Hawthorn Court residents will choose whether they want to be represented by the Inter-Residence Hall Association next fall.

The Inter-Residence Hall Association parliament voted twice on a bill that would allow Hawthorn Court residents be represented on IRHA, but it failed both times.

IRHA then agreed to leave the choice to next year’s Hawthorn Court residents in a decision that will likely be made next fall.

Several IRHA representatives are planning to live in Hawthorn Court this fall and were worried they would be prevented from participating in the group next year.

Nathan Ohrt, Richardson Court Association president, said if IRHA passed the bill, it would give students a more diverse group of people running in the IRHA elections.

“What this does is give the students more of a choice,” he said.

Zewde Demissie, Wallace representative, said she wanted Hawthorn Court residents to decide whether they want to be involved with IRHA instead of someone else making the decision for them.

“I think that Hawthorn should have a choice. I don’t think that since they are not a part of IRHA now that people shouldn’t be allowed to run [if they move there],” Demissie said.

Towers Residence Association President Bill Wychulis said he was skeptical about Hawthorn residents choosing to be a part of IRHA.

“I think with this that it is safe to assume that Hawthorn Court will not choose to be a part of IRHA because of the different living styles,” he said. Hawthorn Court was offered to upperclassmen, and it’s an apartment-style complex.

Other parliament members said they should be more positive about the future of Hawthorn Court and IRHA.

“We need to think optimistically instead of pessimistically. Think about the constituents that are moving there and the voices you would lose,” said David Sims, IRHA president.

Parliament members needed a two-thirds majority to pass the bill. On the first vote, the bill failed 8-9. Parliament then decided 16-3 to vote one more time, but once again, the bill failed 11-9.

Also, two bills were introduced to parliament that proposed allocating $800 to RCA for a block party sponsored by the Multicultural Awareness and Support System.

The money coming from the IRHA discretionary fund would go toward entertainment, including DJs, bands and technical equipment. The other bill concerns a change in the bylaws mandating the IRHA budget must be presented to parliament by the 10th week of the spring semester.