By BJ LEWIS

bvl001@latech.edu

 

The Association of Women Students has created the position of residence hall liaison as another way to get information about the organization to the women on campus.

The liaison’s main responsibilities are maintaining communication between AWS and their designated hall contact and assessing the needs of the women in the hall.

Other duties include planning women-oriented programming and developing advertising and promotion for AWS within the assigned hall, Michelle Pride, AWS faculty adviser and counselor and academic studies coordinator, said.

“The residence hall liaison seeks to increase the visibility of AWS among women students and to improve communication between AWS and the [resident assistants] and Student Development Coordinators,” Pride said.

Each residence hall liaison would be assigned to one of the six female residence halls on campus, Pride said.

“The AWS liaison would be responsible for making contact with the RAs in their assigned building and informing them about AWS meetings and activities,” Pride said.

Jenna Steward, liaison for Dudley Residence Hall and a sophomore history major, said many students do not realize 50 cents is assessed from the quarterly fees of every female student and used towards AWS funds to help on campus.

“You’re automatically a member — a lot of times students don’t look at their fee sheet,” Steward said.

“Fifty cents is a small amount, and you don’t register it. It adds up to a lot of money for AWS even though it’s not a lot of money for us.”

Steward said even then, the students do not realize they can go to the meetings.

“We’re trying to [tell students] that you can go and should go, it’s a lot of fun and a great organization,” Steward said.

Steward said one of the things the group needs to focus on is advertising and liaisons can be responsible for signs and other methods that are used to get the word out.

Jennifer Byrd, coordinator of student development for residential life, said one thing realized is that female residence halls and AWS can have a good relationship because they have similar goals.

“Several of their members [are] already living in the residence halls so it makes for an easy relationship,” Byrd said.

Byrd said AWS wants to promote activities and wellness of female students and so does the residential life staff.

The number of liaisons in place is varied by the number of students in a particular dorm, Byrd said.

Byrd said a few more liaisons are needed for Adams, Mitchell and Harper Residence Halls, and all interested students should contact AWS or attend one of the meetings and express their interest in the position.

“All others are in place and have exchanged contact info with our staff and theirs,” Byrd said.

She said the liaisons have started  discussions about women’s issues that need to be met and projects the liaisons are planning for the dorms.

One such project is a media library in every women’s residence hall.

“It would contain required movies and movies people want to watch for entertainment purposes,” Byrd said.

She said the liaisons are an opportunity to connect staff with the AWS liaison who is aware what AWS has to offer as far as their resources.

“We can better use [the resources] by having a liaison who is specifically seeking the needs of each hall,” Byrd said.

Byrd said she is hopeful that all parties involved can work together to come up with ways to address current women’s needs.

Steward said the goals for the organization for the upcoming year are, “…to let people know that it’s open to everyone and to be a help in the dorms and to build better relationships amongst the students on campus.”