The Residence Hall Association nominated people for executive board positions for the upcoming year and talked about Social Justice and Diversity Week at its meeting Thursday in Lawson Hall.

Those who wanted to be nominated to run for an executive board position needed to apply in advance.

Secretary Jack Cruikshank said the application was a basic affirmation that candidates were qualified to be a good e-board member.

“It reaffirms they will be able to fulfill and are qualified for their positions,” he said.

One of the questions on the application asked if the candidate would strive to do their best in representing the interests of students at Eastern within the parameters of the RHA constitution. It also took the students’ GPAs and class standings into account.

Nominations were taken for the positions of president, vice president, national communications coordinator, secretary and treasurer.

Running for president is sophomore journalism major Mackenzie Freund and chemistry major Rachael Johnson. Vice presidential candidates are Freund and history major Kevin Lux, and secretarial candidates are Johnson, Lux, family and consumer sciences major Miranda Haywood, and freshman psychology major NaSeita Luckett.

Running unopposed for national communications coordinator is sophomore communication studies major Morgan Blackmore, and running unopposed for treasurer is mathematics major Kyle Anderson.

National communications coordinator Mallory Winkeler said they have seen qualities they are looking for in all the nominees.

“We are looking for dedication, and we have seen all of that in all our candidates,” Winkeler said. “We like it when people are excited.”

Cruikshank said he had seen a lot of good potential in the candidates as well.

Although Blackmore and Anderson are running unopposed, they still have to give their speeches in elections next week. They will also still be voted on, as RHA members can give them a vote of no confidence if they feel they are not fit for the jobs.

NaSeita Luckett, who is running for secretary, said she was running because she thought secretary would be a good leadership position.

“I’m nervous, excited,” Luckett said. “I feel like this is a good opportunity.”

Blackmore, who is running for national communications coordinator, is also excited.

“It gives me a good opportunity to meet new people and have an understanding of what’s going on in campus,” she said.

Blackmore said she had been told she was a good leader.

“They said I was very peppy and not intimidating,” she said.

Also discussed at the RHA meeting was Social Justice and Diversity Week, which is next week. It will kick off with students being able to paint a brick for the “Wall of Hate” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Library Quad and a diversity awareness forum at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Charleston-Mattoon Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Vice President Chris Pickard, who was in charge of Social Justice and Diversity Week, said he had been working on the week since he first got the position a couple months ago.

“We want it to be very successful with lots of learning,” he said. “We expect people to learn and have new experiences.”

Social Justice and Diversity week will not just center on campus.

Cruikshank said at “The True Face of Poverty/Hunger” discussion on Wednesday in the Library Quad, director of community service Rachel Fisher will speak about the poverty in Charleston.

“It will include the whole area,” Cruikshank said.

Last year, Social Justice and Diversity Week was headed mostly by committees, while this year RHA reached out to more RSOs.

“I wanted better numbers, to be more successful,” Pickard said. “So we really worked with RSO’s.”

This year’s Social Justice and Diversity Week is the first time Pickard has ever done a big project like this.

“I love that I feel like I’ve gotten something done, and done a good thing for the campus,” he said.

Cassie Buchman can be reached 581-2812 or [email protected].