While many students wait until Homecoming to become festive about St. Edward’s University, the university is striving to find other ways to encourage year round school spirit.

“I have to go to UT events just to feel spirited about a school I don’t even attend,” freshman Summer Seibert said.

One way St. Edward’s is addressing student concerns is by developing an improved program with residence life called Residential Programming Board.

Residential Programming Board, formally known as the Residential Hall Association, is an improved program “geared towards providing good community planning and overall community feel,” Residential Director of Teresa Hall and RPB advisor Clint Carrens said. 

During the summer, Carrens and the rest of the board restructured the entire program.

“We saw RPB as the equivalent of what UPB is,” Residential Director and RPB advisor Katelyn Bivin said. “We felt that by changing the name to something similar to UPB, something everyone knows, people could really connect to what changes we are trying to make.”

In addition to changing the name, the program is also building a connection with the Residential Events Planners (REPs), which are led by students in each residence hall.

“They (REPs) were always kind of there, but would fall apart by spring. So by making RPB as an overseer we hoped would help with that,” Carrens said.

Both Resident Directors feel that the changes are going well.

“We are definitely on a positive projectile,” Bivin said.

“Having more on-campus events gets freshman engaged, therefore having a stronger connection to the school,” Carrens said.

 “Our goal is to include everyone regardless of freshman, but the majority of people living on campus are freshman. Giving them opportunities to meet people they normally wouldn’t meet in their classes is what we are trying to do,” Bivin said.

Executive director of RPB Melissa Wilde explained the difference between the RPB and REPs programs as having slightly different focuses. REPs is designed to put together events in residence halls, while RPB is designed to include the overall student body at St. Edward’s.

“We held events such as the Halloween Block Party and Hall Olympics which have had their best turnouts ever. We are continuing to look for more ways to involve the St Ed’s community,” Wilde said.

The most recent event RPB put on was the LoveStruck dance held Feb. 12. Over 200 people attended the event.

“It went tremendously well,” Wilde said.

While it is still too early to tell exactly how effective these changes have been, residence directors reaction feel that the improvements are overwhelmingly positive.  

“I meet new people at these events and when I’m walking around campus and I bump into them, it’s not another stranger I bumped into but a fellow Hilltopper,” Seibert said.

Follow Kayla on Twitter @kaylamariemarquez