Whenever important decisions about student policy and residence life need to be made, the Inter Residence Hall Government (IRHG) is there to take action. For nearly 27 years, this student-lead organization has been serving the Creighton community by providing students with the opportunity to voice their opinions and become involved in making decisions that affect the lives of students living both on and off campus.
IRHG recently held elections to establish the executive team of students that will lead the organization into the next academic year. Although these elected student leaders do not take office until April 3, many of them are
feeling very eager to assume their respective positions and make a lasting impact on both IRHG and Creighton as a whole.
Arts & Sciences junior Merijke Coenraad will begin her new position as IRHG Vice President of finance. Coenraad was heavily involved in student government throughout high school and felt that it provided her with valuable lessons and leadership experience, so she decided to continue gaining knowledge through IRHG.
“IRHG is an outstanding way for students to have a voice about what they want to see in their residence halls and in our community and I decided to become involved so that I could help be a voice for students,” Coenraad said.
In the upcoming academic year, Coenraad said she is looking forward to assuming her
position because it will allow her to work with the sponsorship fund and assist outside organizations in applying for funding through IRHG. Coenraad is anxious to take on this responsibility because through this process IRHG is able to support campus activities that this organization does not directly put on.
“I am excited to be a part of the board and look at issues and programs with some fresh eyes,” Coenraad said. “I think that it is extremely important to have this change of view and for new ideas to be brought to the organization so that we can continue to put on great programs and make a difference in the Creighton community.”
Coenraad said she feels it is important for students to become involved in student government organizations like IRHG because
these organizations provide students with the opportunity to share their opinions and ideas, while still having a great deal of fun.
“[IRHG] is an opportunity for students to give back to the Creighton community, but students get back just as much as they give to IRHG,” Coenraad said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my IRHG experience and I am thrilled to be serving as an executive next year.”
Upon attending this year’s IRHG sponsored Movie on the Mall, nursing sophomore and soon-to-be IRHG president Lianna Schmidt knew that IRHG was an organization she greatly desired to become involved in. When Schmidt assumes her position in April, she said she hopes to bring a greater “continuity” between the individuals on the executive board and the individual students in the Residence Hall Councils to the organization.
“My main goal is to continue to make IRHG the main voice for students living on campus,” Schmidt said. “I look forward to working with the organization as a whole in order to pass recommendations onto the Department of Residence Life that will promote community and make life on campus easier, more sustainable and overall a great place to be.”
Schmidt said she feels that IRHG has allowed her to meet so many wonderful people and experience a great deal of new things. She highly recommends that all students become involved in this organization at some point during their time at Creighton.
“I believe that every person has ideas that can change our campus for the better,” Schmidt said. “If everyone would join an organization such as this, those ideas could manifest into actual change and make Creighton University the best school it could be.”
Arts & Sciences freshman Walter Frank Eng was recently elected as IRHG’s national communications coordinator. Next year Eng will be responsible for actively participating in various conferences and relaying innovative ways to improve IRHG as a whole in order to better represent the student body.
Before coming to Creighton, Eng said he always enjoyed being involved in his community, and he saw IRHG as a way to continue that involvement.
“I first applied and got involved as a senator for Kiewit Hall because I really wanted to develop creative programs and establish a strong community aspect,” Eng said. “I later ran for the national communications coordinator position because I saw it as an opportunity to really represent Creighton as a whole and show not only the region, but the nation, what Creighton is really about.”
Eng said he feels that his ability to interact and get to know people on a personal basis will greatly assist him in being an effective representative of the student body through IRHG. He hopes that the energy and passion he holds for the IRHG mission will allow him to become an inspiration to others to become involved in this organization.