The MU Residence Hall Association is a student government organization that advocates on behalf of residents of MU campus residence halls. Earlier this semester, on Sept. 21, the first hall government meetings were held at all 17 undergraduate residence halls. Each hall has an executive board of representatives elected by student volunteers. All undergraduate dorm residents have a vote in individual hall meetings
Individual Hall Councils, RHA congress and RHA executive board set their own agendas every year.
RHA president and senior Alexander Hutson has held an executive position in RHA for three years. He said he hopes the experienced executive board can pass on their knowledge to new members of the organization.
“I’ve run into every wall and obstacle you can imagine,” Hutson said. “So now I get to teach people.”
One of those people is newly appointed Mark Twain Hall President, Freshman Brett Kercher. Kercher is a fifth-generation MU student and hopes to leave his mark on campus through RHA.
“RHA hall councils are a really great way to get involved in decision making that has a lasting impact on campus,” Kercher said.
Kercher was elected by a group of Mark Twain residents who attended the Sept. 21 meeting. He will represent the building’s residents in RHA congress, along with other members of the Mark Twain leadership team. He hopes to become RHA president in the future.
Hutson said the executive board is planning to build out and renovate an underused space on campus (revamp water fountains and ice machines throughout the halls and finish the Pilot Hammock Program, which plans to install multiple hammocks across campus for students to relax. RHA hopes to expand this program to more neighborhoods.
“You can see on campus where there are different areas that students definitely congregate to,” Hutson said. “And those usually are spaces that are, in my opinion, better kitted out… our goal is to make at least one more of those spaces on campus,” Hutson said.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited RHA’s ability to spend its budget and plan events.
“A lot of community resources went away over COVID due to social distancing measures,” Hutson said. “We’re looking at trying to reintroduce those.”
Those resources can include anything from board games in the lounges to residence hall block parties.
Hutson said he wants RHA to focus on rebuilding a sense of community in the dorms.
“We’re here to provide better tools and more opportunities for people to go and build relationships the same way they do naturally,” Hutson said. “We’re just here to kind of amplify the effectiveness of those opportunities and amplify the frequency at which they happen.”
RHA’s ability to accomplish its goals comes down to the effort of RHA members and the speed of MU bureaucracy. Hutson said the few hall councils that held events last semester were the ones that best utilized the resources available to them.
“If every hall Government was able to take a similar sort of leap of faith, that would drastically and radically change the freshman experience on campus,” Hutson said.
From this first set of meetings on, RHA hall councils will make plans for events and upgrades for their halls. Hutson said he hopes new hall governments will work with RHA Congress to budget properly and accomplish their goals on an achievable time-scale.
Student’s Guide to RHA:
The Residence Hall Association models itself off of federal and state governments.
Individual Hall Government
There are 17 hall councils across campus. Each hall council receives five dollars per resident per semester. Each hall elects an executive board composed of a president, vice president, treasurer, and chief of staff. Every resident has a vote at individual hall meetings, but only those who are elected to become a hall representative to RHA Congress may vote in RHA Congress. RHA Congress meetings remain open to any resident to attend. The president of each hall sits on a president’s council to exchange ideas with other halls.
Judicial Branch
The court of seven student justices act in an advising role to the newer members of RHA. It helps maintain institutional knowledge and makes sure RHA follows its extensive constitution and bylaws. The justices hold this title until they graduate. This is the only position in RHA in which on-campus residence is not required. The justices are elected at the end of every year by congress.
Legislative Branch
The largest voting body of RHA consists of all members of individual hall governments. This branch is led by the speaker of congress, who is elected by the previous year’s congress. This body is allocated $10 per resident. Their budget is decided by a conjoined decision of the executive board and speaker of congress, then ratified by congress. Bills and resolutions voted on by congress are checked by the president and by the RHA judicial branch.
Executive Branch
The leadership team of RHA consists of the president and vice president, elected by the body of current residents during the spring semester. They then appoint a cabinet of RHA members, which consists of the following positions: (See above full list). The executive cabinet is given control of the overflow budget in the RHA savings account. Their spending decisions are checked by the legislative branch. Additionally, each member is responsible for specific duties outlined in the RHA bylaws that contribute to the operation of the organization (e.g., The chief of staff is responsible for the maintenance of all RHA records, minutes, and material files).