University hosts GHRO conference

On Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, students from schools across Georgia will be visiting the Georgia College as the Resident Student Association will host the GHRO Conference.

GHRO stands for the Georgia Residence Hall Organization. It is composed of all resident hall/student associations from across the state of Georgia. The purpose of the conference is to allow networking between the different colleges and aid in the exchange of ideas and programs between different RSA’s in order to better residential life.

Approximately 15 schools are expected to attend the conference. If each school brings the maximum delegates allowed, there will be 120 students and 30 advisors in attendance.

“We expect our conference to be fairly popular due the lower costs and central location in the state of Georgia,” said Katie Dunn, GHRO conference chair.

“Delegates will come in from across the state of Georgia and will get the chance to tour a residence hall and look around our campus,” said Amy Bockelman, GHRO advisor and complex director for Parkhurst Hall. “The opening ceremony and entertainment will take place on Friday night, January 28 (in the Student Activities Center and the newly renovated DEN). Programs that promote sustainability and community-building will take place on Saturday, January 29. Following the programs will be a closing ceremony where awards for the best programs will be given out.”

RSA began planning the conference in Fall 2009. The bid was submitted in January of 2010. “RSA decided to bid for the 2011 conference before GHRO 2010, held at Georgia Southwestern,” Dunn said.

“A team of students on the conference board presented the bid packet to the National Communication chair boardroom, where they reviewed the bid and asked questions. They ultimately awarded us the conference.”

“Our theme this year is GRHO Green, so we’re also helping to promote sustainability throughout Georgia college campuses,” said Bockelman.

The conference committee has been planning for the execution of this event for over a year.

“This focuses on Georgia College’s move to a more sustainable campus and the overall movement of the United States to become more sustainable,” Dunn said.

“We are really looking forward to having the conference here to set a precedent for future GHRO conferences,” said Dunn. “We are making concerted efforts to be as eco-friendly as possible, which will encourage future schools to do so as well.”

Dunn is excited about the opportunity to showcase Georgia College’s alluring qualities to other universities.

“This conference allows Georgia College to show off its desirable facilities and campus,” added Dunn. “Additionally, it shows off our RSA, Student Government Association (SGA), and Campus Activities Board (CAB) since each are involved in the production of the conference. Overall, we want to show how awesome Georgia College really is and our progress/innovations as a school.”

Bockelman feels that preparing for the conference was a satisfying experience in itself.

“I have enjoyed getting to know the GRHO board conference chairs because I’ve been able to see how their hard work has all come together to prepare for the conference,” said Bockelman. “I love one-on-one student interaction, so getting to have meetings with student leaders really enhances the experience as the GHRO advisor.”

Posted by Cara Davis on Jan 27 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.