Jason Packard, a student involved in numerous endeavors in University Residences, was recently awarded the Homecoming Teaching and Scholarship Pillar of Excellency, bestowed by Purdue Student Union Board. Packard was recognized for his contributions to and the development of Boilerexams. One of Purdue’s fastest-growing student-led startups, the organization provides students with innovative studying solutions. Through his involvement with Boilerexams, Packard has created more than 300 exam problem video tutorials, 20 hours of conceptual topic videos and worked closely with professors and University administrators to develop content in accordance with Purdue’s academic policies. Packard also works as an undergraduate teaching assistant in the Department of Physics and as an undergraduate researcher in the Davidson School of Engineering, where he has researched solutions for next-generation energy storage.
In this feature, Packard shares his perspective on his experiences with University Residences.
Hello, I am Jason Packard, the president of the Residence Hall Association (RHA). I am a junior studying chemical engineering and am originally from a small town called Woodstock, Illinois. I have been involved within University Residences for three years, first as a hall club member of Tarkington Hall. During my sophomore year, I was the external director of RHA and am now the president! During this time, I was also an RA in Tarkington Hall during my sophomore year and have recently stepped into the role of REA, which serves as an RA supervisor.
I have been fortunate over the last year to experience wonderful student leadership within RHA and University Residences. The last president, Claire Schnefke, did so many wonderful things and has created an amazing organization that is ready to do more great things and make positive change! This year, our ambitious team is eager to continue this success and create initiatives and events that serve to better our on-campus community.
We started the year with the sixth annual RHA Day. The beach-themed event offered fun games and an exciting social atmosphere for students to relax before the beginning of the year, make memories and form new friendships. Held on the front lawn of Meredith, students enjoyed the 40-foot water slide, tie-dyed shirts, created sand art, played sand volleyball, jumped in a foam pit and loved the first-ever dunk-your-RA dunk tank. The event drew over 2,000 students! The event also offered an educational component – various campus organizations had tents where they could educate new students on the opportunities available to them. These included getting a job through Dining & Culinary, how to donate extra meal swipes, how to be involved in your hall club, registering to vote and more.
Moving beyond RHA Day, we are excited for a vibrant year ahead of us. We have had the most hall club participation since before the pandemic. We are beginning to plan our second annual Wacky Dacky Rubber Ducky charity 5k, which last year raised over 8000 meals for food insecure children. We have ongoing projects to advocate for and improve the experience of our residents, such as our initiative for sexual assault awareness and prevention. Lastly and possibly most importantly, we have an ever-expanding array of social events planned that will allow residents to make friends and memories to make Purdue their home.
Written by: Jason Packard