Residence Hall Association (RHA)

The Residence Hall Association (RHA) at the University at Buffalo is the student-run governing body representing all students who live in UB's on-campus housing. RHA serves as an umbrella organization for the individual hall and village councils across the university's residence halls and apartment complexes, advocating for residential students' needs, organizing events to build community, and providing leadership opportunities for residents. RHA acts as the voice of the on-campus student population - which is roughly 7,500 students in UB's dorms and university apartments.

Structure and Membership

RHA is composed of representatives from each on-campus living area and is led by an elected executive board of student officers. The university's housing system is divided into 14-17 residence hall and apartment councils (the number can be described as 14 councils, or 17 distinct halls/apartments, depending on how they are counted, but essentially each residence hall or apartment complex has its own council or governing unit). Each of those hall or village councils sends delegates (usually the council president and possibly others) to represent their community in RHA's general assembly. In this way, RHA is a federation of all the campus living communities.

The RHA Executive Board consists of five key positions - President, Vice President of Leadership Development, Vice President of Engagement, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Communications. These officers are elected in an annual campus-wide RHA election each spring. All on-campus residents are typically eligible to vote, making it a broad-based election. The President leads the organization. The VP of Leadership Development focuses on training and empowering hall council members and organizing leadership programs for residents. The VP of Engagement handles event planning and programming to ensure residents are involved and connected. The VP of Finance manages RHA's budget and assists hall councils with funding their activities, including overseeing purchase approvals for hall events. The VP of Communications manages RHA's publicity, social media, and dissemination of information to residents. RHA's executive officers receive compensation in the form of housing stipends that cover a significant portion of their room costs. This is an incentive and reward for the substantial time they commit. A Graduate Assistantship exists to be the Co-Advisor to Residence Hall Association, which acts as a liaison between the Residence Hall Association and Campus Living.

Each hall or village council under RHA typically has its own President, Coordinators (similar to Vice Presidents), and representatives. These councils operate at the individual dorm or complex level, organizing events for their specific community (for example, a council in Ellicott Complex might host a BBQ for its quad, or a village council at South Lake might plan a game night in the community center). In Fall, shortly after move-in, RHA and Campus Living coordinate hall council elections so that each community elects its leadership, who then become part of RHA's network.

RHA's connection to UB's administration is through Campus Living and Student Life. Campus Living professional staff (Residential Life administrators) serve as advisors to RHA, but the organization is student-run. There is often a designated Residential Life staff member, like an Assistant Director of Residential Life, who meets with RHA E-Board regularly in an advisory capacity. In 2023, the RHA was formally added as a member of UB's Council of Advocacy and Leadership (COAL), albeit a non-voting member.

Mission and Activities

The mission of RHA is to represent all on-campus students. Therefore, RHA acts as the advocate for students' interests. RHA also provides leadership training and experience to the students involved, particularly through hall councils and the RHA E-Board. They run leadership retreats or workshops for hall council members, teaching skills including event planning, conflict resolution, and public speaking.

A major part of RHA's visibility comes from the social and educational programs it organizes. RHA hosts campus-wide events aimed at residence hall students, sometimes in collaboration with Campus Living or other groups. For instance, the Not Your Grandma's Bingo night referenced has featured RHA leaders having an exciting bingo night. Sometimes this has a twist - such as music bingo - as well. RHA may run events during times where students are on campus and not much is going on, such as the two-day Fall Break in October (not to be confused with Thanksgiving Break) - in which a past Vice President of Engagement for RHA noted that "...we had programming throughout this past fall break to make sure they weren't just sitting in their rooms." In 2024-2025, some of RHA's notable events included an "RHA Rodeo" themed social (with a bonfire and s'mores), trivia nights, and other activities. The goal is to create engagement and a sense of community among residents.

RHA is affiliated with the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH), which is the nationwide organization for campus RHAs. UB's RHA sends delegations to regional and national NACURH conferences, where they exchange ideas with other universities and often receive awards. UB's RHA was named NACURH "School of the Year" in 2020, which is the highest honor NACURH awards to a member school.

Recent Leadership and Initiatives

In the 2024 elections, the RHA executive board elected consisted of President Madison Nitsche (who had served on the prior board as well), VP of Leadership Kartik Vishwasrao, VP of Engagement Jada Mowatt, VP of Finance Kevin Boasiako, and VP of Communications Daniel Chu. This team indicated priorities such as raising RHA's profile on campus (making residents more aware of RHA's role), increasing collaboration between hall councils (since some halls can feel "fragmented" - Mowatt noted wanting to break down divisions and encourage more inter-hall activities), and ensuring that RHA effectively hears resident input (Mowatt planned more surveys). They also aimed to improve internal processes - for example, Boasiako talked about diligently managing hall budgets and ensuring each hall's finances are accounted for properly.