In the name of unwinding and relaxing or in this case “destressing” Quincy University Willer Hall residents got the opportunity to destress paint in the Willer lobby Monday night, Feb 24, 2025.

Residents got to pick out a blank canvas, paint brushes, and paint, then sit down with friends and other participants and paint whatever they wanted. There were five different canvas sizes to pick from and an array of brushes to fit every student’s painting needs. At least 20 students showed up and participated.

Resident Director of Willer Hall John Hoffman, was excited to give his residents an opportunity to come together and he plans with the help of his fellow Resident Assistants to host more events.

“My RA’s came up with the idea. At first, I wasn’t sure how the residents of Willer were going to like painting, but it turned out to be a great idea to use for an event,” Hoffman said.

With how successful the event was and the turn out of participants supplies were limited. One of the biggest challenges students faced was a lack of white paint.

One student Madisyn Kunkel experienced first hand the results of the white paint shortage.

“There wasn’t as much white paint as I had originally planned for, which made highlighting my painting a bit more difficult. Either way, I was able to get creative without needing white paint and my painting turned out pretty good,” Kunkel said.

While there were a few challenges along the way many students, such as Soren Pine, had an enjoyable time.

“I had a great experience painting with my roommates. It was definitely a great bonding opportunity and I really enjoyed being able to hang up my painting in my room for everyone to enjoy,” Pine said.

Because so many of the residents liked painting, Hoffman plans on holding a similar if not the same event next year to give residents more experiences to enjoy.

As for the next event this year for Willer Hall residents, Hoffman plans on Mario Kart game night. Winners of the Mario Kart races will receive prizes. Planners are expecting to get a decent crowd because of the incentive the prizes will bring so they are hoping to get pizza for onlookers and participants.

A majority of Quincy University halls hold some sort of event for their residents. The best way to find out about these events is through email or flyers resident assistants post in the building. Whether you are a true resident of the building or a party crasher from another one of the university’s buildings, RAs make sure to stay on the lookout for opportunities to participate in other events on campus.