One of my favorite things about living in the dorms was the conversations. Homework, classes, professors, family, hometowns and boys were all discussed in the hallway, in the dorm rooms and even the bathroom.
I and several friends once found a broken toilet which we intended to make into a planter or cooler for storing drinks. We just could not get it clean enough, so we decided it would be perfect for extra seating.
My fondest memory is the water fights in the dorms. Everyone had water balloons and launchers and water guns. No one was mad for getting wet. Let’s face it, it gets hot in Hesston. One time we accidentally broke a window.
The best prank we pulled in E3WS was creating a ball pit in the bathtub halfway full of water. We got a good laugh when friends would jump in the ball pit and jump right back up out of the cold water. I definitely miss all the friendships and being able to see those people day in and day out.
We once pulled a prank where we moved all the mod furniture into the RA’s room and her furniture into the mod lounge.
My friends and I wanted to go camping one night, but it was too cold, so we proceeded to move every potted plant and tree on campus to the first floor of Erb. Half the fun was distracting the RDs and quietly stealing the plants directly behind them. We built a tent in “the jungle,” complete with as many ornamental yard animals as we could find, an electric fireplace “campfire,” and a huge Girl Scout Cookie banner we “found.” All of the “borrowed” items were later returned of course. Getting caught a couple of times while returning them was worth the confused looks we got from some.
We used to do aerobic exercises on second floor of Erb central. We would wear bright colors and meet in the center lounge area once or twice a week for music and quality time with friends. Even with the intensive cardio workout, we still gained the Freshman 15!
I love my mod! We are a very close group of girls and have a lot of fun. Living in the dorms has taught me how to respect someone else’s space and privacy. My roommate and I have connected so well, and we really have something special. I hope that we are able to keep our friendship alive wherever we go after Hesston. The best prank pulled on us was when some boys put rotten eggs in our ceiling. It smelled awful! We attempted to get them back by putting the eggs in their mod, but by then you could pin point where the eggs were just by the smell.
What I love most about living in the dorms is always having people around. I don’t have any siblings to hang out with at home, so having a roommate and always having people around me at school has been awesome. Living in the dorms has made me a more social person and always up for anything. The best prank that I pulled was moving my roommate’s car onto the soccer practice field while she was gone. My friends and I used car paint to write “#1 KU fan,” and “I love KU!” on her car (she’s a K-State fan). Then we moved two soccer goals around her car and locked them together with bike locks.
At 3 a.m. Oct. 4, 1975, Mary Lou (Schmidt) ’77 Bonham and I used bed sheets to dress as ghosts. We then crept around Erb Hall quietly shaking girls awake. Just as they would wake up, we would slip out the door. The next morning, some people were shaken up by the experience and some were furious. We confessed to being the ghosts later that day. That evening, as I was showering, the curtain was pulled back and a large pot of cold water was dumped on me. My roommate and I decided that every night for the remainder of our college life, we would lock our door.
I appreciated the camaraderie with my mod mates in Erb Hall. Living in the dorm allowed me to experience living in a faith community. A favorite prank was dropping pennies from the third floor stairwell to interrupt the moment as guys kissed the girls goodnight at the bottom of the stairs.
One of my favorite pranks was when some girls in my mod made caramel covered “apples” (onions) for our brother mod. After their initial disgust, the guys liked the idea so much that they tried to share them with other guys in Kauffman Court.