RHA halts name change to College Avenue res. hall

Feuerborn did not consult all RHA members before signing MSA legislation.

By Luke Udstuen

Published May 4, 2010

Correction appended

The Residence Halls Association wants all decisions regarding the renaming of College Avenue residence hall to stop until further student opinion is reviewed.

Last week, the Missouri Students Association passed legislation requesting the UM system Board of Curators look into renaming the residence hall to the Gus T. Ridgel-Clarence Wines residence hall.

RHA President Rachael Feuerborn signed the piece of MSA legislation, indicating to MSA that RHA was in favor of the change. But Monday night RHA, as a collective body, passed its own legislation that the decision was rushed.

"The point of this legislation is not that we don't want it to happen, it's that a lot of people around campus don't know what's going on," College Avenue representative Kathy Rudd said about RHA's legislation.

Freshman Colten Ross said he was shocked to find out Feuerborn had signed such legislation without consulting with RHA first.

"I thought the approval of College Avenue, which I thought was the whole building, was sufficient enough for me to put my name on the bill," Feuerborn said.

Feuerborn said she had consulted with the College Avenue government about a possible name change. But many residents of College Avenue were not aware of the specifics of the name change.

"I didn't have the name with me when I met with College Avenue, but I had been in contact with the hall coordinator," Feuerborn said.

Rudd said students only knew they were going to discuss a name change, but didn't know the specifics. The College Avenue representatives hoped a name change might add character to the residence hall, which is named after the adjacent road.

Feuerborn said she respected the opinion of those who drafted the RHA legislation.

"I don't call it a mistake on my part by any means," Feuerborn said. "I'll do my best to fix the situation."

The legislation was scheduled for presentation at a joint conference between many student governments earlier this year, but the joint conference was canceled due to a miscommunication.

Feuerborn said next year she would reinstate a committee within RHA to specialize in naming buildings. Former RHA Speaker of Congress Blake Lawrence intended to create the committee last year, but no one pursued the idea after he left, she said.

"Hopefully it will consist of one person from each unnamed hall," Feuerborn said. "I don't want people to be forced to change their hall names. If Respect, Responsibility, Discovery or Excellence want to keep their names because they're values, that's fine."

Lawrence echoed RHA's resolution and said the role of renaming residence halls was most appropriately delegated to RHA.

"I consider naming recommendations to be exclusively within the realm of RHA politics," Lawrence said. "The other student governments should respect that. I think the (RHA) legislation today comes from a great place ideologically."

RHA also re-elected speaker of congress Michael Crawford on Monday night.

"We had three really good candidates," Lawrence said. "An important aspect of the speaker moving forward is someone who can rein in this larger cabinet we'll have."

Lawrence said Crawford, who replaced Lawrence as speaker of congress in January this year, was the most experienced in working with a larger organization.

Crawford has experience interning at the House of Representatives in Jefferson City. He said he used this experience in writing the legislation that restructured RHA earlier this year.

"When I came in, I didn't want to run for any other position except speaker of congress," Crawford said.

Parliamentarian Jared Grafman, who’s also a Maneater staff writer, said the election was tough, as all candidates were well-qualified.

In campaigning, Ross said he had appreciated the opportunity to work with Crawford.

"I'm like the Ralph Nader of this group," Ross said. "I've had the opportunity to work under both of these guys and they've been great influences and I've learned a lot."

At the close of Monday's meeting, RHA began its summer recess and will reconvene in the fall.