Shelby Le Duc

Junior Spanish education major Hannah Corcoran lighting one of the tiki torches on Greenwood Avenue during Wilgus and McGregor Halls’ annual luau Thursday.

Residence halls Wilgus Hall and Mc­Gregor Hall hosted their 15th annual luau Thursday.

The atmosphere was complete with tropical decorations, which included fes­tive lights, streamers, a makeshift cabana and tiki torches that lined Greenwood Av­enue.

The night consisted of island-inspired events, like a watermelon eating contest and a hula-hooping contest.

Some students even went the extra mile and dressed for the occasion in hula skirts and straw hats.

In previous years, this event has drawn large crowds of students, and despite the cold weather, this year was no exception.

Claire Tibodeau, junior social sciences major and Resident Assistant for Mc­Gregor Hall, worked the event and said she had been worried the weather would threaten the celebration.

“We were scared about the wind be­cause we wanted to use our tikis,” Tibo­deau said.

The weather cooperated, which allowed students from all areas on campus to come together and enjoy the festivities.

“My friends and I come for the fruit and fun,” Sarah Schultz, senior business mar­keting major, said.

Ben Canaday, junior occupational safe­ty management major, was one student whose wardrobe stood out among the rest, complete with a Hawaiian-style shirt.

“I have been to a few other campus events,” Canaday said.

Canaday and other students seemed un­bothered by the weather as they took part in beanbag tournaments.

Brooke Heacock, junior animal science major and Resident Assistant for Wilgus Hall, helped plan and decorate for the luau.

“We didn’t spend any money on games or decorations,” Heacock said. “The deco­rations committee worked together to find what supplies we had available and were usable. We formulated a floor plan for how we wanted to decorate the area.”

Heacock and Corcoran acknowledged that it is not necessarily always the staff that comes up with the all the successful event ideas.

“This is now the fifteenth year the luau has been done, and we are still going strong,” Cocoran said.

The luau, however, is not the only activ­ity option for the redidence halls.

“The Department does encourage students to submit their ideas for future events,” Heacock said. “They should talk to their RAs.”

Corcoran discussed the possibilities of other future outdoor activities.

“We are talking about doing a disc golf tournament, but it’s still being deter­mined,” Corcoran said.