RHA to hold elections
Feb. 19, 2008
(Click graphic to enlarge)
Two slates competing for the top positions in the Residence Halls Association will present their platforms tonight in a candidate forum.
Freshman Chris Gonzales, with freshman vice presidential candidate Tim Franklin, and senior Bobby Wood, with junior vice presidential candidate Nate Ballance will run for RHA president.
The forum will be at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Mark Twain Ballroom in Memorial Union North. Voting will be via an e-mail link and is open to all students living in the residence halls. Voting is open from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
Gonzalez/Franklin
Gonzales said he is running for RHA president to bring a “fresh new perspective” to the governing council of all residence halls on campus.
“Though we don’t have the experience that the opposing slate has, we have the younger perspective,” Gonzales said of he and Franklin.
Gonzales serves as Rollins Group Council treasurer. Franklin serves as RGC vice president.
Gonzales said he also disagrees with the way the RHA leadership spends the organization’s money.
“I’ve been a bit skeptical of the current board,” Gonzales said. “I find that change is good and that it adds new perspective. We’re banking on the idea that this is a fresh start for everybody.”
Gonzales said he attended an RHA meeting last week and heard that the organization has $40,000 of unspent funds.
“The money for RHA was meant to go back to the res. halls,” Gonzales said. “It’s meant to go back to the students in the form of entertainment, improvement and service.”
Outgoing RHA President Greg Davis said $40,000 is about standard for the organization to have each year. RHA uses its money to finance trips to conventions, operating costs and filling funding requests, Davis said.
Davis said RHA has not received many funding requests this year.
“People just haven’t been using it as much as they could,” Davis said.
Gonzales said he had only gone to a few meetings and did not know why the money in RHA’s account is not being spent.
Gonzales praised his running mate and said Franklin is a sound-minded person.
“When he sets his mind to get something done, he gets it done faster than anyone I’ve seen here,” Gonzales said. “I can’t think of anyone I feel more comfortable with running as my vice president.
Wood/Ballance
Ballance cited his and Wood’s experience in RHA as their qualification for the positions.
Ballance is the incumbent RHA vice president, and Wood serves as the organization’s secretary.
Ballance said he and Wood have worked their way up in RHA.
“We’re running because both of us have been involved in the organization for over three years,” Ballance said.
Ballance said he and Wood are focusing on implementing more diversity plans in the residence halls. He said that several individual residence halls have diversity programs, but that he would like a campus-wide diversity program.
“We think we can be a real attribute to the organization and continue some of the same ideas that we’ve been successful with in the past,” Ballance said.
Ballance said the slate also wants to bring a regional conference, such as the Midwest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls Conference, to MU.
Ballance said he wants RHA to continue strengthening its communication and connection with other student organizations, including the Missouri Students Association, the Legion of Black Collegians and the National Residence Hall Honorary.
“We both have a ton of experience,” Ballance said. “It’s pretty rare for a student to accumulate more than two years’ experience in RHA because you have to live in a residence hall.”
Ballance said both he and Wood have held committee chairman and executive board positions.
“We have successfully done our jobs and upheld our responsibilities and duties,” Ballance said. “RHA has seen a swift turn upward in the last couple of years.”
Wood could not be reached for comment.
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