NEACURH Regional`s at RPI

NACURH Programming on the Go DVD
Submission Cover Sheet
***Please save this document as: Region_School Name_Program Title
Title of Program: _Wizards’ Chess__________________________________________________
Presenter’s Name: Virginia Hester and Stephanie Gilbreath_____________________________
School Name: Stephen F. Austin State University______________________________________
Contact info: rha@sfasu.edu_______________________________________________________
1. What kind of program is this? Please HIGHLIGHT one of the following
NACURH U:
President
NCC
THEME:
Diversity & Multicultural Awareness
Team Building & Transitioning
NRHH
First Time Delegate
Current Issues
Start to Finish Programming
Personal Growth
Passive Programming
2. Please provide a brief description of the program.
Residents/ students will dress up according to their specific chess piece. Once dressed, they will stand on
a life-size chess board that has a letter and number to help them be directed according to the individuals
actually playing the game. Once a player captures a piece the 2 will dual. During a dual, the pieces will
“fight”. The piece being captured, also known as the victim is in control. They can make it as dramatic as
they wish. The game will continue until a player captures the opponents King, also known as check mate.
3. Who was the program for? Name your target audience.
It was for the residents as a way to relieve stress before exams and to entertain the community.
4. How much did the program cost? Who funded it? Please provide a brief budget breakdown.
This program cost $0.00. The costumes the residents wore and the normal size chess board was
donated by residents. The life- size chess board was donated by Stephen F. Austin State University’s
Residence Life Operations as well as the paint on it.
5. How many people were involved in planning the program AND how long did it take to plan?
About 20 residents were involved in planning the program. It took them 2 days to plan. That just
includes painting the life-size board. It took these students about a week to properly advertise.
6. Why was the program started on your campus? How does it benefit the university and/or community
population?
One of our resident’s halls was doing a yearlong Harry Potter program. The residents were divided
into the 4 houses, based on the book. They had various competitions derived from the book, including
a “Yule Ball”, “Quidditch tournaments”, and “Wizard’s Chess”. Wizard’s Chess was a great way to
include the community because everyone was invited to watch the game.
7. What were some pros/cons of the program? How could the program be improved?
Some pros to the program are it helped get people out of their rooms, relieve stress, and entertain the
community. A couple of cons to the program include the length of time per game played was long and
only 34 people per game could play. Some ways to improve could be to find a way to speed each game
along and to have multiple games playing at a time so more people can participate.
8. How could this program be adapted for other universities?
Other universities could plan the program the same as we did.
9. Additional questions, comments, notes, or concerns:
Wisely Wizard’s Chess
Presented by:
Stephen F. Austin State University
Background
• In order to maintain the
family like atmosphere
inside Wisely Hall, an
experiment was
implemented in the
Spring semester of
2009.
• The hall took on a
theme inspired by the
Harry Potter Novels,
renamed
“Wiselywarts.”.
One random thought, became a dream…
• One comment put the gears in motion.
• It was only minutes for the basics of the idea
came to be possible.
• The idea was widely accepted.
• For the new found dream to come true,
preparations had to be made.
A couple of weeks later…
Number crunching
• 20 residents helped in planning stages
– Almost 25% of total hall population
• 45 residents participating
– Over 50% of total hall population
• 10-20 spectators/guest players
• Thousands talking!!!
Brass Tacks
•
•
•
•
•
•
Total Cost of
Plywood:
Paint:
Labor:
Costumes:
Weapons:
How can this be done by you?
•Very Easy!!
Long Lasting Effects
•
•
•
•
It was so nice, it was done twice!!
Great stress relief
Accomplished feeling of togetherness
Encouraged residents to create their own
programs
• Most of all:
• Gave sense of belonging to some that did not
find one until that day
Recap:
• Wizard’s Chess is:
– Easy
– Inexpensive
– Fun
– Limited only to imagination
– And most of all: Inspiring