Indiana University, Bloomington. Residence Halls Association

Due to the development of coeducational living centers, the Inter Residence Halls Association was formed in 1960 through the merging of the Men's and Women's Residence Halls Associations.

In 1976, the name was changed to the Residence Halls Association. The RHA is made up of all the undergraduate students who live in the IU campus residence halls. The purpose of the organization is three-fold. First, it gives students a voice in the policies and programs of their residence halls. Next, it aims to promote a diverse, comfortable living environment and finally, RHA provides students with leadership opportunities. Specific services provided through RHA include planned programs and activities such as dances, sports, tournaments, and general entertainment as well as freshman orientation to help incoming students adjust to college life.

From the description of Indiana University Residence Halls Association records, 1956-2007, bulk 1980-1996. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 53809632

The formation of the Residence Halls Association at Indiana University was a historic event. In 1960, due to the development of co-educational living centers, the then-existing Men’s and Women’s Residence Halls Associations were combined into one co-educational organization. This was a gender-related breakthrough that was symbolic of the changes in student life during the 60’s era. This unique organization was called the Inter Residence Halls Association, or IRHA. In 1969, after a major constitutional revision, the decision was made to change the name to the Residence Halls Association, or RHA, which was enacted officially in 1976.

The RHA is made up of all the undergraduate students who live in the Indiana University campus residence halls and pay the minimal activities fee to become members. The purpose of this organization is three-fold: 1) to give students a voice in the policies and programs of their residence halls; 2) to promote a diverse, comfortable living environment; and, 3) to provide students with leadership opportunities.

The main governing body of the RHA is the President’s Council. This council is made up of each center’s president, the RHA president, vice president, and treasurer and three other executive officers. The purpose of the President’s Council is to organize and direct policy for the center governments. They meet biweekly, usually in one of the residence centers, to discuss general affairs of the residence hall; present and vote on bills and resolutions for the residence halls; and discuss any other information or action pertinent to the governing bodies and activities of the RHA. Aside from the President’s Council, each center has its own president, and each unit within the center has a governor. All the governors of the center make up a Board of Governors, which communicates the needs of the individual units to the center president, who then communicates them to the President’s Council. Many specific problems and activities of the residence halls are dealt with by several committees within the RHA. Some of these committees include: the Judicial Board, the Damage Committee, and the Community Council.

To effectively fulfill its commitment to be a voice of the students of the residence halls, RHA relies on several liaisons to communicate with university administrators. The main line of communication for the RHA is through the Vice President of Internal Affairs. The Vice President of External Affairs acts as the RHA ambassador to other campus organizations such as IUSA. The Halls of Residence Committee is the liaison to the Vice President of the University. This group is made up of faculty and student leaders, and its purpose is to evaluate the current and future needs of the residence halls and forward these to the Vice President.

Specific services provided through the RHA include various planned programs and activities such as dances, sports tournaments, and general entertainment. Many centers have stores that offer convenience and personal hygiene goods and snack bar items. The halls even provide orientation courses in the dorms that teach freshman basic college survival skills.

The RHA of today still functions much like it did at its inception. To meet the needs of students in the 21st century many new issues have been addressed proving RHA’s continued relevancy. Many new issues have been addressed, including up-to-date and readily available technologies and services including computer labs in each center and advanced Internet connection in most dorm rooms.

From the guide to the Indiana University Residence Halls Association records, 1956-2007, bulk 1980-1996, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)