Potluck Dinner

Barbara Kern, Resident Assistant, Tompkins Cortland Community College

Although this may seem like a lame program idea when you’re reading, it works very well as an ice breaker program and an opportunity for everyone on your floor to converse. My very first program this semester I held a potluck dinner. At the potluck everyone is asked to make a dinner and/or dessert dish to pass (since we have suites instead of just rooms, I made a stipulation that if all four roommates were coming then at least two dishes were to be made, otherwise one would be fine if three or less were attending). The only thing needed is plates, cups, napkins/paper towels, silverware, and drinks. We setup all the food in one room, and across the hall in my suite we had the drinks and the eating area, where we watched the movie, "What Lies Beneath Her". The program was an outrageous success; I have 28 people on my floor and 31 people attended. We had food ranging from stuffed artichokes to spanish rice with curry chicken, to banana cream pie. The best thing about the program was that the GUYS were more excited about it than I was; they even had bets going to see who was going to have the best dish. After my program three other RA's had potluck dinners for their floors.