Lines stretched far outside of Wengatz Hall the night of Oct. 22 as students eagerly waited to participate in one of Taylor’s highly anticipated traditions.
After much preparation, the men of Third East Wengatz returned once again to host their annual Future Great Dads of America open house.
The concept of the open house is incredibly unique. The men of Third East dress up as stereotypical dads, such as lawn mower dad, yoga dad and disapproving look dad, and put on interactive performances.
However, there are more than just stereotypes. To add to the fun, the men of Third East also come up with clever names using puns, such as bag-dad and Feliz Navi-dad.
As guests move throughout the wing, they have the chance of interacting with various dads who are roaming the halls performing their various tasks. Guests also have the opportunity to visit many uniquely decorated rooms that match the personality of the dad they belong to.
It can be hard work preparing for the open house and coming up with new ideas. Fortunately, the men of Third East are extremely dedicated to participating. Noah Mosso, a Personnel Assistant (PA) on Third East, was impressed by this.
“Every single person on our wing was a dad,” Mosso said. “I’m really proud of the guys and just how much they go all out.”
However, Wengatz is not the only hall to help with the open house. Third East Wengatz’s sister wing, Third Center Olson, also lent aid during the event.
Every year, members of Third Center Olson act in the “You Are Not the Father” skit from the Maury Povich Show. Their participation adds new perspectives to the skit and strengthens the bro-sis bond.
The men of Third East are grateful for their support.
“We have the best sister wing on campus,” Dalton Jones, a senior who acted as a pancake dad this year, said. “They’re willing to help out with anything.”
While many skits and stereotypes carry on each year as tradition, a surprising twist was added to this year’s open house.
Matthew Fenton, who acted as “actual dad,” was a previous resident on Third East who initially helped establish the open house. Now, he is the wing’s community connection and a father.
Fenton brought two of his sons into one of the rooms and interacted with them all night. Their antics included being read bedtime stories, playing tag throughout the hallways and making trips to the pancake dads for food.
“Matthew Fenton was probably the star of the show, or at least his kids were the stars,” Carter Taylor, who acted in the Maury Povich Show skit, said.
Fenton and his children were a welcome and unique surprise to the guests. Many enjoyed the excitement and unpredictability of the young kids.
Ultimately, the heavy attendance at the open house greatly motivated the men of Third East. Their goal was to provide a lighthearted break from schoolwork and other duties for their fellow students, and the positive feedback toward the event was encouraging.
The floor leadership and residents were extremely pleased with how the open house ran this year. They emphasized advertising this year, both through posters and word-of-mouth, and made sure to schedule the event wisely to avoid other campus conflicts.
The turnout was so high, floor leaders such as Mosso are considering lengthening the time for future years.
“We went over by an hour,” Mosso said. “It was supposed to end at nine. We went until about ten.”
The men of Third East Wengatz strongly encourage students who have not attended the open house to come next year. They are always brainstorming ways to make each year even more exciting than the last.
They greatly enjoy hosting their fellow students and encourage anyone who has ideas for new dad stereotypes to bring them up to a Third East resident.
“If there’s anybody who has any ideas, find a Third East guy and tell us,” Jones said. “We have so much fun with it and we want you guys to have fun with it, because we do it for you guys.”
