HALL SOCIETY

OVERVIEW

Each hall is encouraged to form a Hall Society, a student-led volunteer group that represents residents, delivers fun and inclusive social events and initiatives, and provides opportunities to engage with hall culture. 

Residential Life Staff (RLS) work with and support Hall Society, providing guidance and mentorship. 

Hall Society participation provides a valuable leadership opportunity for residents, and can potentially aid in Resident Advisor applications or other leadership endeavours. Roles are voluntary and held for one year, and are filled through nominations and elections held in October the year prior. 

ROLES

Executive Roles (Execs)

• Elected in the second half of Semester 2 of the previous year

• Both executive roles have training requirements (listed below)

  • President: Leads the group in the hall, chairs meetings, prepares budgets, and represents residents at the Residents' Committee

  • Vice President: Supports the President, manages meeting logistics, and steps in when needed 

General Members

• Support Execs and represents specific groups (e.g. First year students, international students)

• Elected early in Semester 1

If one Executive steps down and the other has completed the required training and fulfils the President role, the Hall Society can proceed with one Executive with the support of the hall's Residential Life Staff.

All roles are voluntary. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Hall Society Executives must comply with all MRS policies, including the Conditions of Residency (CoR)

• Executives must not be in breach of academic, research, or general misconduct policies

• Hall Societies operate at the discretion of the Residential Life Staff (RLS), who may act as mentors and event planning support

Member misconduct

• Misconduct by Hall Society members is treated as resident misconduct

• Hall Societies must not investigate or manage disciplinary matters - tis is the responsibility of the RLS

• RLS may remove any Hall Society member from their role at any time

• Disputes within the Hall Society are to be escalated to the Residential Life Staff

Events

• Events must be organised in line with relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines

• Events that have an alcohol focus, advertise alcohol or are organised around drinking are prohibited

• RLS will work alongside Hall Societies to ensure events are safe, inclusive and well organised

• Not every event must appeal to all residents, but the overall program should offer something for everyone

Finance

• The Hall Society is funded through the Hall Fund

• In line with MRS values of inclusiveness, Hall Societies are prohibited from selling cash memberships, making cash sales or holding any physical money – e.g. maintaining a float through profit from events, drink sales, etc.

• All transactions (e.g. event tickets, merchandise) must be organised by RLS and be processed via the Monash Shop

• RLS handles all purchases, bookings, and related matters

• All venue bookings must be paid in accordance with finance processes, as directed by RLS

• Alcohol purchases are not permitted

Meetings

• Frequency of Hall Society meetings is set by RLS and agreed upon with Executive members

• RLS is responsible for ensuring the number of meetings, events, and other activities is manageable

ELIGIBILITY

All elected volunteer Hall Society positions must: 

• Be a current resident living on-campus at Monash University

• Not be a current Resident Advisor

• Hold a valid volunteer Working With Children Check (WWCC)

• Comply with all relevant policies and misconduct standards

Training

• Mandatory training occurs at the time of appointment (typically October-November the year prior for Executive members, and March the current year for general members)

• Optional leadership training may be offered throughout the year

• RLS may provide additional in-hall training.

APPOINTMENT 

1. Nomination period

Residents interested in joining their Hall Society complete a Nomination Form, noting their interest and whether they are applying for an Executive member role or a general member role

• Executive members are elected in October-November for the following year's Hall Society 

• General members may be elected during this period, or elected in March the following year 

2. Review

MRS and RLS collect the nominations and confirm candidate eligibility 

3. Candidate announcement

Candidates are introduced to their residential community by RLS (e.g. through posters, emails, at Dine-Ins, etc.)

4. Election

RLS organise elections for each hall, allowing residents to vote for their preferred candidates; elections are to be held at a Dine-In or via another method that the RLS deem suitable 

5. Appointment

Candidates who receive the most votes for each role are confirmed to be successful and appointed as the Hall Society for their residential hall