With college basketball’s biggest tournament in full swing, MCLA joined the March Madness craze on Sunday, March 24^th with a basketball tournament of its own. Residence Hall Association (RHA), in collaboration with the Gender and Sexuality Center’s My Masculinity Dialogue Group, hosted a March Madness 3v3 Basketball Tournament. The event took place in the Campus Center Gymnasium and was open to all students. With the tournament comprised of four teams, the event turned out to be a great success, with participants enjoying basketball, snacks, and the hopes of winning the 1^st place prize basket. Although the competition was primarily focused on the games, it was a great chance to connect with other students and have a good time on campus.

“I think it went very good… I think everyone had fun, which is the most important.” remarked Cheyenne Laszlo, Area Coordinator of the Flagg Townhouses as well as an advisor of RHA. Laszlo, along with Rolo López, Hoosac Hall Area Coordinator, are the two chief advisors of the association- with Garrett Brunette holding the role of president. Residence Hall Association has been behind many of the campus’ biggest and most exciting events, such as “Club Glow” on March 4^th as well as “Mocktails in the Marketplace” on February 23^rd. “Our goal is to try and plan as many events as possible, to get residents involved. We host a variety of events to cater to a lot of different needs, such as the ‘Mario Kart Tournament’ for gamers, as well as doing a lot of sports tournaments for the large population of athletes on campus.”

RHA is a club open to all students that live on campus at MCLA and creates a space for residents to get involved and advocate. “RHA is supposed to be group of residential students- not having to be RA’s or in ResLife, that want to advocate and do things for other residents and improve their experiences,” said Laszlo regarding the club’s purpose. The association has open meetings in Bowman 112 every Monday from 4pm-5pm. They encourage any interested resident students to stop by.

With their latest event, they catered to students’ love for basketball and created a fun yet competitive place for students to enjoy each other’s company. “I think the basketball tournament went well, and it was fun to get together with my friends and play,” said Jack Cooper 27’- a participant of the event. Cooper’s team of three made it to the championship game and had a great time despite not clenching the tournament win. “I really think it helps you to get to know more people, getting out there and getting some exercise too.”

Alongside RHA, the My Masculinity Dialogue Group was hosting the tournament as well. The head of the program, Ara Phoenixx described how the event went. “I was really proud of how the tournament turned out. I think we ultimately had a great group. Being able to make 4 teams and play a double-elimination tournament gave everyone the chance to get out and play a few different times and I think everyone had a great time.” The My Masculinity Dialogue Group has been responsible for holding many exciting events this past academic year, including documentary screenings, puzzle challenges such as their 3% Challenge, making calzones at Christos, and hosting a workshop focused on conversation about individual relationships to masculinity.

“The My Masculinity Dialogue Group is a student led initiative under the Gender & Sexuality Center which aims to give men and masculine folks a space to connect in community and explore masculinity in a way that is healthy, beneficial, and individual,” commented Phoenixx, explaining the general nature of the club. The My Masculinity Dialogue Group does not have any more events during the remainder of the spring semester, but there are many other ways to get involved with the group.

“We hope to meet more folks at our tables in the Marketplace and Bowman in April. We will be planning ahead for the fall and are excited both to meet more folks who’d be interested in joining the group and in hearing what kinds of events they would like to see in the next school year. We have openings both for general members and student leaders in My Masculinity and are always open to suggestions and input.”

The My Masculinity Dialogue Group and Residence Hall Association are two fantastic groups, and it will be exciting to see what events they put on in the future. Although the MMDG does not have any events for the rest of the semester, RHA is looking forward to hosting a Tie-Dye event on April 10^th, where they are giving out free T-Shirts. Also, at the end of April RHA in is working in collaboration with ResLife for the ResLife Bazaar- the clubs biggest event of the year.