RHA Board of Directors

The summer heat was dying off, making way for the crisp cool summer air of Stillwater, Oklahoma. Patchin-Jones dorm stood tall in the background, and students walked along the sidewalk. On the pavement, a table was set out and covered in a blue tarp. On the table, dye was laid out, ready to be used to dye the shirts stacked on the black bench behind it. The student members of the Patchin-Jones Board of Directors stood around the table, making last minute adjustments to their set-up before they began to invite their fellow residents to join them in making tie-dye t-shirts. The night carries on, and the event was a success. Friends were made, and t-shirts were dyed. The Community Mentor of the dorm let her dog play with the participants and passer-byers. Everyone went home to their respective dorm rooms with a freshly created t-shirt and new memories.

Events like this is the responsibility of one of the dorm building’s RHA Board of Directors members, Trenton Ratts. Each dorm building has their own Board of Directors. The BOD of a dorm is a group of resident students like Trenton that come together and help to cultivate a sense of community in their respective dorm buildings. They move to campus earlier than the rest of their peers and prepare for a year of events. Throughout the year they host tie-dye nights, game nights, and many other creative events to gather students together. They strive to give residents a way to let off steam and get away from their endless studies. This is one of the many initiatives by Oklahoma State University to create a positive environment on campus. It is the belief of the university that a large part of a student’s education comes from outside the classroom and among their peers. There is a push from administration to help students to get connected to each other, both for their mental health and to help them to make connections in college that will carry over to their professional lives once their graduate.

Trenton joined the BOD with the intention of one day becoming his dorm’s Community Mentor, which is similar to an RA. When a dorm looks for a CM, they look for someone with experience in running a dorm, and the BOD is the first step towards gaining that experience. When asked what role he performs as a member of his Board of Directors, he describes it as this: “I am in charge of Event evaluation and Items checklist. This means that I have to fill out a few files each time we have an event that includes items and all their prices along with how much they cost. I also have to fill out a sheet that describes what we did at the event, participation, and overall just how it went.”

They meet once every week for approximately an hour, and they are required to participates in the dorm’s two events a month. According to Trenton, if you stay on top of your work and stay organized, the workload is very manageable. There is no fee to join the BOD, additionally there is no monetary compensation for the members. The students on their RHA Board of Directors do what they do not for money, but for the people they meet and relationships that they form while participating. Trenton’s favorite part of being on the BOD is meeting new people. As an incoming freshman, making friends is something that all students worry over. Being on the BOD helped Trenton to meet his neighbors and helped him to grow his roots in his new home. His plan for his sophomore year is either to become a dorm’s Community Mentor and lead his BOD, or he will move to a house off campus. If he moves to a house off campus, he will be unable to participate in an RHA Board.

Unfortunately for Trenton, the Board of Directors is not all sunshine and rainbows. Like anything having to do with working in a group of people, there are conflicts; Particularly having to work with certain members who do not pull their weight in planning and hosting events. He and his fellow members must occasionally do a job not required of them in order to make up for slack left by a member who does not like to participate. However, he still feels that being on Patchin-Jones RHA Board of Directors is well worth the time and energy it demands and would recommend joining to any freshmen looking to get involved in the campus life.

For a new student who has yet to make their friends, your dorm’s RHA Board of Directors is a great organization to participate in. It will get you involved with a group of like-minded individuals, and you will meet your fellow dorm-mates as they participate in the events that you host. Afterall, the friends you make today are the friends you will treasure tomorrow.