At Stevens, the residential systems are almost as essential as academics, athletics, and professional departments, similar to schools across the country. Here, housing falls under the department of residential education and residential life. For the students, however, a student organization plans events and represents the student body and the administrative offices at Stevens to each other. The Residential Hall Association (RHA) and their subordinates on the Hall Councils act as the students behind living and spending time at Stevens associated with the living on campus.
RHA and Hall Council work together to plan events between floors, halls, and as on-campus residents. Each resident hall—like River Terrace, Palmer, Castle Point Hall, and Lore-El Center—elect members to their hall council. Hall Councils work with RHA who have their E-Board to plan events, voice issues and complaints from the students to the administration, and keep Stevens’ housing up to the standards of the rest of the region and country.
Part of the RHA’s job is participating in the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH). Stevens is part of the Central Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (CAACURH) chapter of NACURH, which includes schools from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. These organizations bring together the RHAs of different colleges and universities. They help RHAs advocate at their schools, provide resources for RHAs, host conferences, and create a standard of living and events at residential programs across the country.
Over Veteran’s Day weekend, eight delegates from Stevens traveled to Kent State University in Ohio to attend the Regional Leadership Conference (RLC) of CAACURH. RLC is an annual conference that helps develop leadership, inclusion, planning, and perspective skills to bring back to their respective schools to further the efforts of their RHAs.
The Stevens delegation left early on Friday, driving eight hours to Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Included were two Residential Directors as advisors and six members of RHA- E-Board members, hall council members, and GBMs. Scheduled for the conference were many different programs. Students or member schools submit program proposals that fit into the annual theme: “We’re Nuts About Leadership,” and explore aspects of leadership to teach the delegates from around the region.
Part of RLC is also a Boardroom. In Boardroom, RHA presidents and National Communication Coordinators (NCCs) discuss and vote on matters of importance to RHAs in the region—discussions this year included event planning, hosting for upcoming conferences, and compensation for RHA E-board members.
Beyond the formalities of the conference, there were also socials for students who identify as first-generation, LGBTQIA+, minorities, and events for the whole conference like a dance, drag show, clothes-pin trading (like pin trading at other events), and the opening ceremony, closing ceremony and banquet.
After speaking with some of the Stevens delegations, they agreed that going to the conference was a great experience, and the skills learned there can be used and will be valuable in bettering the RHAs and Hall Council. RHA is looking forward to attending the Regional Business Conference over Presidents’ Day Weekend in February and continuing their use of the skills learned at RLC to make Stevens a better and more enjoyable place to live and learn!
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