A new position created within the Residence Halls Association earlier this semester has been filled.
Current RHA Secretary Kevin Newman will act as chief of staff for the organization after a unanimous confirmation by the General Assembly on Wednesday. He and other newly elected executives will take office on April 14.
"His dedication stands out. He has helped us out in numerous ways," RHA President Derek Wallbank said of Newman, adding his work as secretary of the organization also qualifies him.
During the meeting, the assembly also amended the bylaws to add two new representatives to the body, which are assembly representatives who also belong to affiliated organizations. One of them will report from MSU's chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary, which has yet to be formed.
"We've had one in the past, but it fell apart a couple years ago," said Cory Rose, RHA's Michigan Organization Communications Coordinator, adding that it was a branch of the National Association of College And University Residence Halls.
The honorary, which would be reserved only for 1 percent of on-campus residents, is a group that would focus on a number of projects and promotion of student leadership at MSU. Rose said larger chapters also do philanthropic events.
Wallbank added that the chapter would help RHA's bid to host a national or regional conference of residence hall associations.
The second new representative to the body would be in charge of facilitating conferences and reporting to the General Assembly regarding the status of future conferences.
The assembly also voted 18-2-1 to give $1,000 to the Hapa Asian Pacific Alliance, an affiliate of the Asian Pacific American Student Organization. The alliance received the money to bring a speaker, Kip Fulbeck, to campus. Fulbeck will speak on issues facing mixed-race Asian Pacific Americans, including identity of roots and family issues.
"We think we're servicing a community that hasn't been heard," alliance member Jaime Chao said.
Wallbank said that idea influenced the association to give out the money.
"Basically, they have a very unique service they provide. The (General Assembly) thought that it was a fantastic program," he said.
Lastly, RHA finalized their vice-presidential nominations, narrowing the field to four candidates.
The assembly will decide between Rose, East Complex Black Caucus representative Jonathan Jones, Case Hall representative James Hensley and Campbell Hall representative Josh Rabinowitz. Both Hensley and Rose also ran for RHA president. Voting will take place next week.
Staff writer Emily Bingham contributed to this report.
