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Getting involved in Residence Life KATHRYN DOLAN Staff Reporter @kathryndolan97 The Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services department assists students both inside and outside the classroom. According to the Missouri State website, Resident Life provides students with healthy dining, well-maintained facilities and approachable staff members. Travis Schilla, the coordinator of leadership development and programming, has been working for Residence Life for six years. He said his favorite part of the job is getting to work with students who are excited about creating opportunities on campus. “(Students) want to be planning activities and planning programs,” Schilla said. “They want to find ways to engage the campus and advocate for their peers.” Each residence hall has a council, where a group of students work together to be a voice for their community. Students advocate for new equipment and new policies by speaking to administrators. “(Students) might put on a cooking class or they might help take students downtown to explore Springfield,” Schilla said. A student activity fee is collected from all students, which allows Hall Council to receive funding so Residence Life can plan engagement opportunities for students. “We really want to make sure (students) have a say in how
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that money is spent,” Schilla said. “So if (students) feel like their (residence hall) doesn’t have the right cooking utensils, or they want to advocate for a new pool table, they have autonomy to be able to do that.” Schilla said this system gives students a chance to speak up and use their voice while learning more about community engagement. One impactful initiative, coinless laundry, was proposed by a student and passed by Hall Council. Students also helped advocate for movie rentals from the front desk. Schilla said most students probably don’t realize those decisions came directly from Hall Council but they’re still really impacted by them. Schilla said he believes becoming a resident assistant is one of the best opportunities a student can take on campus. “It is a lot of work,” Schilla said. “But the benefits and opportunities that it creates for you are unmatched.” File photo by Kate Brown/THE STANDARD Schilla said resident assistants are given a The Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services office is located lot of trust in order to help make an impact on the students living on their floors. He believes on the first floor of Hammons House. resident assistants get a lot of career development opportunities, the resident assistant position at Scholars House. “The community there is just fantastic,” Alexander said. “We regardless of what field they’re going into. Caleb Alexander, a junior computer science major, was a res- have really good attendance at events.” This year Alexander hosted the house’s first “TED Talk” and ident assistant in Scholars House his sophomore year at Missouri State. After the outbreak of the coronavirus, Alexander was able over 60 residents attended. Many residence assistants put extra time and effort into their to keep his job, but was moved to Hutchens House. “After quarantine I really didn’t do normal RA (tasks),” Alex- hall decorations; Alexander said work ethic plays a big role in ander said. “There was no event planning or decoration making, getting residents to show up to an event. “You’ve got to devote a lot of time to being an RA — it isn’t just rounds and making sure everything was in line.” Alexander was very excited when Missouri State offered him for everyone,” Alexander said.
