“We are the resident’s voice in policy making.” – Tommy Hughes, National Communications Coordinator for SHAC

Do you remember UWM Night at Miller Park at the beginning of the year? Remember residents of Sandburg and Purin getting the opportunity to score a free ticket to a Brewer game and a free T-shirt to commemorate the night, along with free transportation to and from the game?

Well, this event and several other events that take place in Sandburg are funded by a little group being talked about around the dorms lately: SHAC.

SHAC stands for Student Housing Administrative Council, and the group acts as the student government for University Housing, which includes Sandburg and Purin Halls, as well as RiverView in the future.

According to Tommy Hughes, National Communications Coordinator for SHAC, the organization helps to fund almost anything running in the residence halls, including Flicks, Resident Assistant funds and the National Residence Hall Honorary, more commonly known as NRHH.

In addition to funding different programs, SHAC also dedicates much of its time formulating new rules and regulations which are desired by dorm residents themselves.

“We are the resident’s voice in policy making,” Hughes said.

At a SHAC meeting on Dec. 2, a new constitution was put into effect after being signed by Chancellor Carlos Santiago and Director of University Housing Scott Peak. Both Santiago and Peak were present at the meeting in addition to around 40 other patrons.

Chancellor Santiago spoke to the crowd about the future of housing at UWM, saying that the University is short on housing, even with the new RiverView Residence Hall. According to Santiago, UWM is considering building additional housing facilities downtown in the future.

With their new constitution, SHAC is looking forward to a successful and exciting spring semester. As always, they are here for you, the residents of University Housing. If you ever have any questions concerning SHAC, feel free to visit their office, which is located on the third floor of Sandburg, just around the corner from the cafeteria.

Next semester SHAC will be putting on several programs including the Safety Dance, a series of skits promoting safe practices in the Residence Hall, as well as a program called “Can I Kiss You?” It will feature a guest speaker who wrote a book promoting healthy dating, consent, info on date rape and sexual assault awareness.

SHAC is currently seeking new senators; if interested, simply stop by their office and talk to someone.

> Comments