A new program from the Residence Halls Association is hoping that off-campus students will partake in programs and events that, as of now, only those living in dorms can enjoy.
RHA has begun to offer membership to students not living in residence halls. Dorm students automatically join RHA by paying the $21 tax each semester.
By paying the tax, off-campus students would receive a laminated card that would allow them to rent movies from RHA Movie Offices and see movies at the Campus Center Cinemas in Wells Hall for free.
"Every time you go see a real movie, it's about $7.50," RHA Secretary Kevin Newman said. "At Campus Center, it's free. (The card) will pay for itself if you utilize it."
If concerts organized by RHA have a reduced rate for residence hall students, off-campus members also would receive that rate.
Some off-campus students, however, don't think as highly of the card program.
"I wouldn't be interested," education senior Tara Grider said. "I'd rather just go to Blockbuster than to a residence hall to rent a video, even when I did live on campus."
Newman said he and other RHA members thought of the idea at a conference of the Michigan Organization of Residence Hall Associations. Other schools in Michigan had implemented programs similar to this one.
"It's been talked about for a while," Newman said. "It's kind of a trial program."
RHA spokesman Brian Winters called the program "giving value for value."
"We're giving off-campus students the value associated with RHA membership, and in return, RHA gets the value of additional funds," he said.
Newman said members of RHA's Executive Board, some of whom live off-campus, are required to be members of the organization. They will receive the same cards other students would.
"I would be interested in it," English senior Jason Ramsey said. "I've paid a couple of times to go see movies at Wells since I've been living off campus.
RHA's General Assembly recently approved a measure that, with student approval, would increase the organization's tax from $21 to $22.
"We know we're not going to make hundreds of thousands of dollars selling $21 memberships to RHA," Winters said. "From a financial standpoint, it's about keeping the tax increase as low as possible, making it one dollar instead of two or three."
Staff writer Agnes Soriano contributed to this report.
