The University of Maryland RHA plans to prioritize building stronger dorm communities and increasing student engagement ahead of the 2024 elections this academic year.

One of the Residence Hall Association’s most important goals is to bring residents from various communities across campus closer together, according to Kevin Duru, RHA’s resident life advisory team coordinator. Dorm-hosted events are an important way for students to connect with their community, Duru added.

“I really want to push initiatives for the department to help people feel more welcome, feel more belonging, so that way they’re more inspired to stay on campus,” the senior biochemistry major said.

Several RHA executive board members said many students feel disconnected from the broader campus community.

The executive board hopes to build connections across dorms and reach out to students who “slip through the cracks,” such as freshmen who live on South Campus rather than North Campus, according to RHA vice president Michelle Ameyaw.

Freshman connection students, transfer students and out-of-state students may also feel disconnected from the campus community, Duru noted.

Duru, who served as a resident assistant last year, said conflicts made residents feel unwelcome on campus and in dorms.

This November’s election may be another opportunity for students “to feel divided,”Duru said, emphasizing the need for students to embrace their similarities.

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As many college students live on their own for the first time, finding a community that supports them will “set them up for success,” RHA president Samantha Briggs said.

“With our unique access to the residence halls, we should be playing a larger role in connecting students,” the senior government and politics major said.

Hniang Par, RHA’s programming and community development director, hopes to create more campus-wide events that bring students together.

In past years, RHA has hosted events such as an arcade, South Campus Carnival and casino night, Par said.

Par, a junior public health science major, also hopes to work with the vice presidents of programming and community development in each dorm to plan events and facilitate community within their councils.

Ahead of November’s elections, RHA also wants to increase civic engagement on campus by encouraging students to register to vote, Ameyaw, a junior biological sciences major, said.

RHA plans to partner with TerpsVote Coalition — a student organization dedicated to encouraging student civic engagement — to create a competition between residents called “Floats for Votes.” The competition would incentivize students to register to vote with free ice cream, Ameyaw said.

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Briggs said she believes having students register to vote now will make them more likely to vote in the future. It is part of RHA’s duty to educate students about civic engagement, she added.

“It’s important we take on a large role in facilitating this by working with other organizations on campus to increase our reach,” Briggs said.

Mikhail Labar, RHA’s dining services advisory board coordinator said he wants to expand kosher dining options across campus. Labar said this will be a multi-year project but would like to see it begin during his time as coordinator.

Currently, there is not a clear plan as to how kosher dining will be expanded as the initiative is in the early planning stage, according to Labar, a sophomore mechanical engineering and management major.

RHA’s dining services advisory board works with the dining services leadership team to gather student feedback about changes in dining services and to propose future ideas, Labar said.

While the board only has a few active members, Labar would like to see its membership grow and further its reach to students outside of RHA, he said.