The RHA executive board is currently looking for a new vice president after their old one resigned for “personal reasons.”

President Christina Lauff said during the RHA meeting Thursday that the members would still continue to support their old vice president.

“As student leaders, we are students first,” she said.

Nominations for a new vice president will take place next Thursday with elections to take place the following Thursday.

Requirements to run or be nominated include being to at least two RHA meeting prior and being in good academic and judicial standing.

Those interested should also write up a one page bid with their goals as vice president, due Jan. 21.

Nominations will be taken from every hall but Ford, as two members of the RHA executive board are already from Ford.

The “Love Your Space” competition was also discussed at the meeting.

The competition is a room-decorating contest, and submissions can be posted to the Housing and Dining Facebook page.

Contestants can only post one picture of their rooms, although they may make a collage.

Members are pushing for more pictures of men’s rooms for more diversity, as they have had three pictures of only women’s rooms so far.

The contest closes on Feb. 14 at 11:59 p.m.

Decorated jars were passed out to each residence hall representative to collect money for “Relay for Life” cancer research fundraiser.  Each coin in each hall’s jar gives the halls points.

Competing halls can “sabotage” other halls’ number of points by putting in dollar bills to other halls’ jars, as dollars count for negative points.

The RHA will keep a running tally of the points halls have earned each week to keep each hall accountable and to encourage progress.

In previous years, the RHA has raised up to $2,000 for charitable organizations.

Other things discussed at the meeting included the renovations at Lawson Hall, where a floor and a half were renovated and students moved to newly renovated floors.

Mark Hudson, the director of Housing and Dining, encouraged RHA members to volunteer on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday.

“What is the day supposed to stand for?” he asked. “The way to celebrate him is to get your butt out of bed, think about him, his impact on the world.”

Members announced The Leadership Challenge, a three-week leadership workshop series.

The Leadership Challenge, based off the book of the same name, will take place February 15 and 22 and March 1.

It is open to all students, and anyone interested can sign up online.

Along with a new vice president for the RHA executive board, many individual halls need RHA reps and other people for various leadership positions, and are planning their own events.

Examples are Andrews Hall’s “Pink and Purple” Party, and Lawson’s “Cash Elevator,” based off the popular show “Cash Cab.”

Cassie Buchman can be reached at 581-2812 or cjbuchman@eiu.edu.