1. Residential colleges are the universal center of social life at these universities. Unlike other schools where students are split between the Greek scene, campus groups, and local groups, every student at Yale and Rice consider themselves a part of their college.
2. Residential colleges tend to be small, equally sized groups. It's a lot easier to recruit among a group of 100 when facing another group of 100 than it is to recruit among a group of 3,000 when facing another group of 30,000. Or another group of 300. Or another group of 3,000.
3. Residential colleges concentrate teammates in a geographical area. This emphasizes the "locally social" aspect of the game and allows physical recruitment (at dining halls, going door-to-door) rather than only electronic.
That said, the game seems to work at a variety of places -- whether we're looking at schools without Res Colleges (e.g., RPI) or between schools themselves (e.g., the Ivy League Championship). It's just a bit tricker to find the right way to divide the teams so that every student is fighting for something they identify with. Ultimately, this is something that should be done entirely by students without any interference from us.
But first, I have to go feed some hamsters.
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