1. How to Create a Major Chord:
Working with Your Residence
Hall Council, Resident
Assistants, and Advisors
Marvin W. Thomas, Jr.
President | National Residence Hall Honorary,
Dr. Floyd B. Hoelting Chapter
President | Almetris Marsh “Mama” Duren
Residence Hall Council
2. Program
• Warm Up: Introduction
• The Tonic Note: The Residence Hall Council
• The Major Third: The Resident Assistants (RAs)
• The Perfect Fifth: The Advisor
• The Major Chord: Working Together
• Key Change!: Adapting for Other Events
– Duren City Limits (DCL)!
• D.S. al Fine: A Recap of Working Together
• Fine: Questions and Program Evaluation
3. Warm Up: Introduction
• Marvin Thomas, Jr.
• Biology Major
• The University of Texas at Austin
• President of the NRHH Chapter at UT Austin
• President of the Residence Hall Council at
Almetris Duren Residence Hall
4. The Tonic Note: The Residence Hall Council
• The Residence Hall Council (RHC) promotes engagement
and involvement within the residence halls by fostering
community, nurturing friendships, and developing
leaders through interactive and stimulating programs
and events intended for the intellectual and social
benefit of residents.
5. The Tonic Note: The Residence Hall Council
• The RHC creates many programs (ranging
from General Meetings to social programs) to
listen to the residents complaints and
concerns they’re having regarding living in
their residence hall as well as to get residents
to meet their fellow neighbors.
6. The Major Third: The Resident Assistants (RAs)
• The Resident Assistants assists residents by giving
them resources needed to be successful academically,
physically, mentally, and emotionally. They also assist
in fostering a safe and welcoming environment.
–They do this by creatively implementing
programming that reaches their residents
7. The Perfect Fifth: The Advisor
• The Advisor advises the RHC and, in most cases, supervises
the RAs.
• They are, also, knowledgeable resources that RAs and RHCs
can use as they know:
– Policies/Procedures
– Operating Rules
– Other Resources
• Advisors also are resourceful about:
– Program Ideas
– Fiscal Responsibility
– Conflict Management
8. The Major Chord: Working Together
• When planning to work together, I recommend the following:
– Create an event idea and come up with a plan for executing the idea
– Talk with your Advisor about the idea and your plan for executing the
idea
• Listen for feedback/suggestions, if any
– Talk with the RAs you would like to partner with about the idea and
the plan for executing it
• Listen for feedback/suggestions, if any
9. The Major Chord: Working Together
• When planning to work together, I recommend the following:
– Talk with your RHC about the feedback and suggestions
– Divide up duties between RHC and RAs
• Who will submit event planner?
• Who will go shopping?
• Who will reserve items?
– Check with, both, RHC and RAs to run through details 2-3 days prior to
event
– Meet together before the event to set up
– Have a great event!
10. Key Change!: Adapting for Other Events
• The steps provided in the previous slides
can be altered and adapted for events that
include partnering with another group,
another set of RAs (if you’re an RA), or a
non-ResLife group.
–The only different thing that would
change in the steps is who you’re talking
to!
11. Duren City Limits (DCL)!
• Duren City Limits was a large collaboration
event between the Duren RHC, the Duren
RAs, the Residence Hall Program Team
(RHPT), a staff that creates large-scale events
for all on-campus residents, and the
University Residence Hall Association (URHA).
13. D.S. al Fine: A Recap of Working Together
• When you plan and work together as a
team, you create and execute successful
events that engage residents and builds
community.
• By engaging residents and building
community, you have the ability to create
future leaders that want to return to
continue to make their residence hall a
home for its residents.
15. Fine: Program Evaluation
• Please fill out the Program Evaluation form on the
Guidebook app!
–Go to this program and the form is located at
the bottom.
• Thank you all for attending and have a great rest
of conference!
