The 117th Anniversary of Soochow University: Welcome to Monster Hostel

On the 117^th anniversary of Soochow University, You Fang Residence Hall, Rong Hua Residence Hall, and Song Jing Residence Hall jointly held the dormitory carnival, whose theme this year was “Monsters.” Students wore different types of monster costumes to interact with visitors, so as to challenge the stereotypes of monsters and emphasize their frinedliness and kindness. By doing so, the dormitory carnival encouraged people to challenge their own stereotypes and think outside the box.

Walking into Song Jing Residence Hall, visitors would see Frankenstein, vampire, werewolf, and other famous Western monsters. They could also find Japanese monsters in You Fang Residence Hall and Chinese monsters in Rong Hua Residence Hall. The dormmitory carnival committee also designed different levels of games to entertain visitors.“Sometimes we thought we were ready, but after each meeting, we could always find ways to make the dormitory carnival better,”said the carnival coordinator, Mr. Liao, when talking about the difficulties the committee faced and the lessons they learned in the process of preparing for the carnival.“Whether it's time management or solving unexpected problems, we have learned a lot as a team.”

“I will help prepare for next year's dormitory carnival again. People are so friendly here and it feels like a family," said the student who played Frankenstein this year. Liou, a junior in the Department of Social Work, who has helped prepare for the dormitory carnival for 3 consecutive years, pointed out that the carnival has developed friendship among dormitory students and brought them a positive attitude toward life. "Previous members of the dormitory carnival committee often come back to offer support and encouragement and this really helps keep us going. We hope to constantly improve the dormitory carnival committee and the carnival itself."