Claire Schnefke (second from left) and members of the Residence Hall Association dressed as Mario Kart characters.
Hello! I’m Claire Schnefke, the current president of the Residence Hall Association (RHA). I am from Fishers, Indiana and studying general management. This is my senior year and I have been fortunate to be very involved with University Residences these past three years.
During my freshman year, I joined the Meredith Hall RX Club as an RHA senator and became the president my sophomore year. Going into my junior year I was elected to be the RHA president and became a resident assistant (RA) at Purdue Village. It was a busy year, but I loved all the work I was able to do with RHA. So, going into my senior year I stayed the president of RHA and was promoted to Resident Education Assistant, which serves like an RA for RAs.
This year RHA has gotten off to a strong start! We kicked off the school year by hosting the fifth annual RHA Day! This event took place the first weekend of the school year on the front lawn of Meredith Hall. At this Wild West – Welcome-to-Campus event, over 800 students stopped by to tie dye shirts, ride the mechanical bull and play yard games. Each neighborhood had a tent where they gave out candy, had students play games and learn more about how to get involved with their hall club. In an effort to make the event more impactful we also brought in groups to register students to vote and teach them how to donate their extra meal swipes. Overall, the event was a great way to start the year.
RHA has participated in and led many other events this year. We tabled at the Rainbow Callout, a club fair hosted by the LGBTQ Center. We have passed out over 13,000 condoms and have installed condom machines in two halls so students have consistent access to free safer sex supplies. For National Voter Registration Day we partnered with University Residences to register students across campus to vote. We have been having a lot of fun too and were able to dress up as Mario Kart characters, pass out 500 bananas and decorate a float for the Homecoming Parade!
Currently, all our halls now have presidents. I enjoy hearing about all the events that are going on across our halls. Given that this is my last year at Purdue there is a lot I want to accomplish before I leave and look forward to seeing what RHA can do before the end of the year!
Writer: Claire Schnefke