Western welcomes Residence Hall Association back to campus

Residence Hall Association (RHA) makes a debut back to Western. This year RHA has plans to help grow community within the residence halls on campus.

“We want to make Western more of a home for all people living on campus,” RHA President Kiri Carmody said.

The RHA’s purpose, as set out by its mission statement, is to “promote leadership, sustainability and recognition, and provide educational and social experiences for all on-campus residents.”

There are two parts to RHA. There is RHA, which plans programs and offers resources to students who live on campus. Then there is Community Council, which is specific to each residential complex. Community Council also plans programs, but targets the complex they live in.

Community Council has been on campus for the last two years, which influenced the decision to welcome the RHA executive board.

RHA is made up of six student positions: president, national communication coordinator, director of public relations, director of advocacy, director of programming, and director of administration. They also have advisors in Assistant Director of Residence Life Hope Howard and graduate assistant Kristin Ross.

RHA is also affiliated with the Intermountain Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (IACURH) and the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH). NACURH is the largest student-run organization in the country. Both hold annual conferences that give members of Community Council and RHA the chance to connect with and learn from peers at other schools.

RHA members and Community Council members have held fundraisers to help fund their trips to these conferences.

Being something so new to Western, Carmody says that one of their biggest struggles on campus is getting the RHA name and mission out to students. To grow their presence on campus, RHA plans to continue hosting programs and other events to connect residents.

“My favorite part about being in RHA is learning more about leadership and professionalism,” Carmody said “Being able to reach out to people and not be afraid of wanting to impact campus has also been fun.”