NDSU hopes to host 2007 RHA conference
The Midwest Association of College and University Residence Halls’ bid team will be attending the regional conference in hopes of bringing the next regional conference to NDSU in 2007.
“ RHA is on many campuses across the country and they make up the National Association of College and University Residence Halls, and North Dakota is part of the Midwest Region.” Amber Olek, chair of the MACURH bid team, said. “Every fall, each region is responsible for holding a conference for students from the campus in that region. They come and go to programs and it’s a big exchange of ideas,”
The MACURH bid team is working on a schedule of events for the conference to present at this year’s regional conference at South Dakota State University in November. NDSU has never hosted the conference or bid for it.
“ A lot of what our goal has been is putting together all the details of the conference,” Olek said.
The most important part of the presentation will be knowing all the details, Olek said, as there will be a panel of regional judges there asking questions about the conference plans and how to make the conference better.
The conference normally starts on a Friday night and goes through the end of Saturday.
Usually there are three programming sessions that are rated by students to arrive at a top-10 list.
The conference helps campuses exchange new ideas for programming in residence halls and allows people from different locations to share information, Olek said.
In addition, Olek said the MACURH bid team has added roundtable discussions to the conference, allowing students to discuss social issues or issues regarding college campuses.
It is important for NDSU to host this conference because “hosting a conference says a lot about your capabilities as a school,” Olek said.
If NDSU is chosen to host this conference, the MACURH bid team will choose a Hollywood theme, in part to reward students for their hard work in making the residence halls a better place, Olek said.
“ Now that our Residence Hall Association and Residence Life has grown, we’re at a point where we want to show what we’re capable of and show what we can do,” Olek said.
Anyone living on campus can attend the conference.
Some ideas for sessions at the conference include personal development, leadership development and group dynamics.
In addition, students attending the conference will get to participate in activities like bowling, a movie, and a performance by Nine and Numb, NDSU’s improvisation group.