STAFF WRITER

The recently selected members of the Residential Life Committee (RLC) are about to begin the school year in their new positions.

The RLC, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Student Life Committee (SLC), has spearheaded advantageous initiatives for students in the past, and the members are looking for other ways to improve student life in the coming year.

The RLC board is made up of four Residence Hall Association (RHA) members and four non-RHA members, who work together with Kim Russell, dean of Residential Life, a resident assistant, a resident director, and the RHA executive vice president.

This year, the Executive Vice President of RHA, Alex Whiteaker, FCRH ’14, expects that representatives from USG and CSA will also be present at the bi-monthly board meetings, as they have been in previous years.

Whiteaker says that the purpose of the RLC “is to clarify and amend the Residential Life policy…[and] start initiatives similar to the pilot printer programs in O’Hare and Tierney halls or the ID card door access,” which are two of the programs that the RLC has been involved with in the past few years.

Whiteaker places emphasis on the enrichment of student experience, and wants not only to better the lives of residential students, but also the lives of their guests and the staff members that live among them.

Alexandra Marshall, GSB ’14, a current board member of the RLC, also served on the RLC board last year as an RHA member.

Marshall says that the RLC “gives student leaders a direct line to administrators when bringing up issues of Residential Life.”

Last year, Marshall helped the RLC work on a campaign to clarify to the Fordham community the difference between facilities and custodial services.

Marshall is also proud of the work that RLC did around the time of Hurricane Sandy, saying, “When Sandy came through last year, we were able to provide administrators with students’ perspectives of how the situation was handled; this way, they could improve the current protocols to improve communication and minimize confusion.”

The RLC also helps clarify the student handbook. Both Whiteaker and Marshall think that the handbook is of extreme importance to students and that students can most likely find answers to their questions in the handbook.

In case anything in the handbook requires clarification or possible amendment, Marshall says, “Last year we held a few town hall discussions for students to bring up questions and concerns about the handbook and residential life policies in general to administrators.”

The RLC will do the same this year. In the upcoming year, Whiteaker and the rest of the RLC board are looking to implement new policies, such as making sure that there are water fountains or water stations in each residential hall.

The RLC also wants to create better service for students during break stay, especially in the winter, by making move-in dates earlier for students who travel from further places.

Whiteaker encourages students on campus who have concerns to reach out to RLC members, who can answer any questions they might have or will find someone who can address and alleviate student concerns.