggested by Natalie Gordon, Multimedia Editor
For months now, my house’s favorite activity is Tuesday trivia nights at Chill N Fill. Every Tuesday, we laugh, eat and get our butts kicked in trivia questions for two hours. I thrive when it comes to modern history facts, but that isn’t usually a trivia topic so I am of no help to my group. We have a silly team name (The Pirates Who Don’t Know Anything) and a rotating list of friends with weirdly specific trivia knowledge who join every week. I also highly suggest taking advantage of any nearby events and discovering new businesses to support your housemates. And if you happen to stop by Chill N Fill on a Tuesday night, make sure to watch out for “The Pirates Who Don’t Know Anything.”
Baking
Suggested by Julianna Pedone, News and Managing Editor
Last week, I glanced at my roommate lounging on the couch and said, “I can preheat the oven for cookies.” No one had mentioned cookies, but I knew she’d bake them anyway. Sure enough, she laughed, stood up and started rolling out the dough she’d stashed away earlier in the week. Our house has an unspoken love language: baking. Every week, someone stress-bakes, and without fail, another housemate gravitates to the kitchen, ready to chat, offer moral support or just enjoy the smell of baked goods. Our entire house is made of upperclassmen — overworked, overstressed, but always available to procrastinate together around the kitchen counter. So, it’s not just about the cookies (though they’re a bonus). It’s about coming together and engaging in a small but meaningful ritual that turns the chaos of college life into something a little more bearable.
Highs and Lows (aka Rose and Thorn for those who want to give a little nod to Portland)
Suggested by Amanda Stern, Photographer
At a time that works for your entire household, whether it’s over a meal or while lounging around, connect with one another over the highs (the “rose”) and lows (the “thorn”) of your day. Ideally, make this a ritual every evening, as the events of the day will be fresh in your mind and easier to reflect upon. This is a nice practice to get to know the people you’re living with (even your own partner — mine and I do this nightly before bed). By making this a consistent time for connecting, everyone can bond over the highlights of their day and support one another through the not-so-ideal parts of their day. Sometimes there are no lows, sometimes there are no highs, but there’s always good conversation and genuine connection to be had from this game.
Rotting (but make it fun)
Suggested by Kimberly Cortez, Editor-in-Chief
We’ve all done it. Maybe it was after a long school day or after a bad breakup. “Bed rotting,” coined by Gen Z TikTokers, broadly encompasses the act of staying in bed and doing absolutely nothing — even when you sometimes should be doing something. In my house, we don’t bed rot. We rot on the couch. The blue velvet couch, which is chronically broken and propped up using old textbooks, is the main way my housemates and I decompress. Yes, we rot. But sometimes a rot includes eating dinner together, playing games, gossiping — it’s really a conversation pit more than anything. With our plasma screen facing the couch, it’s the perfect location to watch TV and tune out the world. If you’ve ever walked on Willamette, you definitely have seen us watching TV through the open window blinds.
Pizza night
Suggested by Netty Jurriaans, Community Engagement Editor
If there is one thing that me and my housemates can agree on, it's pizza. There is no better way to end a bad week, a good week or just a normal week than with pizza. Not only is pizza delicious, but it is also easy to accommodate everyone's preferences when making it. At my house, we love to gather in the kitchen, blast our favorite music and pretend like we are chefs — twirling the dough with our hands and yelling “heard” anytime someone says anything. Our preference is Trader Joe's for cheap and yummy pizza supplies. It's so important to spend time with your housemates. What better way to do it than with the cheesy goodness that is pizza?
This list was compiled by The Beacon staff. We can be reached at beaconeditor@upbeacon.com.
