President of Residents’ Interhall Congress (RIC) Cael Losenegger
My name is Cael Losenegger and I am a sophomore from Monroe, Wisconsin. I am currently pursuing a double major in Information Systems & Political Science. I am beginning my second semester as the president of Residents’ Interhall Congress (RIC). RIC is a student government organization that is specifically for students who live on campus in residence halls; its mission is simply to act as the “voice of the on-campus student.” RIC meets weekly on Mondays to pass funding bills and resolutions that each hall’s elected representatives believe will support the physical development of their dorms and the personal development of the students who live in them.
When I first came to the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2020, I had a desire to help others. My passion for leading developed in high school and I wanted to continue dedicating myself to serving my community as I formed new relationships in a new, unfamiliar area. My first opportunity came when I ran to be a hall representative for Hotz Hall in the RIC House of Representatives. I had spent the first few weeks of school meeting new friends within my hall, and I quickly realized that the people I could immediately impact were the ones living in the same building. I worked up the confidence to run to be an at-large senator in the Associated Student Government and fortunately won election in September. I spent the remainder of my freshman year working with others to make the school year as enjoyable and beneficial as possible for my peers.
As the year progressed, representing and serving others taught me many lessons. Still, one of them was overwhelmingly clear: students almost always know what they want to happen or what they want to be different, yet rarely know who to go to for an actionable response. For most, it’s unrealistic and inefficient to spend their time hunting for the right person, researching related policies at benchmark institutions, gathering support from fellow students, and having conversations with faculty and administrators. Balancing school, work, and personal lives can be difficult; adding constant self-advocacy to the mix can classify as a nightmare to some. I wanted to support those who did not have time or resources to seek out the change they were looking for.
When elections came around in the spring for RIC executive offices, the incumbent president had chosen not to run for reelection. I took the opportunity and am grateful that I won election to the position. Ever since, I’ve worked with my executive team and RIC representatives to live out RIC’s purpose of supporting on-campus residents. The fall semester for RIC was one of the most successful the organization has ever seen. Compared to the average of the fall semester of the previous three years, Fall 2021 saw an 84% increase in the legislation that was submitted. The organization also had four resolutions submitted in the fall semester, a significant jump from the three submissions in the previous six years combined, while allocating $27,234.32 of our funds to programs and building upgrades. The executive team and I set goals to make RIC more visible and relevant to the students on our campus; these statistics show that we have already began making substantial progress and hope to continue doing so during the spring semester.
Moving forward, I hope to grow RIC even more and stay involved in our on-campus community as much as I possibly can. I also plan to keep representing and advocating for my peers at the University of Arkansas. After my time at the U of A, I will pursue a law degree and use what I have learned to enter a field of public service. I cannot wait to see how our campus community becomes stronger as we keep working together. Woo Pig!