May 12, 2026 by

Hello, my name is Abbey Patterson, and I am a middle childhood education major from London, Ohio. Before my freshman year at Cedarville, my parents and I sat down and had a heart-to-heart conversation about college life, and my parents advised that I live on campus rather than making the 30-minute commute every day. This was not my first choice, since I wanted to stay at home and avoid stepping too far out of my comfort zone. I did not fully agree with my parents’ advice in the moment, but I took it anyway, and I am so grateful that I did.  

In my time at Cedarville, I’ve lived in Printy and Wood Halls and have had amazing experiences in both. When I was in Printy for my freshman and sophomore years, I found myself living with a community of girls who were seeking to create new relationships and lean on one another while striving to grow closer to the Lord. Printy was my first home away from home here at Cedarville, and it will hold a special place in my heart because of the way that community was created in everyday life. The same kinds of relationships and communities are formed in all the dorms across campus in a multitude of ways. Below are four ways that I have personally experienced the creation of community within the dorms: 

1. Hall Events Turn Strangers Into Friends

Among all the dorms, halls and units are separated into bro-sis groups, where female halls or units get paired up with male halls or units. The RAs  of the bro-sis will plan events such as bro-sis brunch, pick-a-date, game nights, pickleball and sand volleyball events, movie nights, and more. Your bro-sis is a great opportunity to make friends of the opposite gender and get to know the people within your own dorm better. The RAs for each bro or sis group will also plan events that are gender-specific. My RA last year had a Galentine’s Day party where we all did crafts and had Bill’s Donuts. This was such a sweet way to connect with the girls in my sis units during a time of the year when many are cooped up indoors because of the cold.

 

2. “Deck the Halls” Creates Shared Traditions and Memories

Deck the Halls is an event hosted by ResLife where each hall or unit creates a walkthrough experience for students to enjoy. My hall this year had a scary nursing home theme. The girls in my hall all dressed up as elderly patients in a nursing home, and as students walked through the hall, the girls jumped out and scared them. Last school year, my unit in Printy created a Titanic-themed experience, and I played one of the Rose characters. This event happens the last Friday before fall semester finals, so it is an amazing way to connect with the people you live with before you go on break! I also have walked through other dorm’s contributions to this campuswide event with members of my bro-sis. This event builds community and provides a simple way to connect with the people you are living with.  

3. Dorm-Wide Events Bring the Whole Community Together

Along with Deck the Halls, every dorm hosts events that are special to their community. One of the first dorm-wide events that occurs is Lawlorpalooza, which takes place on the first Wednesday of classes in the fall. This event involves every set of bro units in Lawlor creating their own dance routine and competing against the other units in a series of challenges and games. This event is open to the whole campus to watch, so it is a great way to start a friendship with someone in your hall by inviting them to attend with you. Another example of a dorm-wide event put on this year was my dorm’s late-night waffle bar. The Wood RAs cooked waffles, and the girls who lived in Wood Hall enjoyed a night of waffles and fellowship together. 

4. Late-Night Food Runs Build Lasting Friendships

Imagine going through your whole day of classes, homework, extracurricular activities, and evening plans with friends. It gets to be about 9 p.m., and you begin to realize you are starving and bored. What do you do? Well, if you live on campus, the answer is probably taking a trip to Taco Bell or another open-late restaurant.  

I still remember my first experience of the college tradition of late-night feasts. Two girls in my freshman-year unit knocked on my door and invited me on an adventure. I was introduced to their whole group of friends, who have since become my friends. We had so much fun taking over 20 people into Taco Bell, laughing and getting to know each other the whole time. It took forever to get our food, but no one noticed since we were all wrapped up in conversation. Late-night feasts do not even have to be off campus! Girls in my hall this year often make plans to go to The Commons Express to get breadsticks and pizza.  

These conversations and experiences with the girls I have lived with have deepened my understanding of them and strengthened our friendships. It is over these late-night feasts that my walk with Christ has been strengthened, support has been given after a tough day, and lasting memories have been made.  

Community Is What You Make It at Cedarville University

Throughout your time at Cedarville University, you will live with so many different people. My challenge to you is to try to build some sort of relationship with every person you live with. This could be the type of relationship where you spend every night together feasting, or it could look as simple as short chats when you see them outside of the dorm. The choice is yours to make, but living in the dorm makes it really easy to find whatever kind of community you are looking for on campus.  

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