On Monday, Oct. 3, Lee University hosted yet another successful year of Dorm Wars. Lee family and friends watched and cheered as the residence halls Hicks-Brinsfield, male; Cross-Tharp, traditional female; and Storms-Brinsfield, upperclassmen female; were crowned the 2022 champions.

“Dorm Wars 2022 was an amazing experience,” said Dr. Jarad Russell, director of Residential Life and Housing. “I loved watching the students get excited about their residence halls and come together as a team. Like previous years, it really was a campus-wide effort. I think it shows the university’s commitment to creating a special environment for our student body, and ResLife is grateful to play a part in that.”

The annual Lee tradition allows students living on campus to engage in fun, physical competitions to benefit charitable organizations. This year, there were a few additions and changes to what Dorm Wars has historically looked like.

The night began with students and staff filing into Walker Arena for the introductions of the hype squads. The hype squads include students who are not on their dorm’s team and whose job it is to get their peers excited about the event. It was a time of appreciation for the hard work done by the teams, student decorators, and Residential Life and Housing staff, who coordinated the evening.

“Dorm Wars was so fun this year, and it’s one of my favorite events of the fall semester,” said Harmony Hammontree, member of New Hughes Hall’s hype squad. “It is the best way to get everyone involved in their housing communities at Lee!”

The competitions began with a mystery event, which was a compilation of previous years’ activities. Then, Dorm Wars presented the couch race, where residence halls raced decorated couches, two teams at a time, down the arena floor and back as fast as possible, similar to the shopping cart race of the past. The final event of the evening was the traditional obstacle course race that ends with students jumping over a four-foot wall.

“I am new to Lee this year, so I had been anticipating this night for months,” said Debrianna DeBolt, resident director of New Hughes. “I am so proud of all the work that was put into it. From the Dorm Wars teams to the décor to the hype squad routine, this event couldn’t happen without the amazing student participation.”

Through Dorm Wars, and a generous donation by North Cleveland Church of God, students were able to raise $4,827.52 for the Boys & Girls Club of the Ocoee Region.

Second place winners in each category include residence halls Bowdle-O’Bannon, male; Atkins-Ellis, traditional female; and Keeble-Dirksen and New Hughes, upperclassmen female.

To watch the livestream of Dorm Wars 2022, visit https://leeu.live/?video=755678444.