[aephi alum]

The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the title of this thread was my school's "Freshman Shower Night" tradition. On the night before the first freshman physics exam, the sophomores and up in each living group would seek out the freshmen on the floor and toss them, fully clothed, into the shower. (I planned ahead and wore a bathing suit. As a result, I was tossed into a COLD shower. LOL!)

Anyway - a "dorm shower", to me, is just a gift grab. AFAIC, the tradition of a bridal shower for a first-time bride and a baby shower for a first-time mom is fine - you need stuff to set up your new household and you need things for the baby, respectively. But bridal showers for second-time brides, and baby showers for second and subsequent babies, are tacky IMO. A little get-together is plenty - and if people want to bring gifts, that's their choice. Same for a dorm shower - have a graduation party, and if people want to bring gifts that will be useful in dorm life (like, say, a shower caddy or memo board), that's their choice.