Getting Involved

Whether you are an incoming freshman or have already spent several semesters at the university, you may often feel like your student voice is insignificant and undervalued. With no clear guidance, you may be feeling unsure in your attempt to be a student leader. Fortunately, the Residence Hall Association provides a unique, exciting opportunity for any resident to become involved in the vital decisions that affect our campus residents. 

 

The RHA has two main functions: to create and host quality programs for community building in the dorms and to advocate and recommend policies to the campus administration that convey student interests. We simply ask you to be involved.

Every academic year, representatives from each hall/community are elected by their peers to represent their particular community. This helps to make the very large campus smaller and more accessible to the students. Hall and area councils are encouraged by the RHA to host programs that reflect the interests of their residents. Over the years, many successful events have become highly anticipated traditions. Cumberland’s North Campus Luau, the South Campus Commons Block Party and the Denton Halloween Dance are just a few of these yearly events, besides countless midnight breakfasts, talent competitions and casino nights.  With new minds come new ideas, and yours could be the next big thing.

 

As one of the most prominent and influential student governing organizations on campus, we function as a liaison between students and administrators by lobbying for student issues and pushing for the positive changes you want to see. We hold priority influence on issues concerning four departments of Student Affairs: Resident Life, Residential Facilities, Dining Services and Transportation. We also have begun promoting sustainability initiatives within and outside the dorms.

 

In the past we’ve successfully advocated for Online Room Selection, so no more running to a crowded room in the Stamp Student Union to choose your new room.  We advocated for the removal of focus dates for all students, and opting out of focus dates is now a click away on the Dining Services website. We weighed in and supported the new Debit Card Readers for your laundry machines and this year we plan to continue tackling issues like the development of the new Denton dining facility, Amethyst Dialogues that revolve around alcohol consumption on campus and making sure the resident voice continues to be heard.

 

Whether you are interested in programming, policy or both, the RHA wants you to make connections, make new friends, build your resume and make a difference on campus.  We encourage all to attend our annual Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Cambridge Community Center or Courtyards Community Center, where you can ask specific questions about how to be involved in the organization.  

To learn more, visit our website, www.marylandrha.com, and add us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarylandRHA. Applications are due on Sept. 11, and elections will be held online Wednesday, Sept. 16 and Thursday Sept. 17. Don’t miss your chance to be part of a highly respected organization whose voice is always heard — be involved.

Samantha Lengyel

Public Relations and Outreach Officer, RHA

Move In Is Here

First off: www.facebook.com/MarylandRHA. Add Us. Thank you. BE INVOLVED.

I'm sitting here with Administrative Officer Julie Hudnet at the North Hill Check in desk (Queen Anne) and we're excited to be meeting so many of our new peers.

RHA representatives are all over campus today and tomorrow. If you any questions about campus or campus-living, don't hesitate to ask us. We'll try and point you in the right direction. Other than that, if you want to get plugged in, Make Connections, Build your resume, and make a difference, ask us about how to do that within the RHA this year.

Alright, back to check in!

Josef Mensah
RHA President

Around the Corner!

Move in is around the corner with Commons and Courtyards residents moving in tomorrow and the rest of the campus next weekend!

The RHA Executive Board has been back since last Tuesday setting specific goals for the year in order for YOU to BE INVOLVED! Add us on Facebook (Maryland Residence Hall Assoc) . It'll keep you aware of all the programs in your Hall/Area Council and the policy being considered in the RHA Senate. whether by running for an RHA Position or knowing what is happening all around campus from programs to the policy we're considering.

It's been so fun hanging with the Executive Board. We're becoming great teammates and even greater friends. Going into my fourth year in RHA, I've made connections with such a wide variety of people I would not have been able to meet or work with elsewhere. This year is no different.

I hope to meet YOU too! The RHA Execs and some students from your hall or area will be sitting at tables during move-in. Don't forget to stop by and say hi before getting your keys. Yes, this means EVERYBODY ! We want to know the people we'll be representing, and the students interested in representing others as the VOICE for on-campus students.

You and your new roommates, floormates, and friends should come bust a move at the RHA/NRO Dance on Friday night at 9:00pm in the Student Union Grand Ballroom.

As always...
BE INVOLVED


Josef K. Mensah
RHA President

BE INVOLVED!!!

We're so close to move-in ladies and gentlemen and I wanted to encourage you (again and not for the last time) to BE INVOLVED!

Thurs and Fri Aug 27 and 28
RHA representatives at all move-in locations! Stop by and say hi before/after getting your keys!

Friday August 28
RHA/NRO Dance
Party the night away with new residents and the RHA Execs
Grand Ballroom, Stamp Student Union

Wednesday September 9
RHA Open House
Want to get involved as a resident student on campus? Come learn about RHA Elections and the open leadership positions open in your hall or area council.
Cambridge Community Center
7:00pm

Wednesday and Thursday September 16 and 17
RHA Elections
Vote for the students that will be your VOICE to the RHA and campus administration
Online at: www.marylandrha.com

Tuesday September 29
RHA Senate Meeting
The first senate meeting of the academic year. let your VOICE be heard!
Benjamin Banneker Room, Stamp Student Union

Josef Mensah, President

Summer Post

Hey everyone,

I hope the summer has started off nicely for all of you! I've personally been taking a summer class which ends soon and is only Mon, Tues, and Wed.

Your RHA Execs have been busy preparing for Fall. Travis, your VP, and I just met with Courtyards Community Council. We spoke about officially including Courtyards in the RHA and giving them Senate representation. I think it'll be a win-win situation for both the RHA Senate and Courtyards but more on our part since we'll be getting a perspective that has often been overlooked.

The other execs are working hard too. We'll be able to give you a full executive report after July 12! Should be fun. We'll keep you posted.

Keep enjoying the summer; it's already July!

Yours truly,


Josef K. Mensah
President

Your RHA is ready to ACT!!!

And now we look onward!

RHA just celebrated the ten year anniversary of the constitution's ratification. May 12, 2009 during the RHA/NRHH Year End Reception, every president from the past ten years returned to share experiences and word of wisdom for the future.

Standing on the firm foundation afforded to us by the RHA members of the last decade, we are ready to A.C.T.

We're ready to be Accountable to the students we represent; build the greater campus Community by forging better relationships with other student representative bodies, taking advantage of the priority influence we have over residential campus issues, and expanding our reach of influence; and we are ready with Teamwork. We'll work together, create and sustain greater appreciation of our Hall and Area Councils, become great friends and associates, and have fun all the way.

Let me introduce you to your Executive Board for the 2009 - 2010 academic year.

Vice President- Travis Durepo
Administrative Officer- Julie Hudnet
Finance Officer- Richard Solaski
Chief Information Officer - Uneeb Qureshi
Student Groups Liaison- Ellie Farr
Public Relations and Outreach- Debbie Kobrin
National Communications Chair- Mitchell Amoros

And I, Josef Mensah, will serve as your President.

If you are an incoming freshman resident or a returning student looking to flex your leadership guns, build character, gain friendships, and get INVOLVED the Residence Hall Association is the place for you. Check out our website (www.marylandrha.com) and/or e-mail us at voice@marylandrha.com. We're your voice, all summer and school year long!

Enjoy the summer!

Josef K. Mensah, President

GXC Launches Monday, Oct. 20

The Diamondback ran my article about GoCrossCampus today in the Opinion Section of the Diamondback- make sure to check it out! GXC is an innovative way to build community on-campus and engage students in something campuses across the country are taking part in. The game has the potential to become a new tradition at the University, so make sure to tell all your friends and lobby peers to join your team!

The RHA will be hosting a pizza party for the winning team as a way to reward those dedicated to the game's launch and to allow students to interact with one another face-to-face. To get a one up on your opponents, feel free to browse the rules of the game at: http://gocrosscampus.com/static/rules/. Please feel free to e-mail the RHA at voice@marylandrha.com for any specific questions you may have about the game.

Below is the original copy of the article I submitted to the Diamondback, please note that in the Diamondback version they incorrectly changed the date's launch to say it will be happening this Saturday. Please let anyone know that the game will be launching this Monday, NOT this Saturday. Enjoy!:

It’s 3:00 and you just got back from a long day of classes. You’re too exhausted to start homework and instead decide you need some time to relax. Let’s face it, there’s nothing good on T.V. yet and stalking people on facebook can get a little old. Why not try something new?

The Residence Hall Association (RHA) will be launching the University of Maryland’s first GoCrossCampus (GXC) game this Monday, October 20. The game will last for about two months and all students are encouraged to take advantage of the pure, addictive fun the game will no doubt provide.

GXC is a massive online campus-wide and team-based game kind of like RISK but made specifically for college campuses. The goal of the game is to conquer the most territories on the custom-made University of Maryland campus map while expelling all other teams. The great draw to the game is that rather than just having one person per team, there are entire housing community’s, in addition to an off-campus team, battling against each other to take over the territories that students interact with every day.

The beauty of GXC lies in the fact that students can decide how much, or how little, time to put into it. There are no real commitments. The game does have tons of cool features for those who do become particularly engaged in the battle, such as the ability to nominate, or impeach, a commander, catch a spy, and engage in team chats, to name a few.

The RHA is extremely excited about launching the campus’s first GXC game and cannot wait to see what it does for this campus. GXC prides itself on the game’s ability to build school spirit and to create a sense of community- two things the RHA is very serious about. We see GXC as a great way to start a campus-wide tradition that has the ability to excite students about interacting with one another and uniting around a common goal.

What’s even more exciting is the prize the winning team will receive! The RHA will provide the victorious team with a pizza party as a way to reward those team members for their dedication to the University’s first GXC game. The party will serve as a chance to interact in person with fellow teammates and celebrate the success of the game.

So why not be a part of this monumental event? There is no pressure and no time commitment in order to be involved. The game has already been widely successful at schools like Yale, Harvard, Boston College, Ithaca College, the University of Massachusetts and so on. This is a great way to take part in an event that will no doubt become widely known on campus.

To join the game, on October 20th go to www.gocrosscampus.com/game/umd/ and create an account. The game is completely free and completely fun. For more specific questions, feel free to e-mail the RHA at voice@marylandrha.com or visit our website at www.marylandrha.com. Our blog, located at www.marylandrha.blogspot.com, will be discussing the game as well, so stay posted!

Alicia Hartlove
Public Relations Officer

Parking and the DOTS Dilemma

Freshman winter was particularly cold. For me at least. I would make the half-mile trek from Somerset Hall to Lot 6 at least twice a week. The times I forgot my keys embarrasingly multiplies that number. Still, I had a car and that car gave me independence. After all, I could always leave.

Many of next year's freshmen will have no such option. An increase in demand, construction projects, and enviromental initiatives have put a defecit on parking spaces next year. As a result, it is projected that many freshmen will not be able to bring cars when they move into their new home this fall.

The Deportment of Transportation Services (DOTS) must find ways to minimize this defecit.

Faculty currently have top priority for parking followed by commuters and finally residents. DOTS has this priority order right. After all, without teachers we would not have a university. Commuters also need parking to engage in the university at a most basic level. If a shortage exists, unfortunately it is the residents that must accept that burden.

While the negative effects of the burden rightly fall on residents, DOTS must recognize that the price is not small for us. The university is our home. When a person cannot have a car at their home it impacts everyday functions in thier life. Meals and eating habits change with reduced access to grocery stores. Employment opportunities fade without access to them. Visits to family and friends also become impractical. When people cannot keep a car at home their life changes. Freshmen residents at the university are no different.

DOTS has a responsibility to reduce the parking defecit so that next year's freshmen can receive cars. This means two things. First and most importantly, DOTS must not allow empty spaces on campus to go unfilled. Secondly, Transportation Services must introduce initiatives that will encourage alternative methods of transportation.

Many options exist on the second point. David Allen, who currently serves as the director of DOTS, has already proposed a carpooling plan that would free up spaces while rewarding its participants. Encouraging local residents, especially those like myself in Courtyards and the View, should be encouraged to take public transportation instead of taking an extra space. Motorcyling and bicycling options should also be enhanced to create space. DOTS should implement these excellent ideas by next year to reduce the burden on freshmen residents.

DOTS and the administration should not underestimate the impacts that will come from lacking access to a car their freshmen year. For some it may be a luxury, but to others it is a beam in their lives. Simple initiatives can create space that will help students keep cars at their temporary homes. While commuters and faculty rightfully maintain priority, resident students should not accept and DOTS should not allow any shortage to become needlessly far-reaching.

Danny Leydorf
Student Groups and Organizations Liaison

DOTS to limit Parking Permits to underclassmen

The Department of Transportation Services (DOTS) has sold 600 fewer parking permits than last year due to construction taking place near Lot 1. There will be even fewer spaces in Lot 2 when construction starts on the new Denton community. Who does this affect?

The students of course but we have been provided a way to voice our opinions. Director of DOTS David Allen says this will especially affect freshmen and sophomores. Freshmen and sophomores have been able to register for permits in the past but now only a select few might be able to.

Here's where you and your Residence Hall Association (RHA) comes in. Director Allen will start dialogue with your elected representatives to decide who gets priority over parking spots.

How to be heard:

• Leave comments here on the blog
• Get in contact with your newly elected hall/area council senators at www.marylandrha.com under the tab "Your Reps."
• Send us an e-mail: voice@marylandrha.com

Get involved!

Read the Diamondback article. DOTS sold 600 fewer permits than last year - News

Posted by: Josef K. Mensah, Vice President

Your Execs Attend the Invitational Forum on Leadership Issues (iFli)

A few weeks ago your RHA execs were invited to attend the Invitational Forum on Leadership Issues (iFli) and decided this would be a great opportunity to connect with other student leaders around the campus as well as influential faculty members. Tonight proved that iFli was just that!

As mentioned, iFli consisted of representatives from various student leadership groups on campus, as well as an extensive list of important faculty members, including President Mote. The main focus of the forum was discussing the University's strategic plan. The overall goal of the strategic plan is to enhance every aspect of the University by giving specific bench marks and objectives to achieve these overall aspirations. Your student leaders were broken up according to issues brought up in the strategic plan and brainstormed, with your administrators, ideas of making all of this possible.

An issue that specifically concerns many students living both on and off campus that was discussed is transforming the surrounding community. Your RHA execs gave special voice to advocating for the development of East Campus and improving the Rt.1 area to foster this sense of community. Many students, and visitors, find the the College Park area to be rather sparse concerning the amount of activities available. The development of East Campus would bring along more high-end retail, nicer hotels, a variety of restaurants, entertainment and conference facilities. East Campus has the potential to transform downtown College Park into an admirable area that students and residents of the area could enjoy and take advantage of. Another issue your execs voiced their strong support for was increased housing both on and off campus. In order to embrace a feeling of community, students must feel comfortable in their housing options. Making more housing available to students off campus would help to alleviate the fear of making the transition from on to off campus housing. Additionally, providing more on campus housing would help to meet the strong demand of students who already enjoy living on campus more available. Among the other issues discussed were improving safety on and off campus, re-structuring the CORE general education requirements, and improvements to undergraduate and graduate education. Please take time to view the University's strategic plan at: http://www.sp07.umd.edu/PlanApril29.pdf

If you would like to voice your specific concerns or ideas about the strategic plan, please e-mail us at voice@marylandrha.com

Alicia Hartlove, Public Relations Officer

Interested in Progress and Change?

The Diamondback editorial printed on September 3rd, Call and Response discusses some of the efforts made by the Department of Resident Life to alleviate the housing crunch which everyone was so painfully aware of at our University.

The three main strategies employed by DRL were earlier notice, doubling up in some rooms in Courtyards, and limiting leasing in South Campus Commons. All three of these "solutions" were formulated in conjunction with the Residence Hall Association. The first was decided immediately after the April 2007 announcement, and the last two were suggested through legislation passed in the RHA senate during the 2007-2008 academic year. It is great to see the hard work of our student leaders recognized, and know that it is truly improving our campus.

These are perfect examples of how your representatives are working to better the lives of our 10,000 resident students. Do you see what you are capable of changing? Do you see the difference you can make for yourself and others? I encourage you all to get involved in our organization, you can truly be productive. If you want to represent your peers, apply for a hall or area council position on our website www.marylandrha.com If you just want your voice heard, go and vote on September 16th and 17th for your representatives, and then let them know when an issue arises.

There are so many opportunities for University of Maryland students to BE INVOLVED!

We will have an Open House on September 10th at 7pm in the Cambridge Community Center if you have questions about different available positions in your community.
Any other questions, feel free to email us at voice@marylandrha.com

Posted by: Alex Beuchler, President

Welcome Back!

It's hard to believe the summer is over, but we are looking forward to a great and successful year for the RHA. Your execs have already been hard at work planning for the upcoming year. Tomorrow, Sept.3, the Diamondback will be featuring an editorial in the Opinion section about all the RHA accomplished last year, what we are looking ahead to, and finally some very important dates. Make sure you check it out, but if you can't, I've included it here:

The University of Maryland is no doubt a large and sometimes intimidating campus. With about 25,000 undergrads, over 300 student groups, 27 varsity sports teams and more than 100 majors, it is easy to slip through the cracks and go unnoticed. The beauty of this university, however, is that getting involved and voicing your opinions about issues you want to see changed or improved is extremely simple and even more gratifying. The University of Maryland’s Residence Hall Association strives to foster this mentality and aid the students’ voices in being heard and recognized by administrators.

The RHA is one of the most prestigious student government organizations that focuses primarily on issues concerning the on-campus student body. The organization is comprised of student representatives from the thirteen hall/area councils on campus. These students are elected to voice their constituents’ concerns and wishes to the university departments that deal with residential issues such as Resident Life, Residential Facilities, Transportation and Dining Services. As the premier lobbying group for residential students, the senators sit on committees where they directly meet with the directors of the four aforementioned departments. In addition to the policy-related branch of the RHA, the hall/area councils include other positions aimed at building a sense of community in their particular residential area and, ultimately, the campus as a whole.

In the past year, the RHA worked tirelessly to serve its constituents in order to bring about positive change and improvement around the campus. For example, you may have noticed “Late Night” at the diner appear during finals week last semester. The RHA heard the student population and successfully lobbied the Department of Dining Services to pilot this program for the first time ever. Also, in order to better convenience the student population, the RHA constantly met with the Department of Residential Facilities to push for wireless internet and peep-holes in all the residence halls. Thanks to your representatives, both of these amenities are now staples in the residence halls. Reforming Nite Ride has been another issue the RHA has continually voiced. Students were frustrated with the long wait time, and as a result, additional resources have been allocated to Nite Ride in order to improve upon this service. Also in the same realm of transportation issues, the RHA was the first student group to endorse the Campus Drive alignment of the Purple Line after several presentations and much contemplation. Underlying all of these accomplishments was the continual passage of legislation aimed at making our campus more “green.” In order to thoroughly tackle this initiative, the RHA created an ad-hoc sustainability committee which will serve as an advising group to the university departments.

Seeing students’ wishes recognized on campus is an exciting experience, and for that reason, the RHA is always looking forward to even more ways to serve the on campus population. This fall will be the first mixed-gender housing pilot to take place on campus, and the RHA is anxiously awaiting results to measure the success of the program we advocated for. While the RHA was triumphant in encouraging Dining Services to eliminate focus dates for sophomores, we will continue to advocate for the complete elimination of focus dates for all students. In reaction to the current exciting political climate, the RHA will also be working with Terps Vote, a committee armed with advocating for student involvement in the national elections. Finally, the RHA will continue to lobby the Board of Regents for more student housing in order to ensure that students can obtain the living experience they desire.

As you can see, the RHA is a great way to positively affect the on campus environment. Not only does the organization serve as a tool to mediate change, but is a great way to get involved, forge relationships, and make this large campus feel a bit smaller. To learn more about the RHA please visit www.marylandrha.com and www.marylandrha.blogspot.com. All are welcomed and encouraged to attend our open house on Wednesday, September 10th where students can ask specific questions and gain insight about each available position. Hall/Area Council elections will be taking place on Tuesday, September 16th and Wednesday, September 17th. Don’t miss out on an amazing opportunity to make a difference on your campus. After all, what have you got to lose?

Alicia Hartlove, Public Relations Officer

Support for the Purple Line

On February 26th, 2008, the RHA passed a resolution supporting the Campus Drive Alignment for the Purple Line. The following letter was written when we joined the committee in support of the construction of the Purple Line. The blog for the Terps for the Purple line is www.terpsgopurple.blogspot.com

University of Maryland Community,

With all of the resources at and within close reach of the University of Maryland, it doesn’t seem like students should ever need to leave College Park. Of course, we recognize that this is not realistic. Our students need to travel home, visit museums and sites in our nation’s capital for class and pleasure, and occasionally just get a change of scenery. Based on this, it is clear that there needs to be effective methods of transportation out of – and back to – our beloved College Park.

With only a few major roads out of College Park, constant traffic, and rising gas prices, we are lucky to have a metro station located just minutes away at Paint Branch Parkway, served by ShuttleUM. Unfortunately, the green line is not the most convenient, efficient or far-reaching means of getting around the DC area. To get to other cities along the outskirts of the metro lines, you must ride all the way into the city, switch lines and travel back out. This is extremely time consuming and inconvenient, especially during heavy travel times.

The plans for the East Campus Development also create a need for additional access routes to College Park. Revamping the area around our campus is extremely important in fostering a greater sense of community. It would be a terrible waste of planning and funding if visitors don’t have another easy option for visiting our wonderful University of Maryland Community.

For these reasons, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) at the University of Maryland supports the development of the Purple Line. This line will connect the ends of the Red Line (Bethesda and Silver Spring), Green Line (College Park) and the Orange Line (New Carrolton). The Purple Line would be extremely helpful in making these locations accessible to Maryland students.

If we are encouraging students to expand their minds, both inside AND outside the classroom, we, as a University community, need to support this initiative which will provide them with a safe and convenient method of doing so. The Campus Drive alignment, officially sanctioned by the RHA on February 26th, 2008, will be the best opportunity for students to travel from Prince George’s County to Montgomery County and back, changing campus life for the better. Students living at the University of Maryland deserve the ability to explore the area without the need to pump expensive gas or to spend hours switching metro lines to get to a town less than 20 miles away. The Residence Hall Association is pleased to join the other student and community groups to support the Purple Line.

For any questions or concerns about the RHA’s position, please do not hesitate to contact us at voice@marylandrha.com

Sincerely,

Alexandra Beuchler
President, Residence Hall Association

www.MarylandRHA.com - www.MarylandRHA.blogspot.com - voice@MarylandRHA.com - 301-314-9679

Posted by: Alex Beuchler, President

Late Night Study Isn't Going Anywhere!

Thanks to the work of many concerned students, the administration has decided to keep Late Night study as it currently exists. Desider Vikor, the new Dean of Libraries, sent me the following message today, which is being distributed to library employees. It just goes to show how productive students can be when they join together to voice their concerns!

"I am writing to let you know that the McKeldin Library Late Night Study
Service will continue uninterrupted and unchanged. As has been the practice in
previous years, the service will start 2 weeks into the semester, on September 14, 2008, and will run 14 weeks through final exams. The service will open again 2-3 weeks into the spring semester. Late Night Study Service is a unique campus service that is offered 5 days a week (Sunday-Thursday nights) during the academic year.
*
--Desider Vikor"

Posted by: Alex Beuchler, President

Social Security Number on Parking Mailer

Early in July, a brochure was sent out to University of Maryland Students with parking information. Unfortunately, printed on these mailers were students' social security numbers.

The Department of Transportation Services, in conjunction with Student Affairs, will be providing free Equifax services for students who register by September 10th. To find out more about this service, go to www.transportation.umd.edu/parkingmailer

Also, you can place a fraud alert on your credit by going to www.ftc.gov/idtheft

If you still have your mailer, black out the number or shred the document before throwing it away. At this point, this is unfortunately the only option we have to correct this error.

Any other questions can be directed to the University at 1-877-935-2428

Posted by: Alex Beuchler, President

Late Night at the Library

Word has been circulating that late night at the library will be ending. When? We're not sure. Why? We're not sure. The only thing students really know is that this can not happen.

There has already been a Facebook group started to show opposition to the idea.

Students need the space to read, study and get work done. We are here for an education and need a place to aid in our success to our academic endeavors. I know as much as anyone else, we are busy during the day, and sometimes those late night hours are the few hours we have between classes and meetings to finish that paper you have due!

To voice your concern for the late night issue, please email Provost Farvardin, Dean Lowry, and Dean Vikor (farvardin@umd.edu, dlv@umd.edu, clowry@umd.edu)


Posted by: Alex Beuchler, President

Your Student Reps visit Cape Town, South Africa

From May 14 to May 26, 2008, Department of Resident Life Director Deb Grandner took two staff members and five student leaders on a trip to Cape Town, South Africa for a student leadership conference hosted by ACUHO-International (Association of College and University Housing Officers-International). Among those student leaders were three RHA representatives, former President 2007 - 2008, Sumner Handy, President Alex Beuchler, and yours truly, Vice-President Josef Mensah. Student leaders from across the southern region of Africa (mostly from the country of South Africa) gathered to discuss issues pertaining to leadership structures on campus, what resident students face, and what resident student leaders can do to be more effective for their constituents.

Cape Town, South Africa

The student leadership conference proved that though we may have differences when it comes to identity or geographic location, the role as an on-campus student and on-campus student representative should not and cannot be taken lightly. We were met with some of the brightest and most passionate student leaders that southern Africa had to offer. Living just fourteen years after the end of apartheid, legalized segregation in South Africa, student leaders there are met with a unique challenge to work towards student unity, and deal with political and social pressures outside the campus.

What was personally enlightening was to realize how unique the RHA's structure is on the University of Maryland campus. The fact that we remain autonomous from Student Affairs and are elected by residents is a truly special attribute of our organization. We maintain a good working relationship with university staff yet we answer to our students. We have the opportunity to recommend on-campus policy and be taken seriously on those matters. On the programming side our hall/area councils have come up with great ideas that keep students involved and build community.

While I hope that other student leaders learned a lot from us, I am very sure we learned a lot from them. Have you ever thought about our campus's policy for pregnant students? Have you ever thought about how international students studying abroad are integrated onto our campus? Have you ever thought of what it would be like if our campus and residence halls lacked diversity? Those are only a few of the questions that students in southern Africa deal with. It reminded me how important it is to maintain passion and drive to create change on campus.

From left to right: Josef Mensah, RHA VP; Sumner Handy , Former RHA Pres (07 - 08); Alex Beuchler, RHA Pres; Pearl, Univ. of Free State; Jamar Mancano, Univ. of MD RA; Jessica Jacques, Univ of MD RA.

I was very interested in how certain schools like the University of Western Cape used block captains (what we would call floor representatives) to engage students in programming. It got me thinking about how we could better utilize floor reps in order to get students involved in leadership and get other students involved in campus life whether by policy or programs.

I also learned that one size does NOT fit all when it comes to finding solutions as student leaders. Although our RHA structure works at UMD, it probably wouldn't work as well at Marquette University, a private college in Wisconsin that was also present. However, there are lessons that we can learn from each other and techniques that we can take in order to give our respective constituents what they need.

After returning last Monday, I'm very excited to start working on issues pertaining to our on-campus students. The RHA Execs have already begun working together and I must say that I think the year is going to go very well with those on board. Get involved; get excited! This year is going to be great!

See everyone in August!

Posted by: Josef Mensah, Vice President

Looking ahead

This was a great year for the RHA, and we will miss our executive board members who are leaving, but we are also very excited to welcome our new team members!

President- Alex Beuchler
Vice President- Josef Mensah
Public Relations and Outreach- Alicia Hartlove
Student Groups Liaison- Danny Leydorf
National Communications Chair- Mitchell Amoros
Finance Officer- Rachael Vieder
Administrative Officer- Caroline Coates
CIO- Uneeb Qureshi

All of our new execs have already gotten started on their RHA work, even though finals just ended. The 2008-2009 academic year looks promising for on-campus students with the new team leading the way.

We look forward to working for our many constituents, and are very interested in hearing about your concerns. Our website (www.marylandrha.com) is under construction, but still accessible. We can all also be reached at voice@marylandrha.com Please do not hesitate to contact us with your concerns!

Enjoy the summer!

Alex Beuchler, President

RHA/NRHH Year End Reception

We are so glad that so many of our RHA and NRHH members plan on attending our Year End Reception! It is a great time to have fun and recognize the hard work of our student leaders.


Due to such high demand, we will be moving into the Atrium, so we can accommodate all of our guests. The Clark School of Engineering Ambassadors Dinner was kind enough to switch locations with us, which is much appreciated.

Please pass along the change of venue to all your council members and NRHH members.
Same time. DIFFERENT place.

6:30-8:30
Atrium, SSU
Business Casual
Light food and refreshments

We look forward to seeing you there!

Posted by: Alex Beuchler, Vice President

McKeldin, My McKeldin

It's almost like they knew this was going to happen... DBK is absolutely right in their staff editorial. We know funds are tight - they're tight for everything. But we need to fund our libraries, and part of that is infrastructure (a topic not addressed in the staff ed). While the article points out that this was a result of actually doing work on the building, the point remains, as FM had to stop work due to lacking parts.

This lack of funding does not only result in fewer hard copy and electronic collections, but the loss of our current collections due to faulty ceilings. Residence halls aren't the only buildings on campus that need renovations. Just ask a BSOS major.

Matt Graves offers some reactions to the staff ed. I, too, must confess ignorance at the way our libraries are funded in their totality. If it's anything like other non-self-support departments on campus (some self-supports include DRL, DDS, DRF), then funding comes from a multitude of places - auxiliary student fees, tuition, redirected cost containment funds, private funders, budgeted and dedicated state funding, etcetera. I have to disagree with Graves on a key point, though.

His idea that department/college-specific journals should be paid for only by those colleges is another great ideology versus practice problem. It sounds good, right, to let (force) only the people who use the service to purchase it? It is good, I will concede, in an absolute world. But in a University setting, we subsidize one another for the good of the whole. It's a bummer, but it's a reality: it costs way more to produce a wind tunnel than a long-winded history professor, and I'm getting no discounts spending my time in Key instead.

(Cost containment is, of course, a different issue.)

Ultimately, both the DBK and Graves are right, if you make the connection: we need more money. Frankly, students are paying more than they can currently afford for college, and nationally I worry we're rapidly approaching a point that will make the "opportunity cost/it'll be worth it after you graduate" argument not quite as persuasive, especially to lower-income students.

My recommendation would be to spend a lot of time and effort lobbying in Annapolis for more money, cliche as it sounds. Add this library incident to the list of things about which you'll testify.

Update: See Tim Hackman's addendum to the DBK's editorial

Posted by: Sumner Handy, President