The final Residence Hall Association meeting of the semester, held Thursday in Lawson Hall, saw several students take part in the last RHA meeting of their student careers.

The official business of the meeting dealt mainly with the tabling of the proposed 2007-08 RHA budget, which will be voted on at the first meeting of next semester.

RHA President Jarrod Scherle said the budget was tabled in order to comply with official group bylaws.

Scherle and many other members wished the students who were leaving good luck and thanked them for their long service.

“Thank you for everything you have done for RHA,” he said.

Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining, personally thanked each of the members who were leaving at the end of the meeting.

He said he has been involved with RHA for a long time and knows many of the students who take part in the organization stay involved for long periods of time.

“There is always a certain core group of people who stay with it for a number of years,” Hudson said.

He said he believes students who stay involved with RHA for several years benefit greatly from the experience.

One of these students is senior Alex Kaempen, a history with a teacher certification major, who has served on RHA since the fall semester of 2004.

He said he believes he has benefited greatly from his time in the organization and thinks RHA itself has gained a lot from his self-appointed role as caretaker of parliamentary procedure.

“I’ve always taken pride in being a watchdog for RHA,” he said.

This role included ensuring members observed the rules and regulations, which are an important part of the meetings.

Kaempen is leaving RHA in order to student teach in the spring semester.

Senior elementary education major Scott Kastl is leaving RHA for the same reason.

Kastl, who has been involved with RHA for the past three semesters, said he will miss the communal atmosphere of the group and the people who are a part of that community.

“I enjoyed meeting new and exciting people,” he said.

Junior early childhood education major Kallee Block said she will miss the people involved with RHA as well as the major part of her life it has taken up for the past year.

“(RHA) has kind of grown into my identity,” she said.

Block said most of the friends she has, she made because of her time in RHA and said she will miss the time and effort she gave the group.

She is leaving RHA due to a scheduling conflict in the spring semester and student teaching the following year.

RHA will resume its business next semester with its first meeting, hosted by the National Residence Hall Honorary, Jan. 10 in Thomas Hall.