Leadership and Organizations

Getting Involved!

Wondering how you can get involved during your first year as a Colorado State University student? As a student living in the residence halls, you will have the chance to be involved with the following programs and groups:

Leadership and Mentoring Opportunities
Student Committees and Organizations
GUIDE
RHA - Residence Hall Association
Service Learning Opportunities
DSAC - Dining Services Advisory Council
Become an RA

Leadership and Mentoring Opportunities

Hall Council:
Hall council members are students within each hall who are committed to resident participation in leadership, activity planning, and decision making which benefits the residents and their communities. As a hall council member, your can also become involved with the Residence Hall Association (RHA) as a senator for your residence hall. For more info call (970) 491-4742.

Residence Hall Association:
If you decide to stay in the halls for a second year and you're ready for the next step after hall council, you can run for the Residence Hall Association (RHA). RHA encourages communication between all residence halls and provides a source of funding for all activities. Each hall elects two to four senators to act as their representative to RHA. RHA is a great way to get involved, meet new people and learn more about Colorado State University. For more information visit the RHA website at www.rha.colostate.edu.

NRHH
National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) is an organization made up of the top 1% of the residence hall population whose members go above and beyond to make residential life better through recognition.

Leadership Development Community:
The Leadership Development Community was created in response to students’ requests for an on-campus living environment that would be supportive of leadership opportunities. Colorado State University’s Leadership Development Community is located in Corbett Hall. Students requesting to live on the Leadership Floor have the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of leadership opportunities. For more info visit www.housing.colostate.edu/halls/living_learning_communities.htm#Leadership.

LeaderShape:
LeaderShape is a national conference held on campuses across the country. Each year, CSU is one of the hosts of this week-long leadership institute. Sixty students are selected to attend the CSU LeaderShape conference. LeaderShape is committed to producing a break through in the leadership capacity of college student particpants. For more information, visit www.leadershape.org/.

Hall Council Conference:
A one day conference hosted by RHA (Residence Hall Association). The Hall Council Conference provides training for hall councils in the areas of programming, leadership development, and much more. Two conferences are conducted each year, one in the fall and one in the spring.

Student Committees and Organizations:

GUIDE (Gaining Understanding through Involvement, Diversity, and Education):
This student-run office provides resources for leadership development, diversity, and social and passive programming. For more information call (970) 491-1338. Check out GUIDE at www.housing.colostate.edu/GUIDE/

DSAC (Dining Services Advisory Council):
Make your voice heard! Serve as a liason between the student body and Dining Services and get a discount on your meal plan for serving. Help determine menus, take part in taste tests, and share your ideas for dining hours and meal plan structure. For more information visit www.housing.colostate.edu/dining/dsac.htm.

Live Green Team:
If you are passionate about the environment, join the Live Green Team and take part in sustainability projects on campus including the green power program, RecycleMania, Earth Day, and much more. For more information call (970) 491-5812 or visit www.housing.colostate.edu/recycling/

Service Learning Opportunities - Give Back to the Community

Cans Around the Oval:
A CSU tradition and the largest one-day food drive in Fort Collins. This year, 124,700 pounds of food was raised for the Larimer County Food Bank. Leaders are needed every year to help organize neighborhood food canvassing and challenges. Volunteers are also needed to weigh and load food into trucks on the day of the event. For more info visit www.slce.colostate.edu/special/cans/.

CSUnity:
A one-day service event in April when over 800 students come together to help over 50 non-profit agencies. Student leaders are needed to be on an organizational committee and to act as group leaders to lead other students as they complete community service projects in the Fort Collins and CSU communities. For more info visit www.slce.colostate.edu/special/csunity/.

Alternative Spring Break:
You can spend the week discovering a new culture as they and other student volunteers complete service projects along side community members. Past spring breaks have included the Hopi Tribe in Arizona, Santa Catalina Island Marine Institute and Lifelong AIDs Alliance in Seattle. This is an experience guaranteed to change your life! For more info visit www.slce.colostate.edu/volunteer/alternative/.

RA (Resident Assistant) Selection

Resident Assistants (RAs) play a vital role in developing and maintaining an atmosphere of academic, personal and social growth in the residence halls. They assist students with the transition to college, serving as mentors and friends during the academic year.  RAs organize hall meetings and activities to bring residents closer together, inform residents of events in the halls and create a special bond and a sense of belonging for students. Their responsibilities include:

* Actively assist in the transition and success of new students to CSU and the residence halls.
* Plan fun activities and events for your floor.
* Be a part of an amazing staff team!
* Answer questions, make friends, and develop COMMUNITY!

Selection Philosophy

The selection process begins with informational sessions at the end of October. You must attend a session in order to apply to be an RA. Look for posters with details on the sessions in the fall or talk to your RA for more info. The selection process focuses on seeking qualified candidates for the available positions while providing an educational opportunity for all applicants. The Office of Residence Life is committed to being honest and forthright in all interactions with candidates. We welcome any feedback concerning how the selection process is conducted and how it can be improved. Housing and Dining Services is committed to diversity and providing opportunities to increase the recruitment of underrepresented groups.

Remuneration

• Resident Assistants receive full room and board for the academic year.

Terms of Employment

• Resident Assistants must have at least a 2.5 grade point average to apply.
• Resident Assistants are employed for a nine month period beginning with August training and concluding soon after the halls close at the end of spring semester.
• Resident Assistants may take up to 18 credit hours per semester, although a lighter load is recommended due to the time commitment of the position.
• All outside commitments will need to be approved by the staff member's supervisor(s) prior to accepting the commitment.

For more information, contact Teri Engelke at (970) 491-4285 or teri.engelke@colostate.edu.