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(Re)Building Community
(Re)Building Community
RHA president Hezekiah Goodwin ’22 discusses the year ahead
By Zach Powers '10
ResoLute Editor
The PLU Residence Hall Association, or RHA, brings students together for social events, community forums, and to advocate for residence hall-related issues. RHA president Hezekiah Goodwin ’22 thinks of his role in building a vibrant student community as a campus vocation. We met with him on the first day of class to discuss the organization’s approach to the fall semester.
Why do you see Fall Semester as an opportune moment for RHA?
We’re in a unique position, coming back to campus after the difficulties we all faced last year. There’s so much energy right now and I think RHA can be a pinnacle organization helping bring the campus together. We can build off that energy by planning some rockstar events and bringing more perspectives to our work by making sure we have a DJS (diversity, justice and sustainability) focus to our programs.
What has been RHA’s role in welcoming new and returning Lutes to campus during move-in week?
We want to make sure that students know that we can be a resource. That’s why it’s important that they see us around campus and in the RHA office. We want them to know they can stop by and that we’re always here to be a resource.
What’s the first event RHA will be hosting this year?
We have our big block party this Friday. It’s one of our hit events where people come to Red Square to dance, mingle, meet new students, and just have a good time. We’re super stoked for that, especially for folks who didn’t really have in-person interactions with other students last year.
How does the ongoing pandemic affect the work of RHA?
Last year we had to shift mainly to online and social media platforms, which made it very difficult to get a lot of engagement. There just wasn’t a lot of energy. This year, we’re excited to be back on campus, but we’re really being mindful of safety regulations to ensure people are comfortable engaging in our activities.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
Honestly, I’m most looking forward to seeing people. That’s one hundred percent. I definitely feed off people’s energies. I get excited when people are excited. I like to make people happy, provide entertain- ment and provide resources to people. Seeing people face-to-face, even having a conversation like this in-person, is making me super excited. At the same time, we’re going to keep thinking about how we can move forward and break down some of these barriers — see if we can work together to progress further than RHA has been in the past.
