ASG Passes Resolution Calling for Residence Life Audit

Students sit in front of the front desk of the Sobrato dorm hall as they talk with a desk worker on duty. (Elaine Zhang/The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara University’s Associated Student Government passed a resolution Thursday Jan. 29 calling on the University to audit the Office of Residence Life and reconsider the structure of its Residential Learning Communities, citing high staff turnover and growing strain on student workers.

The resolution, S.R. 1 (2026), points to the departure of seven of nine resident directors during the 2024-25 academic year, a level of turnover it says has left remaining professional and student staff covering multiple residence halls and responding to crises without consistent leadership or support.

The measure urges the administration to establish a task force—including student workers—to evaluate Residence Life’s staffing model, labor protections and crisis-response systems and to implement reforms aimed at stabilizing leadership and improving working conditions.

“I hope that administration recognizes the negative experiences that are being experienced by those who work in Res Life,” said Tiago Moreno ’28, a sophomore senator and the resolution’s primary author. Moreno said he also hopes the broader campus community will recognize the issue and support efforts to address it.

The resolution outlines recommendations including clearer transition protocols when resident directors leave, compensation and workload protections for student staff whose housing is tied to their jobs, and a more consistent professional mental health response during emergencies.

Claire Krebs , the student body president, said the senate’s decision to pass the resolution reflected a deliberate shift towards fewer but more comprehensive pieces of legislation.

“Anybody who reads it can see it’s incredibly thorough, incredibly intentional and well thought out,” Krebs said. She added that the scope of the concerns warranted formal legislation rather than smaller, short-term projects.

While the resolution does not mandate administrative action, it formally asks the Office of the President and the Division of Student Life to respond by initiating an audit and engaging student government as partners in reform.