When or how the tradition started is a mystery, but residence hall floors continue to seek out brother and sister floors for social activities.

“I’m not sure anybody really knows how [brother and sister floors] got started,” said Fran Scott, hall director of Knapp Hall. “They’ve just always been here — at least for as long as I’ve been here.

“I suppose they started when the university changed over to co-ed housing,” she said.

Right now, houses are searching for candidates to become their brother and sister floors.

“This year, second floor Storms serenaded us,” said Megan Redfern, sophomore in agricultural business. “The whole floor gave us each roses at the end of the song they had written just for us.

“Then, they threw chocolate kisses all over the floor the next morning — that was cute,” she said. “It was just sweet. It was something that I hadn’t seen done before.”

Despite its efforts, second floor Storms Hall was outvoted.

“Most people voted for 10th floor because it was tradition,” said Jana Yanders, sophomore in dietetics. “It’s been that way for the past 15 years.”

However, some students don’t believe tradition should play a big role in the decision.

“I’m bitter,” said Eric Knudtson, freshman in art. “I just feel that from what the girls have said, our floor’s performance was better than our competitor’s.

“I feel that their floor was chosen because it’s tradition, and it should have been chosen by [which was] the better floor,” he said.

After the brother and sister floors make an agreement, social chairs begin planning activities.

“We do all sorts of things with our brother floor,” said Emily White, sophomore in psychology. “The structured [activities] are dinner exchanges, floor parties and a trip in the spring. We’re pretty much open to do whatever else pops up during the year, though.”

White said other activities are planned at meetings, such as barbecues and a picnic.

Veronica Johnston, sophomore in animal science, said brother and sister floors also participate in intramurals together and make floats together during Veishea.

“People use brother and sister floors to get to know people,” she said. “It’s good to have a co-ed environment to get together with when there are activities on campus.”

Brother and sister floors also partake in off-campus activities.

“Usually, in the spring, the brother and sister floors plan a trip to go canoeing or camping,” said Laura Sjobakken, junior in sociology. “Last year, it was a lot of fun.”

Individual events provide a setting where students are able to interact with each other in a comfortable atmosphere.

“To help us get to know our brother floor last year, we had planned to have individual brothers and sisters to do little things for them on their birthdays and holiday,” said Minda Gerst, senior in biology.

Gerst said floor members chose their brothers by having an apple bobbing contest.

Getting acquainted with people and having fun are goals the floors’ social chairs try to accomplish when planning house activities.

“[Brother and sister floors] are absolutely a great idea,” Scott said. “They are a great way, especially for the male floors, to get coordinated working for a common goal at the beginning of the year.

“It is a very positive way to be interacting,” he said.