Ballance reflects on duties of executive board and running an election
A stricter elections process would benefit the whole organization.
Published Feb. 23, 2009
The Residence Halls Association constitution states the most senior member who is not running for re-election, should act as elections chairperson, but Vice President Nate Ballance didn't think one person should have ultimate power.
Ballance decided to create a Board of Elections composing of three people including Ballance, Internal Chairman Ryan Manning and Programming Coordinator Emily Patterson.
Manning and Patterson deal with administration and logistics, respectively. Leadership and Educational Resources Adviser Jay Heim acts as the elections advisor who advises both the board and all slates who are publicly funded by the organization.
"Like any board or committee that's put together, it's accountable to the RHA Congress," Ballance said. "I feel we've put the board of elections together to deal with situations like that, and I feel we've all been fair and accountable in what we've had to do."
In an election that started with so many slates, Ballance said creating a stricter elections process would benefit the organization. In the past, it was basically up to the elections chairperson to do what they wanted.
Ballance said whoever wins shouldn't take the office lightly. He said there are larger, more influential groups on campus, but RHA serves all residents, a very large group of people. He said it isn't a position that simply entails showing up to meetings or waiting for residents to come to them, but actively seeking what residents want and what they prefer.
Even though he disagreed with putting sexual health and safety products in the residence halls, he worked for it because it received overwhelming residential support.
"They need to be committed to themselves, and they need to be committed to what they believe in and what they ran on," Ballance said. They also need to be committed to working with the administration."
Ballance explained student organizations can only go so far without support from campus higher-ups.
"Most of all, they should be committed to the residents," he said.
Ballance also discussed the improvements RHA has made recently.
"Four years ago, we weren't active," Ballance said.
He said RHA now has a presence both on the MU campus and at regional conferences. It won program of the year at the Midwest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls for its Iron Chef competition.
He said the key to improving is also in having better transitions. Now, leaders don't take office right after elections, they work with the president and vice president to learn the ropes. Offices are now working on leadership notebooks to make the transition easier as well.
"This year I feel I can take an active roll explaining to the new administration what they need to know," Ballance said. "They'll be more informed on how to do things."
He hopes the overlap, notebooks and experience every presidential slate has from being on the executive board will give them a good idea of what the job entails.
