The University of Illinois at Chicago is hosting the Illinois Residence Hall Association Annual Conference this year, beginning Feb. 16 and ending Feb. 17.

Christopher Dixon, a junior finance major and president of the Residence Hall Association at Eastern, said any student living on campus is able to fill out an application to attend the conference.

“The conference is basically a meeting of all the residence hall associations throughout the state of Illinois,” he said. “I have not been to the (Illinois Residence Hall Association) conference; however, I have been to the national version of this conference, and I can say it is a lot of fun.”

Dixon said the conference is an annual event, and there are usually between 10 and 12 Eastern students who attend.

According to the conference website, the theme this year is “Leaders of Progress.”

“This year’s IRHA Conference theme was selected to showcase the progress that each delegation has made towards becoming unified, innovative, culturally conscious and stronger leaders for progress,” the website said. “It is our hope to infuse these values during IRHA 2019.”

The website also shares information about the conference regarding the schedule, the featured speaker for the event and the entertainment.

Students will have the chance to attend comedian Trent James’ magic show featuring a twist, since he is the entertainment for the conference.

The website said there will also be an awards ceremony at the end of the conference, and students can earn points by providing volunteer hours, pop tabs and children’s books.

Dixon said all students living on campus, whether they live in residence halls, in university court or at the university apartments, can apply, but the application is not a guaranteed trip to the conference.

“(The application process) varies by year,” he said. “This year, we are doing more of a merit-based system, but sometimes we do more of a need-based system, so not necessarily everybody that applies will be able to go, but we would love for everybody to go.”

Dixon said students should apply for the conference and not let the fear of being rejected deter them because of the experience they will receive if they do attend.

“You’ll get a wonderful leadership experience,” he said. “You’ll be able to grow in your leadership abilities. Not only that, but you’ll also be able to make connections throughout the state of Illinois, which is very beneficial, and not only in college.”

Hannah Shillo can be reached at 581-2812 or hlshillo@eiu.edu.