Residence Halls Association welcomed new hall representatives after election results were announced Sept. 6.
RHA hosted a Night of Leadership on Aug. 23 that provided prospective candidates information regarding how to get involved in hall government. Students campaigned Aug. 23 through Sept. 5 permitting they abide by the MU rules and regulations and the policies and procedures of Residential Life.
MU freshman and pre-med student Jack Stiens participated in RHA elections to adopt collaborative skills that he could later translate to his future career in medicine.
“I’ve always been interested in student government and thought a leadership position would help me learn how to appeal to the masses,” Stiens said.
Stiens was elected president of Mark Twain Hall on Sept. 6 after making an effort to interact with new people in his dorm.
“I went to each floor and put flyers up around the hall to market myself as a man of the people,” Stiens said. “I wanted them to know that although I’m running for a representative position, I’m still one of them and I do laundry in my socks too.”
Approachability is at the core of Stiens’ image and goals for Mark Twain Hall. He hopes to foster a safe and inclusive environment that students can consider home.
“Mark Twain houses a lot of [Freshman Interest Groups], and while I am not in a FIG, I feel like they inhibit people from interacting with others,” Stiens said. “I think hosting various social events would allow students with different majors to interact and gain exposure to different perspectives and expand their social circles.”
Like Stiens, Schurz Hall Vice President Ashtyn Bevans wants to foster comfort within her residence hall, but she is more concerned with the sustainability of her dorm as opposed to the social aspect.
Bevans joined the RHA Sustainability Committee which meets weekly from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Pershing Commons. Bevans hopes to use this committee to enact cardboard recycling on each floor of Schurz Hall and improve water accessibility.
“We need water bottle filling stations on every floor,” Bevans said. “It’s such a hassle to walk to the first floor, and it should be pretty feasible since the water lines already exist.”
RHA has only had two meetings since the election of new hall representatives, so Bevans has not proposed her hall improvement plans. The next RHA meeting will be on Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m.
_Edited by Ben Scott | bscott@themaneater.com_