Event Spotlight
Munchies
Our lovely Food and Fireside Chairs have been putting on an amazing series of Munchies events! Past munchies have included some international snacks like samosas, sugary treats like cinnamon buns from Cinnaholic, and bites from Evanston's newest restaurants (like all-vegan treats from Elephant + Vine)!
Sushi delivered from Sea Ranch Sushi in downtown Evanston! Yum!
A surprise April Fools' Munchies event featuring our very own Frances Willard on cupcakes from Bennison's!
What to look forward to:
Weekly Events
Coffee Hour
This weekly mid-afternoon event gives every college student the two things they so desperately need: coffee and free food. Residents, along with Faculty and Associates, can enjoy conversation enhanced with cookies, cheese platters, and other delicious snacks.
Food and Fireside co-chairs Ainsley Lauer and Maggie Schneider flash the 'Sko Woos hand sign! 👐
High Table
This bi-weekly event presents Woos with the opportunity to grab lunch at a nearby dining hall (usually Allison Fishbowl) with Willard’s associates. Every Monday and Thursday afternoon you can find Woos making conversation with faculty associates from all different departments.
Firesides
Firesides are presentations given by faculty, student groups, and associates throughout the year. They are hosted in the Willard Great Room. Topics covered in the past have included “The Incredibles as Free Market Propaganda” and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Guano but Were Afraid to Ask.” Anyone can host so be sure to talk to our Food and Fireside Chairs if you're interested!
Special to Us: Sitdown Sitcom
In this weekly event, the dorm watches a few episodes from a sitcom chosen by the residents. Previous series have included "Parks and Recreation," "The Office," "New Girl," and "The Good Place." Have a series you want to see at Sitdown Sitcom? Reach out to your local Social Chair!
Yearly events:
Willard Formal - Once a year, Willard residents get dressed up in their finest clothes and dance all night at a special venue in Chicago! Most recently, our formal was at the DANK Haus German American Cultural Center and featured great music, food from Seoul Taco, a photo booth, and much more!
Polka Party - A longstanding tradition, Polka Party is an occasion for Fellows and Woos to join together for a night of dancing, snacks, and polka music. Residents compete to assemble the most creative, silly, or downright bizarre costumes for the event.
Woo-Shep Olympics - Each year, Willard competes in the Woo-Shep Olympics against our friendly rivals, Shepard Residential College! May the best Residental College win...
'Sko Woos!
XRC events:
And it's not just Willard events! Willard residents have the opportunity to go on XRC (or cross-residential college) events - aka special events for Woos and our friends from other residential colleges!
An XRC trip to go see the National Tour of To Kill A Mockingbird in Chicago!
Students pose before going on a boat tour of Chicago history and architecture!
Check us out on Instagram!
We've got photos from events, Exec takeovers, room tours,
and exclusive behind-the scenes Willard content!
Upcoming Events
Check the Willard Google Calendar or read the Weekly Woo to stay updated on all the upcoming events!
Willard Dictionary
B06/B72
These rooms are Willard collaboration spaces often used for meetings and events. B06 is a small conference room perfect for that RA meeting. B72 is a classroom and also a meeting space for larger clubs.
The Wall Calendar
Willard maintains a calendar with all events for the month. It’s in the basement. It’s cool. Our secretary has pretty good Canva skills, so that’s a plus.
Central
Central is Willard's junior Exec, a group of residents who assist the Executive Board in planning dorm-wide events. Applications go out in fall quarter to join the group. In the past, Central has put together a dorm-wide game of Assassins, Niche Powerpoint Night, and Sitdown DCOM. If you've got ideas and you want to make them a reality, Central is the group for you!
Collab Room
Located in Willard’s basement, the Collab room is perfect for anyone who wants to get work done but doesn’t want to cross the frozen tundra to Main in the dead of winter. You can work with friends and use the whiteboards and butcher paper provided in the rooms as you desperately try to remember the argument Hobbes makes for the human state of nature.
Constitution
We have one. You should contribute to the fabric of democracy and read it.
But seriously, if you want to learn about the different positions on Exec or how Exec works, this is the place to do it!
Executive Board
Willard’s Executive Board takes charge of creating all dorm events, ensures the dorm runs smoothly, and tries to make sure all residents are happy with the Woo Shack life. If you want a full description of each officer’s job, check out our Exec bios!
Faculty-In-Residence
The Faculty-in-Residence (FIR) is a member of Northwestern’s faculty who lives with their family in an apartment attached to the dorm. They host dinners and other events regularly for Willard residents (and they’re super cool!).
Fellows
The Willard Fellows are faculty members with unique ties to Willard Residential College. They come to events planned by the dorm, engage with Woos, and even host exclusive classes and events for Willard residents.
Floor Lounges
Each floor has a lounge equipped with a kitchen, perfect if you want to prep a meal but don’t want to leave the dorm. You can often find people baking or just hanging out. The first-floor lounge is typically used by all dorm residents, while the other lounges are usually confined to the floor’s residents.
HDMI Cord
It’s how Woos connect their computers to the TV-- all around the building (which has so, so many TVs), but mostly in the first floor lounge. Just please, please don’t put it by the fireplace when the fire is on. Things can melt.
Non-Res
Non-res or non-resident members of Willard are students who don't live in the building but are still able to earn points by going to events! Both res and non-res students who have enough points are eligible to apply to live in Willard for the followng year. Apply to be non-res here!
Points
Points are how you can earn a spot to return to Willard. You need at least 40 to return to the building for another year (super easy to get, trust me). Willard events (everything from Munchies to Formal) are worth points and as a bonus, Exec tries to make the events fun sometimes, too.
RCB Field Day
Willard competes annually against all of the other residential colleges in RCB Field Day. Hosted on the Lakefill, one could say it’s a hoot and a holler. We always bring our A game, though, so be prepared to win.
'Sko Woos
Willard slang for “Let’s go Woos,” this phrase is applicable almost everywhere. A Woo does well on an orgo exam? 'Sko Woos. We win IM dodgeball? 'Sko Woos. We ignite a proletarian revolution? 'Sko Woos. The phrase is also often accompanied by the making of one's hands into a "W" 👐
Southwest Neighborhood
As a member of Willard Residential College, you belong to the Southwest Neighborhood, which includes other nearby dorms. The neighborhood regularly hosts events in and around Willard, including Snacks by Southwest, which essentially means free food on Sunday evenings.
WFFL
The Willard First Floor Lounge. The first-floor lounge is open to all residents, so you can often hear people in the halls shouting “meet me in the WFFL!” The space is often home to many dorm-wide events, including Waffles in the WFFL, where residents ate Eggo waffles during Reading Week, and features a full kitchen, two TVs, and lots of space to lounge, chat with your friends, or do some work.
Willard Formal
Woo
This term refers to all of the residents of Willard Residential College. Once a Woo, always a Woo. 'Sko Woos!
Once a year, Willard residents get dressed up in their finest clothes and dance all night at a special venue in Chicago! Most recently, our formal was at the DANK Haus and featured great music, food from Seoul Taco, a photo booth, and much more!
Woochat
At the beginning of the year, all residents join a GroupMe chat for the dorm, known as the Woochat. Here, your social chairs will advertise a lot of events, people will ask if anyone’s seen their sweater, and it will be your primary source of memes related to that inevitable 2:00 a.m. fire alarm.
The Roof?
There’s an ongoing debate about whether the roof actually exists. Both arguments are convincing, and there are die-hard believers for both sides. Pick a side and help your fellow Woos determine if the roof is, in fact, real.