Last Thursday, Residence Hall Association’s general board election results were announced. From freshmen to seniors, residents selected students from their residence halls to represent them for the upcoming school year.

In Salice-Conley Hall, Gino Papa, FCRH ’14 was elected as president. Papa has an expansive resume at Fordham, having served as vice president for Autism Speaks U at Fordham University and as a New Student Orientation captain. He is currently Senior Week senior co-chair. These roles have prepared him for the leadership position that he has now undertaken in Salice-Conley.

“Dealing primarily with seniors in Salice-Conley, we have the unique opportunity to throw an exclamation point on the end to what most consider the greatest four years of their lives,” Papa said.

He is also excited to work with the board in his building, saying that he knows that his fellow board members “are all experienced leaders on campus [who] share my goal to develop an unforgettable experience for our classmates.”

The rest of the Salice-Conley board is comprised of Vice President Nicole Jaconetty, FCRH ’14, Secretary Roxy Derrington, GSB ’14, Treasurer Greg Schiliro, FCRH ’14, and Programmer Alexandra McDonald GSB ’14.

For other upperclassmen, familiarity with RHA and residential life will help the board members in their positions. As President of Walsh Hall, Jackie Gawne, FCRH ’15, along with the other members of the Walsh Hall board, Vice President Kristin Brunje FCRH ’15, Secretary Taylor Panico FCRH ’15, Treasurer Brittany Tobin GSB ’15, and Programmers Samantha Nash FCRH ’15 and Lianna Drobatz FCRH ’15, represents a majority of the junior class living on campus. “I think what has prepared me most for this position is the fact that I’ve lived in housing since the beginning,” Gawne said.

She believes that through her residential hall experiences and attendance at RHA activities, she has seen RHA improve in certain areas, though there is still room for additional progress.

“I think there are areas that need to be improved and through experience I know what they are,” she says.

Because her fellow board members have similar experiences, she expects that they will be able to work together to create a community of Walsh residents. Despite the apartment-style living quarters that can sometimes close residents off from one another, she strives to bring them together through RHA activities.

Freshmen are just as excited to be taking up their new positions, hoping to be able to use outside experiences to help them work together. In Alumni Court South, those who ran were all highly-contested, with 17 students running for the five available positions. Patrick O’Connell, who will take up his role as Vice President, hopes to bring South residents closer together. “I hope that through RHA events our building can get really close,” O’Connell said.

His experience living in a residence hall last year in high school brings him a level of experience already. His knowledge in organizing events, even using a small budget, will help him in South, where, he says, “I feel like I’ll be doing a lot of similar things.”

Alumni Court South Treasurer Edward Haarmann IV also has experience for his position. “I’ve held money-managing and budgeting positions all throughout high school in the various organizations I was affiliated with,” Haarmann says.

President Andrew Hamilton, Secretary Christa Ceconi and Programmer Anne Bradberry comprise the rest of the Alumni Court South board.

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