The Residence Halls Association, or RHA, passed a bill to amend its bylaws to allow nominations for one of its executive board positions at the group’s meeting Wednesday night.
The assembly discussed allowing a vote for the position of Director of Racial, Ethnic and Progressive Affairs, or DREPA, by assembly members and not an appointment by a hiring committee that has been done in previous years.
But the bill, introduced by representative Chris Rivard, ultimately was passed 31-1 with two abstentions.
After failing to approve a DREPA at last week’s meeting, the assembly discussed the importance of the DREPA to the Council of Racial and Ethnic Students and Council of Progressive Students groups and the student caucuses.
Representative Mitch Treadwell said the DREPA position is the only position that has had two failed nominations come before the assembly for approval .
“There needs to be greater amount of involvement and feedback on candidates that come before the organization,” he said.
But representative Tyler Akeo objected to a section of the bill that requires a majority of ballots cast for a winner to be elected, saying the minority groups the position intends to represent are not always 50 percent of the RHA members present.
Also during the meeting, Kathy Collins, director of Campus Living Services and Residence Life, gave the group an update on the recently passed flexible housing policy, which will allow some on-campus residents to live with members of the opposite sex. She said the last time she checked official numbers, only one person was signed up to utilize the policy next year.
Akeo said he and a friend just signed up to live together under the new flexible housing, bringing the current number of students in flexible housing up to three.
Collins said she is continuing to work on marketing the program and it will continue to be a pilot study for two years.
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