Yoder Resident Director Jake Shipe had an ulterior motive in organizing the annual Night at the RFC, held last Friday.

The main goal was for Goshen students to have fun (about 200 attended), but he also wanted to give the President’s Leadership Award applicants on campus for the weekend a feel for what they should expect at Goshen. Night at the RFC was planned to coincide with their visit.

The Yoder resident assistant-organized event offered basketball, volleyball, racquetball, walleyball, an open climbing wall, yard games, Wii on a big screen and watermelon polo, led by Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Bill Born.

The water game served up an unexpected challenge, according to Shipe.

“I couldn’t find one normal-size watermelon since they really aren’t in season in North Central Indiana during the middle of winter, so the only thing the store had were two softball-sized watermelons."

However, despite this change in the game, students still enjoyed themselves.

Game leader Bill Born noted that, “the size of the watermelons took away from some of the dynamics of the game; however, all who participated still got greasy and had a great time.”

A new activity this year was a large game of Human Dutch Blitz.  Shipe thought this addition was a hit, with 20-25 students participating.

Another hit was the giveaways.

This year, prizes included gift cards to Dutch Maid Bakery, Java Junction, Maple City Market, Il Forno Italian Restaurant, Maple City Bowl, The Electric Brew, Better World Books, t-shirts designed by Springer Designs, as well as pillows and quilts made out of old CAC t-shirts, compliments of Michele Fainfair-Steury, director of student activities.

Eliza Hochstetler, a junior, received a CAC quilt from the raffle.

“I was so surprised when I won something," said Hochstetler. "One of my friends chose it from the prize table for me--it’s a really interesting design. ”

In keeping with the athletic tone of the evening, healthy snacks were offered at the event.

“AVI did an amazing job catering the event, with healthy food options like veggies and dip, fresh fruit and a berry dip, pitas and hummus, and healthy cookies,” Shipe said.

In the end, Shipe deemed the event a success, saying, “The Yoder R.A. staff did a great job at planning and executing the event.”

Born also mentioned that he is appreciative of the Recreation-Fitness Center for giving Goshen students a great venue for this event, and he called it “inexpensive, creative entertainment.”