Hero Taco Libre and side-kick Enchilada Tony fought villains Raging Bull and Udder-taker in a wrestling ring outside Simpson Dormitory to the thrill of fans.

Simpson Smackdown, a new dorm social event, based its fights off of the World Wrestling Entertainment to bring heated competition to campus in Simpson’s courtyard. 

“We crafted a narrative throughout the night where Luke Waters, the Raging Bull, warned the defending heavyweight champion Taco Libre that an enemy of the past was coming back to get revenge on Taco Libre,” sophomore and Simpson resident assistant Jonathan Williams said. “Little did the crowed or Taco Libre know that the villain was the Udder-Taker, who had his milk spilled by Taco Libre in middle school and decided to cry about it and get revenge.”

The on-campus dormitories host various events each semester, one of which is a social event open to all of campus.The on-campus dormitories host various events each semester, one of which is a social event open to all of campus. Macaroni and cheese, dancing, country music, wrestling, and festivals all made an appearance on Hillsdale’s campus in various dorm social events this year. 

This year, McIntyre Residence invited all students to a macaroni and cheese bar. Benzing Residence hosted its annual Hillsdale Hoedown in the fall. Simpson Residence held a new event featuring wrestling matches. Sohn Residence hosted a fair event. And Olds Residence invited campus into its lobby for the annual Olds Glow party. 

Some dorms partner to host events together. The Bloc — an alliance of the Suites, Benzing, and Mauck residences, traditionally hosts a hoedown in the fall featuring barbeque, pie contests, and line dancing, according to junior and Benzing head resident assistant Faith Henry. 

“It’s a fun way to rally the dorms in the Bloc, especially since we get to work together during homecoming,” Henry said.

Henry said more than 200 people attended the event last October, and the line dancing was a major highlight. Beyond the dancing, professors come to judge the students’ pies and flannels, Henry said. 

“It’s always fun to bring in professors to help judge the pies and the flannels,” Henry said. “This past year it was Dr. Yost.”

Stepping outside of tradition, McIntyre hosted a new event called Mac ’n’ Cheese with Mac. 

Junior and head resident assistant of McIntyre Joanna Leckband said the event was open to all of campus and nearly 200 people came because everyone loves macaroni and cheese. 

“McIntyre is tucked away from the rest of campus, so it’s nice to have people visit us,” Leckband said. 

The dorm catered macaroni and cheese from Saucy Dog’s Barbeque in Jonesville and used its popcorn machine for extra snacks. 

The event brought together current and previous residents and may become a tradition, Leckband said.

“I enjoyed seeing old residents come back with their friends,” Leckband said. “This event could be a great way to support the culture, if it comes back in future years.”

Like McIntyre, Simpson, the largest men’s dorm on campus, hosted a new event, Simpson Smackdown. Imitation of the WWE largely inspired the event, sophomore resident assistant Jonathan Williams said.

“The event was fantastic,” Williams said. “We had about 12 guys from Simpson script fights against each other and perform them in front of the crowd. Stunts included smashing guys through tables, clotheslining, chucking burritos and the opponent, slapping them with books, and even attacking the opponent with a pet alligator.”

More than 250 people attended Simpson Smackdown, causing the RAs to run out of food, Williams said. 

“I’ve never seen our courtyard so packed,” Williams said. “Fans watched the wrestling in our newly built wrestling ring as announcers described the fight through play-by-play broadcasting.”

Contestants included senior Ben Hinrichs, Assistant Professor of History Miles Smith, and Assistant Professor in Medieval History Charles Yost. Simpson did not promote these participants, but instead, waited to reveal them at the event itself.

“When the bells started to strike as Ben Hinrichs was near a pin move on Austin Piecuch, Dr. Smith sprinted into the ring in a cowboy hat and started beating up Ben,” Williams said. “He took off his mask and the crowd lost its mind. Then Dr. Yost came out and beat up Dr. Smith including an elbow body slam that none of us were expecting.”

A highlight for the crowd was Taco Libre’s defeat of his rival Udder-Taker with his signature move, the crunch-drop supreme, according to Williams. Williams said the crowd’s enthusiasm and engagement energized the whole event.

“The overwhelmingly positive response to this event has made Simpson decide to make it a yearly tradition,” Williams said. “People can expect it to be bigger and better next year, and we will certainly return with more big surprise cameo appearances.”

Social events are not always crowd pleasers or campus wide. Niedfeldt, another men’s dorm on campus, hosts an annual dinner in the spring called Niedformal. The men of Niedfeldt invite dates to attend a formal dinner and awards ceremony, followed by a night of dancing. 

Junior and Head Resident Assistant Harrison Layman said the award ceremony presents “paper plate superlatives” to the residents. The awards include accomplishments such as most likely to, and then references a dorm joke from the year. 

“It’s a good chance to recap the year and relive some fantastic memories,” Layman said.