In the midst of a major change in housing policy on campus, the recently formed Residence Hall Association is now holding an election for a new president as well as other positions. Those who wished to enter had until Friday to petition to put their names on the ballot, although the deadline may be extended. The exact date of the election is not known at this point, only that it will be held within the next couple of weeks.
Formerly known as Residents on Campus, the RHA is the governing body of the residence halls on campus. As a student organization, the RHA is charged with advocating for the needs of students living on campus, with each hall featuring an ambassador who speaks specifically for the needs of those they represent. The organization recently made the switch to becoming the RHA in the hopes that they will be able to cooperate with other RHAs from other schools nationwide in an attempt to further improve on campus living across the country.
According to current UMaine RHA President Emily Farel, the on-campus living experience is paramount for student success.
“The proximity of everything is a big advantage,” Farel said. “It’s all just a short walk away … You don’t have to worry about going the grocery store to get food. It gives you little shortcuts.”
Farel is a fourth-year student studying physical marine science and has been the president for a year, which has been a beneficial experience in her eyes.
“[I’m] more outgoing than I was [before],” Farel said.
As RHA president, Farel has managed to build upon the ideas of former president Pat Hart by rewriting the constitution of the organization and aligning it with student government while also converting the organization from being Residents on Campus to the Resident Hall Association as a way of getting closer to the students.
“[Hart] had a vision of things being different,” Farel said. “[We’re] confident that we can transform ourselves to regain an identity that had been lost.”
“We are splitting away from student government to be more allied with res-life because it makes more sense,” Farel said.
This organizational shuffle is coming at a pivotal time for campus residents, as it has recently been declared that there will no longer be any residence halls for upperclassmen starting next semester. The sudden announcement of this policy change has left some upperclassmen scrambling to figure out where they are going to live next semester.
“I feel like it seems very drastic,” Farel said. “It wasn’t housing’s decision; it wasn’t auxiliary’s decision — it was something that [the board] felt needed to be done. How they handled it made sense … but it could have been done in a more eloquent way to make people understand what was being done.”
According to Farel, the RHA is doing all it can to assist struggling upperclassmen through this transition.
“We, for the moment, are the wealth of knowledge. If people ask, we can help them … We can direct people where they need to go,” Farel said.
Farel hopes that newly elected members will be able to push the organization forward and increase interest and participation from incoming as well as existing campus residents.
“It’s always a push to get people involved because we have been taking a back seat to [GSS],” Farel said. “I hope that [new members] can have positions in each complex filled and get more people to participate.”