How to Create a Major Chord: Working with Your Residence Hall Council, Resident Assistants, and AdvisorsMarvin W. Thomas, Jr.President | National Residence Hall Honorary, Dr. Floyd B. Hoelting ChapterPresident | Almetris Marsh “Mama” Duren Residence Hall Council

Program• Warm Up: Introduction• The Tonic Note: The Residence Hall Council• The Major Third: The Resident Assistants (RAs)• The Perfect Fifth: The Advisor• The Major Chord: Working Together• Key Change!: Adapting for Other Events– Duren City Limits (DCL)!

• D.S. al Fine: A Recap of Working Together• Fine: Questions and Program Evaluation

Warm Up: Introduction

• Marvin Thomas, Jr.• Biology Major• The University of Texas at Austin• President of the NRHH Chapter at UT Austin• President of the Residence Hall Council at

Almetris Duren Residence Hall

The Tonic Note: The Residence Hall Council

• The Residence Hall Council (RHC) promotes engagement and involvement within the residence halls by fostering community, nurturing friendships, and developing leaders through interactive and stimulating programs and events intended for the intellectual and social benefit of residents.

The Tonic Note: The Residence Hall Council

• The RHC creates many programs (ranging from General Meetings to social programs) to listen to the residents complaints and concerns they’re having regarding living in their residence hall as well as to get residents to meet their fellow neighbors.

The Major Third: The Resident Assistants (RAs)

• The Resident Assistants assists residents by giving them resources needed to be successful academically, physically, mentally, and emotionally. They also assist in fostering a safe and welcoming environment.–They do this by creatively implementing

programming that reaches their residents

The Perfect Fifth: The Advisor• The Advisor advises the RHC and, in most cases, supervises the

RAs.• They are, also, knowledgeable resources that RAs and RHCs

can use as they know:– Policies/Procedures– Operating Rules– Other Resources

• Advisors also are resourceful about:– Program Ideas– Fiscal Responsibility– Conflict Management

The Major Chord: Working Together

• When planning to work together, I recommend the following:– Create an event idea and come up with a plan for executing the idea– Talk with your Advisor about the idea and your plan for executing the

idea• Listen for feedback/suggestions, if any

– Talk with the RAs you would like to partner with about the idea and the plan for executing it• Listen for feedback/suggestions, if any

The Major Chord: Working Together

• When planning to work together, I recommend the following:– Talk with your RHC about the feedback and suggestions– Divide up duties between RHC and RAs

• Who will submit event planner?• Who will go shopping?• Who will reserve items?

– Check with, both, RHC and RAs to run through details 2-3 days prior to event– Meet together before the event to set up– Have a great event!

Key Change!: Adapting for Other Events

• The steps provided in the previous slides can be altered and adapted for events that include partnering with another group, another set of RAs (if you’re an RA), or a non-ResLife group.–The only different thing that would

change in the steps is who you’re talking to!

Duren City Limits (DCL)!

• Duren City Limits was a large collaboration event between the Duren RHC, the Duren RAs, the Residence Hall Program Team (RHPT), a staff that creates large-scale events for all on-campus residents, and the University Residence Hall Association (URHA).

Duren City Limits (DCL)!

D.S. al Fine: A Recap of Working Together

• When you plan and work together as a team, you create and execute successful events that engage residents and builds community.• By engaging residents and building

community, you have the ability to create future leaders that want to return to continue to make their residence hall a home for its residents.

Fine: Questions?

Fine: Program Evaluation

• Please fill out the Program Evaluation form on the Guidebook app!–Go to this program and the form is located at

the bottom.• Thank you all for attending and have a great rest

of conference!