How I Survived My First Raid
We, the men of Fifth Hill, run down the girl's hall, screaming, "Raid!" at 10:55 p.m., right before floor hours. This is my first raid at Seattle Pacific University, and supposedly this is how they always start. What follows varies. On our particular night, we are told to dress in black and meet in the lounge, where we are blindfolded and escorted to cars.
In the car, I'm tied to a freshman girl at the wrist with a thin piece of string. Did I mention that we just met? Her name is Abby.
A few minutes later, we arrive at the top of Queen Anne Hill at Kerry Park, which is notorious for its postcard-perfect view of the Seattle skyline. We are told that we are playing a game of "fugitive." The object of the game is to make it back to campus without being caught by sophomores, who are driving around with flashlights. Abby and I are up for the challenge and start off with a sprint for about five minutes.
Being from Montana and having way too much time on my hands, I have played and mastered Fugitive many times. To me, though, this isn't a game. This is a way to prove my manhood and be accepted into the brotherhood of my floor.
Midway through the journey, my quads start to throb because of the steep hills of Queen Anne. After 20 minutes, we arrive at the final slope at the top of campus — also the toughest part.First we arrive at a thicket of rose bushes, go straight through it, and survive without a scratch. Next, we head on to my most dreaded obstacle: The securely locked Ashton Hall. We yell for someone to scurry down Ashton's many stairs and let us in. Our plea is met, and we easily conquer this hindrance.
With one last descent down the playing field behind Hill Hall and a jump down some rocks, Abby and I find ourselves at the front entrance of Hill Hall. We are silent, mainly because we're beyond exhaustion. But I recover and realize that this is one step for manhood, and a Dwight Howard dunk for brotherhood. Anybody who knows Dwight Howard knows he gets first, and that's exactly what we got.
What is a Raid?
Raids happen about once or twice a quarter in the SPU residence halls. They always occur right before the end of floor hours at 11 p.m, and involve brother and sister floors going somewhere to do a planned activity.
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