The aspect of MSMS that separates it from most other public high schools, the residential setting, often raises the most questions among students. At the beginning of this year, the MSMS ResLife Advisory Board was established to help combat confusion and improve less effective guidelines under the guidance of Direction of Student Affairs Tanya Walker and four students: juniors Greg Billingsley and Ariel Williams and seniors Caleb Marshall and Dajah Carter.

In an early September email announcing the newly-founded board, Walker described its primary function as “share information and experiences that will assist ResLife in making the Residence Hall experience a more positive experience for the students…to make a more positive and safe environment for all students.”  

“Mrs. Walker asks us to bring up points and then she talks to us about them,” said Carter. “She acts as kind of a mediator between members of ResLife and members of the academic staff.” To function efficiently, the four-student, one-administrator board meets monthly or more. “[Walker] says she feels like if actual ResLife members were in the meeting, we wouldn’t be as inclined to be honest about how we feel about things,” said Carter.

During the past three meetings, Walker and board members have discussed ways to improve students’ residential experiences. To further give other students a more convenient way to express their concerns, board-member Marshall recently came up with the idea of a suggestion box. MSMS students can now more anonymously share their questions or comments about the current ResLife system in hopes of getting clarification.

“So far we have had some suggestions but not too terribly many, so it won’t take too long [to discuss],” said Carter. The suggestion box will be available in Hooper Lobby until sometime this week (Nov. 9-13). After examining the submitted suggestions or questions, the board plans to have a another meeting with ResLife members.

Many MSMS students see the need behind the formation of a ResLife Advisory board.  “There is a lot of miscommunication that happens between the students and staff sometimes, and most of the problems that come forth are usually residential life related. Plus, I feel like if we live here then residential life is important enough to be monitored more closely,” said senior Priya Sanipara. Other students echo her sentiments and have taken the opportunity to inform board members of their concerns.

Along with the suggestion box submissions, Carter also plans to bring up some issues she has heard from her peers. “We are going to talk to ResLife and try to get some things clear because everyone is confused about some things,” said Carter. Some confusing topics mentioned included General Purpose (GP) sign outs and walking boundaries. Along with other members of the ResLife Advisory Board, she plans to inform and educate both students and staff about with the newly established senate-like body “with things so important we need to fix them now, a senate focused on ResLife issues, she said.