President-Elect of the Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA) Grant Pautsch and Vice President-Elect Qin Stephenson reflect on important achievements while setting goals for their upcoming terms.
“We get $18 [from] every single resident on campus, and that’s just shy of 7,500 students,” Pautsch said. “We have to manage that and be responsible with that. That’s a big responsibility because not everyone clearly knows that.”
IRHA is a student-run organization that represents all students who live in residence halls and plans events for students.
Pautsch said the two most important meetings fell at the end of the year, with the presentations of the bylaws and the budget.
The budget includes a $500 increase in stipends for directors and a $1,750 increase in scholarships for the president and vice president, which now cover full room and board.
Additionally, the budget also halved funding for Cyclone Cinema, resulting in a $5,000 decrease.
The bylaws have been updated to change the debate time limits, modify attendance and tardiness policies and adjust election timelines. This includes the deadline for the National Communications Coordinator in Training.
The revised bylaws establish an exception: no members of the IRHA executive team are allowed to serve in Student Government.
“I’m excited to see the incoming students grow into their own leadership roles, because me and [Pautsch] are both freshmen this year and having people to support us to step into these roles,” Stephenson said. “I’m excited to see that build next year.”
The executive board officers consist of all first-year students. It includes the following:
- Director of Communications Adriana Dvorak, a first-year student in chemical engineering.
- Co-Directors of Events Katie Benson, a first-year student in mechanical engineering, and Payton Littrell, a first-year student in finance and accounting.
- Director of Finance Leah Mast, a first-year student in accounting.
- Director of Leadership Owen Finke, a first-year design student, and a vacant co-director position to be filled in the fall.
- National Communications Coordinator Noah Kimpston, a first-year student in actuarial science
Pautsch noted that most of the parliament members are new.
“I think there’s definitely a little bit of a challenge there,” Pautsch said. “We won’t really have any of those senior people in parliament like this year.”
The two said they hope to improve the impact of IRHA and make it more visible to students.
“Seeing if we can help with move-in crew and the sustainability committee with student government, so when first-years come onto campus, they can put the name to the face,” Stephenson said.
