News Archive

FY25 Election Timeline & Information

Hi, everybody! I am excited to announce that we are beginning the Election Process for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year. This post will detail the timeline of the election for everyone, detail the application process, provide the necessary documentation, and then finally link to the application. If you have not participated in an RHA election before, please make sure to read all of the available material to get proper context and information.

Election Timeline:

11/29: Application for the Executive Board is live.

2/14 @11:59pm: Application for the Executive Board closes

2/16 @11:59am: Candidate Information Page is published.

2/16 -2/20: Platform Reviews

2/21 @8am: Candidates are required to submit materials for Election Night.

2/21 @7pm: Election

Application Process:

All applicants for all positions must have the following actions done by their respective dates:

  • Submit an application that is fully, correctly, and intentionally filled out.
  • Submit a slide deck for an 8 minute presentation.
  • Attend Legislative Council on Feb. 21st 7pm – later.
  • Have not campaigned in any capacity.
  • Prepare for questions about RHA contributions, experience, knowledge, and intent.

Election Documentation:

Position Descriptions (Information within the Position Descriptions is subject to change)

Constitution

Policy Book

Exec Position Presentation: Will be uploaded at a later date.

Application Link:

Make sure to fill out every required question with a true, intentional, and helpful answer.

Make sure to save your answers separately, as Qualtrics has been known to delete answers upon refreshing.

🍂 RHA’s 2nd Annual Fall Festival

Join us once again for some Fall Fun at RHA’s 2nd Annual Fall Festival 🍂🎃 on Tuesday, October 31st, from 6-10PM. We’re here to help you celebrate Fall with various festivities and snacks!

Play some carnival games to win fun prizes or dare to venture into our haunted corn maze. Enjoy some good old-fashioned cathartic destruction with Pumpkin Paint & Pummel, where you can paint and then destroy helpless pumpkins! After that you can pet the cute animals in the petting zoo, and then check out some of our Community Council Officer-led booths with fun activities! During set-up, from around 11:00am to 2:30pm, there will also be 40+ adorable dogs wearing their best Halloween costumes. 

Be sure to register and sign the waiver on Engage. This is required for entry and participation in ANY activities! You will receive a wristband upon completing check-in at the event.

Before reading on, check out our video from Fall Festival last year!

Pumpkin Paint & Pummel 🎃🔨 

  • Looking to relieve some mid-semester stress? Take out your anger on some pumpkins! Come paint and then smash some fresh pumpkins with a large, heavy sledgehammer. Of course, if wanted, you can also just paint your pumpkin and take it home! 

Carnival Games & Prizes 🎪🏆

  • Hi-Striker: Test your strength with this classic carnival game! Put some power into that mallet and see if you can ring the bell!
  • Clown Tooth: Afraid of clowns? Face your fears and knock out some clown teeth for prizes! 
  • Stand a Bottle: Use a ring on string and get the bottle to stand! 
  • Hit the Bucket: Try and throw your ball into the bucket—if it stays in, you win! 
  • Ring Toss: This classic carnival game needs no explanation—toss those rings onto those pegs! 

Haunted Corn Maze 🌽👻 

  • BOO! Do you have the guts to venture into our Haunted Corn Maze? As the sun sets, the fog rolls in. Monsters will begin to emerge from the maze! Can you make it out alive, or will you succumb to fear? 

Petting Zoo 🐐🐄

  • Come see some cute animals at our petting zoo! You will be able to see a variety of adorable animals including a miniature cow, a donkey, a horse, a goat, a sheep, and a rabbit!

Community Council Booths 🏠🏠

  • Your Community Council Officers will be having a booth with fun activities at Fall Festival! Come out to support them and have some fun. 

There will also be a variety of Fall-themed snacks and hot chocolate! Food will be first-come, first-serve.

Check-In 

  • To ensure waivers are completed, you will receive a wristband at the check-in area upon providing proof of waiver completion through Engage. Attendees will not be allowed to participate in ANY aspect of the event without a wristband. 

Safety 

  • Clothing/Apparel: To smash pumpkins, you are required to wear closed-toe shoes. We will provide a hard hat, gloves, and safety goggles that you must wear to smash pumpkins! 
  • Waiver: This must be filled out to participate in ANY activities at Fall Festival. Participants under 18 are required to have a parent’s signature to complete the waiver.
Fall Festival Waiver

Volunteers

  • Want to be part of what makes Fall Festival fun? Sign up to volunteer for a portion of the event! Volunteers get to have a full hour of Fall Festival fun before the event officially starts, and get entered into a raffle that is pulled at the end of the semester! Sign up here!
Volunteer Link

⚡ EcoReps Energy Saving Competition

Does your residence hall have what it takes to save the most energy? As part of Campus Sustainability Month, we’re partnering with EcoReps to host a week-long energy reduction competition between on-campus residence halls. As a resident, you play a key role to reducing waste within your residence hall—this is also a great opportunity to learn environmentally sustainable behaviors!

The EcoReps Energy Saving Competition starts Monday, October 16th and lasts until Sunday, October 22nd. The winning residence hall will have a special party with food!  We’ll be updating the standings daily on @rhagt and at the bottom of this page! 

Tips & Tricks for Reducing Energy Use 

  • Open blinds for natural light instead of turning on the lights. 
  • Turn off lights when not in use. 
  • Keep AC/HVAC close to outside temperature. 
  • Conserve water—heating water takes a lot of energy! 
  • Unplug all appliances when not in use.
  • Report any drips or leaks by submitting a maintenance request. 
  • Only wash your laundry when you have a full load, wash laundry on cold. 
  • Air-dry instead of using a dryer.

Why is Energy Conservation Important? 

  • Georgia’s energy profile is only 12% renewable. 
  • Non-renewable energy emissions contribute to climate change and harm human health. 
  • Air pollution is responsible for deaths related to lung cancer, stroke, and ischemic heart disease. 
  • BIPOC are more likely to live/work near dirty energy sources, therefore exposed to 1.2-1.5x more to particulate matter than white non-Hispanic people. 

As a resident, you’re an important part in reducing the negative environmental effects of on-campus residence halls! While you may not be paying for utilities now, the ability to reduce waste by practicing environmentally sustainable behaviors is an essential skill that will help you transition to living on your own.

Who’s Winning? 

This challenge has ended. Congratulations to the Graduate Living Center!

 

Executive Order 24-04: Fall Event Planning Committee Creation

By the powers vested in me by RHA’s Governing Documents, I hereby create a committee with the following attributes:

Name – Fall Event Planning Committee

Committee Chair – Parker Green

Members – Amanda Bock, Samuel Eichner, Jessica Keith, Avalyn Mullikin, and whoever takes over as Director of Programming

Purpose – In order to properly transition to and train a new Director of Programming, the Executive Board is taking over Fall Event Planning, as these events have already been planned and have begun to be executed.

Duration – This committee shall exist from the time I am sworn in until the end of the Fall semester.

Powers – As Interim Director of Programming, I grant my powers to this committee. This means that I grant my responsibilities and choices that come from those responsibilities. As Chair, I will remain as the PPR for any choices made by the committee, but I will not wholly be the decision-maker. Once a time in which there exists a Director of Programming, they will retain the choice to grant their powers to the committee, but these powers are only those that are applicable for the Fall Semester. In such a time in which the new DOP grants those powers, I will still remain as the PPR for the Fall Events.

Respectfully signed,

Parker H Green, 2023-2024 Executive President & Interim Director of Programming

Executive Order 24-03: Constitution & Policy Book Changes for Essential Function

By the powers vested in me by RHA’s Governing Documents, I hereby decree the following changes to the RHA Constitution & RHA Policy Book:

  • Change all references to Hall Councils by name to Community Councils. Thus, all councils hold equivalent description within RHA governing documentation.
  • Update dates to an accurate description of the last proposed changes and fiscal year.
  • Adjust goal/strategy descriptions to be in line with HRL descriptions and suggestions.
  • Remove the need for the Judicial Branch, but retain the possibility of its reinstation.
  • Change the description of Community Councils to match their nature and intended purpose in line with HRL descriptions and suggestions.
  • Adjust the description of Legislative Council (LC) to better represent its purpose in line with HRL descriptions and suggestions.
  • Clarify choppy, unclear, or overextended language to increase document readability.
  • Adjust procedural timings for last-in-academic-year meetings to allow for smooth completion and transition of new and old business within said meetings.
  • Adjust Positional Descriptions/Responsibilities to be in line with HRL descriptions and suggestions.
  • Make optional the presence of RHA within elections of councils.
  • Fix embedded links to be in line with their descriptions.
  • Remove redundant information and add necessary information.
  • Adjust Bill Types to fit within the reach of the organization.
  • Adjust processes to be in line with HRL descriptions and suggestions.
  • Remove RSO involvement within LC.
  • Change budget descriptions to be in line with Executive Board & HRL descriptions and suggestions.
  • Update outdated information.
  • Remove restrictions based on past Executive Board control and realign to HRL descriptions and suggestions.
  • Increase communication between Executive Board & Community Councils when interaction is beneficial.

All changes to the RHA constitution will hereby apply to all of RHA’s constituents and participators. All changes to the RHA policy book, in line with HRL suggestions, will hereby apply to all of RHA’s constituents and participators, excluding any policy removed via a unanimous vote of all officers of a Community Council and their Hall Director advisor. In the event of policy exclusion, the exclusion applies solely to the voting Community Council and its own procedure and function.

All changes to the RHA constitution and RHA policy book, as per the constitution, will require a three-quarters vote of the LC for the approval of stated changes to exist past the first meeting.

Respectfully signed,

Amanda M Bock, 2023-2024 Director of Development & Interim Executive President

Executive Order 24-02: Executive Cabinet Appointment

By the powers vested in me by RHA’s Governing Documents, I hereby appoint the following individuals to serve in the following positions in RHA’s Executive Cabinet for the FY24 year:

  • Auditor: Ethan Morlu
  • Visual Media Manager: Micah Washington
  • Resource Room Manager: Ethan Radulski

Respectfully signed,

Parker Green, 2023-2024 Executive President & Director of Programming

Executive Order 24-01: Nullification of Previous Executive Orders

By the powers vested in me by RHA’s Governing Documents, I hereby nullify any and all active Executive Orders that still stand from previous administrations. That is, any Executive Orders written prior to Executive Order 24-01 are nullified, and only Executive Orders from the FY24 RHA year still stand.

Respectfully signed,

Amanda M Bock, 2023-2024 Director of Development & Interim Executive President

⭐Community Council Officer Recruitment

Interested in engaging your community through fun events and initiatives? Become a Community Council Officer! The application can be found here! More questions? Reach out to your Hall Director or any RHA Executive member for more information. The timeline for applications can be found below:

You don’t have a PDF plugin in your browser, but you can download the PDF file.

🌲Trek Through Tech Information!

Trek Through Tech is a week-long scavenger hunt that explores Tech and the different resources that we have to offer! Join in on other fun events happening during Week of Welcome as you investigate clues and compete against other residents to earn prizes!                 

The Scavenger Hunt is hosted on the GooseChase app. 🤳 The hunt begins on August 14th at 8am and runs through August 18th at noon. There are 2145 points total to earn in the hunt. 

Set-Up, Gameplay, & Types of Challenges 

To join the Scavenger Hunt, download GooseChase on your iOS or Android device. New to GooseChase? Review how to get started and use the app here. The game code is X441WK and the name of the hunt is “Trek Through Tech.” Since our Scavenger Hunt is designed for individual play, prizes will be distributed to individuals. However, you can still play with others if you’d like! 

Each clue or “mission” requires you to submit evidence of completion in one of three forms: picture/video, text, or GPS location. Each mission describes an activity for you to complete or a location to go find on campus, and varying amounts of points (as indicated on each mission) are automatically awarded when evidence is submitted. GPS location and text-based evidence are automatically screened for accuracy. Picture/video evidence is automatically awarded points upon submission but will be reviewed for accuracy by a game moderator within 12 hours. Inaccurate submissions will be rejected—and the points earned from the task deducted. Spam photo/video submissions, inappropriate submissions, and any sort of “point farming” (submitting pictures that are obviously illegitimate submissions to earn points quickly) will result in subsequently stricter point deductions. 

You might not know what location each mission is describing right away, and that’s okay! Feel free to use the Internet to aid in your search—we pulled our clues from public information that is easily searchable on various GT websites. 

🎁Prizes

Reward 1: Free T-Shirt 👕

Collect 1200 points to receive a 100% cotton short sleeve t-shirt! Shirts are available for pick-up at the RHA Office (Matheson 003, across from ECHO) during select times listed on the GooseChase app. Shirts are available on a first-come, first-served basis; we have 28 S, 58 M, 80 L, 60 XL, 20 XXL, and 4 3XL T-Shirts. 

Reward 2: 4 Raffle Tickets 🎫

Participants that complete even more of the scavenger hunt and collect 1600 points will receive 4 digital raffle tickets to allocate across our various prizes! Here is the link to the raffle. 

List of prizes you could win: 

  • GT Blanket 
  • Boba Plush 
  • Squishmallow- Violet 
  • Royal Blue Fjallraven Backpack 
  • Ox Red Fjallraven Backpack 
  • Botanical Collection: Succulent Lego Set X2 
  • Botanical Collection: Bonsai Tree Lego Set X2 
  • Fopett Wireless Keyboard + Mouse (Milk Tea color) 
  • Wireless Suitcase Record Player 
  • Ukelele + Shoulder Strap 
  • Jambo Lava Lamp 
  • Disney Up Lego Set 
  • Table Tennis Set 
  • Locca Premium Boba Kit 
  • 16oz Wide Hydroflask (Lupine color) 
  • Shashibo Magic Cube 
  • Star Galaxy Projector 
  • LED Mini Projector 
  • Wireless Chargin Station with Bedside Lamp 
  • ENO SingleNest Hammock 
  • Bunny Night Light Lamp 

❓Questions or Concerns? 

Any questions or concerns regarding the scavenger hunt can be directed to RHA’s President, Kylie Wentworth, at rha-president@housing.gatech.edu Please email us for accommodation requests or if we can do anything to make you feel more comfortable throughout the event. 

Secret Message 

Looking to complete the first mission in the Scavenger Hunt? The secret message is “grow, lead, unite” (no quotes). 

Join the ’24 Executive Cabinet!

Join The Team!

RHA is currently looking for Executive Cabinet members!

If you are passionate about helping to make life at Tech better, we’d love to have you join our team! We have three openings:

  • Visual Media Manager
  • Resource Room Manager
  • Auditor

All positions receive financial compensation!

To learn more about the positions or to apply, click here or the button below.

Please note that these positions are not available to first-year students. Executive Cabinet members must maintain campus residency throughout their appointment.

Apply Now!