Role in Governance

The Residence Hall Association (RHA) is the students' voice for issues related to the campus residential facilities involving governance, for input to the Office of Residential Life, and for planning social and educational activities. A portion of the student services fee is allocated to RHA for campus programs, services, and activities. Each Complex, Regents Park, Park River, and the Village Apartments has its own council and is governed by the campus-wide executive board. Each council and the executive board welcomes student input. Members of RHA are available to receive ideas, questions, and comments, and to translate them into action in order to make living environments the best possible. Each council and the executive board has access to funds and can initiate activities. Watch for announcements of open council positions, council meetings, and general assembly meetings starting in September.

Who We Are

The Mission of the University of Hartford Residence Hall Association, hereinafter known as RHA, is to represent the interest of all students living in the University of Hartford residential areas to make their stay at the University of Hartford the best that it can be. RHA responsibly promotes the community by supporting and supervising the business of the Hall Councils in each residential area. RHA will consider the ideas of all resident students as it interacts with the University of Hartford Administration and Organization to effect positive change. By empowering the students, RHA is a primary student organization at the University of Hartford. RHA deals directly with residential issues on the University of Hartford campus.

Where We Are

RHA meets every Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. in the Konover Great Room.

What We Do

RHA supports other campus organizations and the residence halls themselves by providing funding for events these organizations sponsor:

These programs were all successful, and they were made possible through the generous support of RHA.

Why We Do It

The Residence Hall Association works to increase the empowerment of students at the University of Hartford. Empowerment, in this sense, is a process of becoming rather than an end state. That is, resident Students have the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills through RHA which assist them with improving their living communities.

RHA helps residents develop their knowledge by sharing information from each hall council with the campus as a whole. In this way, good ideas can be replicated and errors avoided. RHA also provides resources and referrals--advisors and more experienced members can help resident students to learn whom to contact when. Knowing about campus chains of command and "powers-that-be" can be a powerful aid to improvement efforts.

RHA helps residents develop their skills by providing opportunities for residents to work on projects and be provided with whatever supervision and support is needed. Students may begin by assisting at hall council programs, then coordinating programs for their building, and eventually leading the effort to coordinate a program for the entire campus.

It is through repeated exposure to information and discussion and through incremental steps in increasing responsibility that RHA members become empowered. What are they empowered to do? Basically anything they want to make the campus a better place.