09.02.2015
17
EMORY LIFE
HAYLEY SILVERSTEIN EDITOR
Roarin’ Raoul wins Songfest
Matt LaMourie II | Contributing Writer
JULIA MUNSLOW | ASST.ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
mathew.lamourie.ii@emory.edu
From hallmates helping a comrade that slipped to a Dobbs RA hugging a Complex RA, the annual tradition of SongFest returned and brought everyone together. SongFest is a competition in which first-year students write and perform songs about their residence halls. Throughout their first week, freshmen attend a large number of events and hours-long SongFest practices in preparation for Emory’s unique tradition that is intended to unite the freshmen residence halls and the class as a whole. This year’s SongFest brought together a diverse group, with upperclass-
men cheering on their former halls. “I was not too thrilled about SongFest in the beginning,” College freshman and Dobbs Hall resident Logan Kugathasan said. “It just seemed like we were hyping our hall while putting others down. But after seeing the great community that we form doing this, I [was] really excited to perform.” The cheers from individual halls were loud, but only the “EMORY!” chant from all six dorms could fill the entire gym. Even Dooley, Emory’s unofficial skeleton mascot, made his regular guest appearance and speech. Few freshmen could have expect-
ed to have a dancing skeleton at their college. Joined by their hallmates, even shy students could dance and sing; it is hard to resist the magnetic power of the event. “I was not sure how I liked SongFest when I started practicing. But now, I am pretty sure I will come back next year,” Turmilton (the combined residence halls of Hamilton Holmes Hall and Turman Hall) freshman Dixon Yueng said. In the end there was only one winner: Raoul Hall. With their hypnotic dance moves and stellar ticking time bomb audience rush, the students of Raoul proved that they deserved to be the new champions.