Texan Mosaic

by IRENE RIOS//Staff Writer

 When he isn’t hanging out with friends or dominating a bowling competition, Jett Wiggins is striving to make residence life better for students.

Wiggins, an Abernathy native majoring in Computer Science, is currently in his last semester at South Plains College. He recently was chosen as the new president for the Residence Hall Association.

Wiggins explains that RHA is an organization that helps students who live in the dorms have a memorable experience while living on campus. Being able to express the wants and needs of residents was what drew Wiggins to RHA.

“Before becoming a member, I felt that we didn’t really have a say in things,” says Wiggins. “We would complain about things that would happen, and there wasn’t really an outlet for you to express the things you needed.”

Wiggins has been involved in RHA for three semesters and has been serving on the board for two. Before becoming president, he held the position of community service chair, having to handle any community service projects RHA would do. Although Wiggins acquired many skills from his position as community service chair, he learned that it was different from his position as president. Now, Wiggins handles most things when it comes to RHA. He speaks to several board members when it comes to passing policies or scheduling events so those on the student housing board do not have to. He helps plan activities, along with helping to make proposals for the residence halls.

For Wiggins, becoming president of RHA was never about having more power than other members. Instead, he saw it as a way to help create a better life for students living in the dorms.

Although Wiggins says he enjoys his position in RHA, he at times does get overwhelmed by his responsibilities. Despite those feelings, he still manages to keep a positive outlook on things.

“I’ve always had a positive mindset,” says Wiggins, “because that’s how my mom raised me to be. Anytime you get a negative thought, the best thing to do is reverse it and think of it in a more positive light.”

Recently, Wiggins was able to get a proposal for new washers and dryers approved for the dorms.

“This is something RHA has been trying to get for years,” explains Wiggins.

By looking at the list of reasons RHA was getting denied in the past, Wiggins made a proposal in which those issues would be avoided. They also suggested compromises so Student Housing wouldn’t have to dig deep into the budget.

“I made a proposal and a petition,” Wiggins said. “I went door-to-door at every dorm myself. Sometimes residents would help me, and by the end I got 300 signatures.”

Getting new washers and dryers isn’t the only thing Wiggins and RHA members are looking at changing. After hearing the concerns of residents, proposals have recently been made to change hours on visitation, as well as allowing for Christmas lights to be used as decorations in the dorms.

Wiggins says that he is planning on transferring to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Although holding the title of RHA president will look nice on his resume, that’s not what Wiggins is taking away from his time at RHA.

“I think this has made me a better person overall,” said Wiggins. “I get to meet so many people, hear their opinions and see how everyone is their own individual person. It’s really helped me be a community leader.”

RHA has a lot of exciting events planned for the rest of the semester, such as a haunted house later this month, and a winter formal. For those who are interested in joining RHA, weekly meetings are held on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Library.