By Andrew Doran
As students start to think about the items that they need to have a fun year in the residence halls, there’s a group that wants to make sure that the voices of their students are heard. The Residence Hall Association (RHA) plans events, holds meetings and helps students get to know one another during the course of the year.
Grace Williams, the President of RHA, discussed why RHA is one of the most important organizations on campus, especially if students are living in one of the residence halls. “We are to be the leaders of the student’s voice. More specifically to the resident’s voice because that’s who we cater to,” said Williams. “We want to put on programs that create community and let the students have a say on what happens within their community.”
New students, either freshman or transfers, might find that moving to a new area is really intimidating or scary. It’s hard to move somewhere where you don’t have a lot of friends or even know your roommate. Pushing yourself out of your own bubble is hard.
Williams discussed why it’s important for students to get out of their own bubble when they move to CI. “A lot of people meet each other at orientation as well as the first couple of weeks of welcome events. Those (events) are where you find your groundings, like the base of your friendships,” said Williams. “You don’t really see it until you look back, but you really become a part of this family that sometimes you don’t even recognize is there. It gives you a sense of belonging.”
RHA at the beginning of the year will be hosting events that will allow new residences of CI the opportunity to get out and meet people. Students will just have to be on the lookout for signs and posters during the beginning of the year with all the information for the events.
Outside of RHA doing events, they also have meetings every two weeks. These meetings cover an array of issues and topics that affect the residents of all the halls on campus. Information is given about what is happening on campus as well as issues that need to be addressed. “People get a lot of opportunity through us, not only to work with us, but also to be within the extended community of Camarillo,” said Williams.
RHA wants to be the voice of the students on campus, but they need students of any grade level to be involved. “Our overarching goal is getting the students involved,” said Williams. “With that, RHA chugs alongs efficiently so we can provide the best experiences.”
If students are going to live on campus, be sure to attend events or even the board meetings to get more involved with CI. The residence halls will have information posted when the semester kicks off in August.
