RHA redefines scholarship eligibility
The RHA Congress voted to open its scholarship to executive members.
Published April 2, 2009
The Residence Halls Association Congress voted to overturn the original decision of the RHA scholarship committee and now make student staff members, graduate students and RHA executives eligible for the scholarship.
The scholarship is now available to any undergraduate student, regardless of whether the Residential Life Department is already compensating them somehow.
RHA Vice President Nate Ballance, who is also the scholarship committee's co-chairman, said congress has the power to overturn any committee decision. In this case, congress members had no warning they would be discussing this in congress, so they had no chance to speak with their residents before voting.
"The congress made the decision to make everyone paid by the organization eligible to receive more money from student funds," Ballance said. "The people that we made not eligible for it are people who are getting paid out of student fees."
RHA Secretary Patrick Anderson said he was against the committee's decision to exclude executives who don't have their room and board compensated. While they do receive a stipend, he doesn't find it comparable. In addition, some executives took their position mid-year, and didn't receive full stipends.
"Before they became executive members, they were involved in the residence halls and are currently," Anderson said.
Anderson said students who are involved in RHA should not be given a distinct advantage based on the criteria.
Ballance agreed RHA members shouldn't be given an advantage over other students who are comparably involved. The scholarship applicants are anonymous to the scholarship committee who each separately grade each application and tally the highest points. The highest five applicants are given the scholarship based on four fields of criteria: need for aid, leadership, involvement and dedication.
"We don't want to discourage non-executive members from applying," said Ryan Manning, internal committee chairman and scholarship committee co-chairman.
Ballance said the scholarship committee originally decided to make the scholarship available to undergraduates living in a residence hall now who plan to live in the residence halls next semester and exclude student staff and RHA executive members because they wanted to address retention in the residence halls. Their choice to make it available to undergraduates only is because graduate students have more job opportunities.
The committee wanted to exclude student staff because Residential Life already compensates their entire room and board. Ballance said they were trying to make scholarship opportunities available for students who don't already have them.
"We don't want to double reward our executive members who are already being compensated," Ballance said.
Ballance also said he would like to think RHA executives and cabinet members are involved because they care, and not simply because it sets them up for a large scholarship at the end of the year. He also asked the difference between making them eligible for scholarship and making them eligible for their competitions. So far, RHA competitions haven't allowed executives to compete.
Anderson said he also disagrees with not allowing executives to compete.
"The competitions are friendly and the executive members won't have an advantage against anyone else in the competition," Anderson said.
The department decided to let congress' decision be. RHA adviser James Heim said the department tries not to put pressure on RHA to do anything or change their mind because it's student money and students can decide what to do with it.
"We don't really have a stance," Heim said. "We think it's RHA's money, so they can choose to award people from it as they see fit."