RHA

I recently went to an RHA (Residence Hall Association) conference called No Frills. It can be difficult to describe what it is to someone who has never been to such a conference. I would say that it is similar to the MACURH Conference, which can somewhat be explained in my previous blog post if you click here.

Anyway, No Frills is similar to the MACURH conference except it does not have the fun, spirited activities that MACURH has. In other words, it’s MACURH without the “frills,” hence…”no frills.” A lot of the things that we do involve lots and lots of boardroom meetings where we vote on legislation and award bids. Even though this may not sound as thrilling to everyone, it can be a great experience due to the fact that I got a chance to network with people from other schools. Plus, traveling can have its perks.

For example, on the way to Iowa State University (where the conference was held this year), we were able to stop by a fun little tourist spot called Riverside, Iowa. For those who are Star Trek fans, this is a well known landmark, because it is known as the “future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk.” I cannot say that I’m a diehard Trekkie, but I did learn about the Star Trek culture in my Honors Composition II class this semester, so I was well-versed on the importance of Riverside, Iowa. As you can see in the picture below, they even had a plaque to mark the special place:

After getting my taste of the future in Riverside, Iowa, on the way to Iowa State University, I was excited to get a taste of the past in Hannibal, Missouri, on the way back to school. It was exciting going from Captain Kirk’s future birthplace to Mark Twain’s childhood hometown.

As for some silly, fun highlights at Iowa State University…

Students were intrigued by this orange juice machine, since it actually squeezed oranges right in front of their eyes!

I was personally excited by these lovely ISU baby socks and booties in the University’s bookstore:

It’s a shame that Fontbonne’s bookstore doesn’t sell any Fontbonne baby clothes, because if I knew anyone with newborn babies, I’d totally get some for them.

Another ISU highlight would have been the World’s Largest Garden Gnome that is apparently on their campus, but sadly, we did not have time to see it, so here’s a picture taken from the University’s site:

That’s about all I have to say about the experience for now, but I encourage anyone reading this to take advantage of opportunities like this to travel and check out new places!

Peace, Love, and Prosper.

Tagged as: No Frills, RHA, Star Trek

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