New Res Life Initiative Helps Students ‘Find Their Squad’

As dozens of Terps filtered into Oakland Hall on a recent night—many arriving solo—a diagram flashed on a projector screen with a different personality type in each corner: outgoing and social; chill and mellow; introverted; oriented to one’s own small circle. After a quick self-assessment, students strolled over to the multipurpose room’s corresponding corner to meet a group of like-minded roommate seekers.

The game of “Deal or No Deal: Roommate Edition” (minus Howie Mandel) aimed to ease awkwardness ahead of room selection, the process in which eligible students can select their own on-campus living space for the next academic year.

“It’s good to start seeing the same faces a few times and realizing this is probably a person I could live with,” said economics major Aaron Chon ’28.

The North Campus Roommate Mixer was part of Find Your Squad, a new Department of Resident Life initiative to help students form meaningful connections and build community. Launched last fall, the program offers fun, low-key events to encourage meeting, mingling and making friends at a time when college students around the country may face challenges doing that.

“College was my home away from home. I met friends that are some of the most important people in my life today,” said Resident Life Assistant Director of Communities Pierre Campbell. “We took that and made it a part of our big program initiative focusing on belonging and inclusion.”

He and fellow Assistant Director of Communities Erin Schlegel joined colleagues to brainstorm solutions after residential experience surveys revealed that some students were feeling disconnected. That data was part of a much larger trend nationwide: A 2023 U.S. surgeon general’s advisory declared loneliness an epidemic.

For many students, the pandemic’s mandated lockdowns and isolation, especially during their formative years, exacerbated those feelings.

“I felt like it definitely stunted my growth socially,” said Kierra Stanton ’28, who remembers COVID pushing classes online as she and her twin, Kayla Stanton ’28, began high school at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. “Being in the house with literally just her and using social media to connect with friends—that was all the social interaction I really got. I found it hard transitioning back to in-person.”

Find Your Squad has helped them and hundreds of other Terps to get out of their bubbles. The initiative’s events include laid-back bowling at TerpZone, game nights and themed bingo, each designed to foster friendships. Students might fill out a “get to know you” card with facts about other fellow Terps looking to make connections, for instance, to enter a raffle for a prize. This spring’s slate has aimed to facilitate the room selection process, with roommate mixers on North and South Campus and one specifically for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The events are less potentially overwhelming and require less commitment than jumping in and joining a club, Schlegel said, making them accessible options for more introverted students.

“Once they realize they’re in a safe space to have fun and meet new people, it helps them get out there when they otherwise wouldn’t have,” said Kayla Stanton, who started frequently shooting pool at TerpZone after a Find Your Squad event there last fall.

With several upcoming events this spring, Campbell and Schlegel are excited to see how the initiative grows.

“This is a collective effort,” Campbell said. “We want to work together with our students, with their families and our staff to help these students get connected and to be proud Terps. This institution has so much to offer students if they find the comfort and the opportunity to be vulnerable and to try new things.”