The U has been recognized as School of the Year by the Intermountain Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls.
The Intermountain Affiliate is one of eight regions within a larger, nationwide league-the National Association of College and University Residence Halls.
U officials presented a 30 page School of the Year bid at the Intermountain Regional Conference on the weekend of Feb. 21, according to Trisha Jorgensen, president of the U’s Resident Hall Association.
Four finalists competed for the top honor, and the U emerged victorious by presenting the best material to a committee that consisted of 20 representatives selected from 45 schools in the region including two Canadian universities and schools from Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
This extensive report included several main topics of focus, including examples of originality in the structure of the residence halls and several new programs that they are involved in.
The Residence Hall Association has made unique efforts in the organization of the six different living areas.
There are six different living areas on campus, each of which has a resident adviser who answers to the main Resident Hall Association, according to Jorgensen.
The 30-page bid also included a description about unique U Residence Hall operations.
“There are several new programs,” Jorgensen said. “There’s a new Huntsman Center cleanup, we host leadership training and a service learning program, we worked with the [Associated Students of the University of Utah] on the USA Today readership program, we were involved with Black History Month, we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for residents who stayed on campus, we work with Plazafest and athletics and we hosted the 2003 regional [intermountain] Conference.”
These strides the U’s Residence Hall has made, in terms of organization and incorporating new programs, were enough to beat out the other three finalists-Northern Arizona University and the universities of Arizona and Northern Colorado.
The U will now prepare to compete against the winners from seven other regions across the United States in a national competition, which will be held at the St. Louis University during Memorial Day weekend.