It is unclear when the first Residence Hall Association at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) was formed; however, there is mention of such an organization as early as 1950. Although RIT can trace its origins back to the founding of the Rochester Athenaeum in 1829, the modern form of the institution was created in 1891 when the Rochester Athenaeum merged with the newly formed Mechanics Institute (founded 1885). The university started as a way to train individuals for careers in the dominant fields in Rochester, NY's manufacturing industry. As a result, most of the school's first students were local residents. However, as the school began to grow, an increasing number of students came from areas other than the city, creating a need for student housing.The first residence hall available to women was the converted Jenkinson Apartment building, referred to as 102 Spring Street. Then, around 1940, the school purchased the Fontanec Apartments and converted them into the Kate Gleason Residence. Kate Gleason Hall could house approximately 150 students and was used until the campus was relocated from the city of Rochester to the town of Henrietta. One motivation for the move was that the city's inner loop was to be constructed through the middle of RIT's campus. Once the campus was moved to Henrietta, Kate Gleason Hall was destroyed to make room for the inner loop. Originally, each residence hall had its own Residence Hall Association. Students living in a hall elected representatives to the Association for year-long terms. These elected individuals represented the interests of the students living in the residence hall to RIT's administration, as well as the greater RIT community. Additionally, the group helped plan events and activities such as dances and open house socials. According to the Kate Gleason Hall's Residence Hall Association's constitution (circa 1953), the group had the following powers: and power to enact and enforce laws to maintain quit, order, and conformance to accepted standards of citizenship in the Residence Hall; power to control and operate Residence Hall activities in accordance with Institute procedures; power to change the Constitution, except for changes involving extension of power within this grant. Eventually, the individual Residence Hall Associations were merged to form the Residence Halls Association (RHA). The group continued to represent the needs of the university's resident students to RIT's administration and acted as the "residential community government." As of 2011, RHA was still responsible for changes in policies and procedures affecting residence halls, providing services to students, planning programs, and making equipment and facilities available to students at RIT.
From the description of RIT Women's Residence Hall Association records, 1946-1966. (RIT Library). WorldCat record id: 769357974
