Q: What is the point of an OTM?
A: An OTM, or an “Of the Month,” is an award given to a person or group for going above and beyond in their mission of improving life in the residence halls in a specific month. The National Residence Hall Honorary believes that recognition is necessary for building and maintaining a strong residence hall community, and we feel that submitting OTMs are one way in which to accomplish this.
By submitting OTMs, you are also providing other schools with information about successful programs executed here at Geneseo. All OTMs submitted are saved in the “National OTM Database” (otms.nrhh.org) and are searchable by using the “Advanced Search” tool on the left side of the screen. The National OTM Database has proven to be an excellent programming resource for individuals and groups who need a little bit of inspiration.
Lastly, in addition to being a great source of recognition, OTMs can provide you with money for your hall council! OTM nominators and nominees receive points for their halls, and the three residence halls with the most points at the end of each semester win $100, $75, and $50, respectively. The first place hall also receives an additional $100 from NRHH to donate to the charity of their choice.
Q: What if I do not want to write a structured OTM?
A: No problem! We know how little free time student leaders have, so we created a simple recognition system to supplement the OTM program. It is called the “Out of the Blue” system. In order to write an “Out of the Blue,” simply go to the NRHH website (www.geneseo.edu/~nrhh) and click “Out of the Blue.” Then click on the “splat” icon and fill out your information, your nominee’s information, and a short statement about why you are recognizing this person.
Several of the advantages to “Out of the Blues” include: 1) they are fast and easy to write; 2) no one votes on them so everyone is recognized equally; and, 3) anyone can be recognized, not just people who positively affect residential living.
Q: What new and innovative programs has NRHH done?
A: This has been quite a year of firsts! Although we kicked off the year with our traditional Alzheimer’s Walk, we have been charting new territory ever since!
First, we threw a Halloween party for the children and mothers from the Sojourner House, a home for women in transition to live with their children while receiving counseling and participating in educational and recovery programs. This party was a huge success and we were thrilled to hear that the children were still talking about it, even weeks after Halloween! Check out the pictures in our NRHH photo album on this site.
Next, we collected 187 pairs of eyeglasses through the Give the Gift of Sight Foundation’s “Sight Night.” In addition to running the drive on campus, we “trick-or-treated” in the town of Geneseo on Halloween for eyeglasses that community members may have “scared up” to donate.
Baby Bottles for Change was another new program that our chapter initiated in the fall semester. We distributed baby bottles to our members with directions to deposit their spare change in them at the end of each day. When we collected the baby bottles at the end of two months, we had $254! All $254 was donated to the Golisano Children’s Hospital.
In the area of recognition, we created a campus wide recognition program in the fall semester called the “No Day But Today” Campaign. In late November, we encouraged individuals to write letters to people who have made a difference in their lives. NRHH provided the postage and stationery and we successfully mailed 163 letters to people on campus, across the nation, and around the world.
Coming up in February we have yet another new program: a benefit dance-a-thon with the sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon to raise money and awareness for the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.
A program that NRHH originated last year that we are putting an innovative spin on this year is Pay it Forward Week. During Pay it Forward Week (April 10-14), we will ask for volunteers on campus to show their appreciation for on-campus departments (e.g., University Police, Admissions, Student Association), off-campus agencies and businesses (e.g., Wegmans, Geneseo Fire Department), and hall care staffs (e.g., cleaners, janitors, and zonies). This year we are adding a Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day to the week to spice things up a bit! We will be concluding the week with a “Random Acts of Kindness” day and a social/community service program on April 14. This year, you can also look forward to increased collaboration with the Inter-Residence Council, the Inter-Greek Council, the Academic Affairs Committee, the Classes of 2006-2009, and Residence Life.
Q: As a general active or honorary member, how can I get more involved in NRHH?
A: The first way to stay involved in NRHH is to attend our biweekly meetings and get involved with our recognition events and community service projects.
Secondly, if you are interested in a more active role, feel free to chair or participate on one of our task-specific committees. Upcoming projects that we can always use more hands for are the Membership Selection Process, Pay it Forward Week, and the Induction Banquet.
We always welcome those members who have drifted since their induction, so don’t be shy!
Q: What if I cannot attend meetings?
A: If you are unable to attend meetings, sign up for the NRHH listserv (if you are not already receiving NRHH e-mails) or check out the website to stay up to date with the chapter’s news. If you see an event with which you feel you can provide a helping hand, you are welcome to join us! No task is too small and no person is ever unappreciated.
Q: What do I do if I have an idea for a program?
A: Funny you should ask! Brand new this year is our “Community Service Proposal Form.” We have created it for three main reasons:
- To increase member “ownership” of events. We find that when our members come up with an idea, they are likely to be passionate about it. One section on the form asks the applicant to share why a particular cause or organization is important to them; we hope that by sharing individual stories, we can pass along the passion from one member to another.
- To begin a community service database. Every year, members brainstorm ideas to pursue, and the great ideas that we do not take advantage of seem to disappear. By having our members write down their ideas and submitting them to the vice president, we are creating a legacy for future NRHH members.
- To assist the vice president. Often our vice president (who oversees all community service events) will leave a meeting with five or six different organizations or programs to research. By asking our members to do some of the legwork ahead of time, it saves the vice president time and energy and gives the members experience in getting to know various philanthropic organizations.
Q: How do I get involved with NRHH if I am not a member?
A: NRHH often holds campus wide recognition events. This April, for Pay it Forward Week, we are looking for organizations to help us recognize Geneseo campus and community groups. If you are in an organization that is looking to get involved with recognition in this capacity, e-mail nrhh@geneseo.edu.
Other ways to stay involved with NRHH involve writing OTMs and “Out of the Blues”. Additionally, we have introduced a new “self-nomination” aspect to our membership selection process. Here is our timeline for membership selection in case you are interested in joining NRHH.
Q: What is so important about the “region?” We are doing great things here, why bother?
A: Both our NRHH chapter and our Inter-Residence Council are members of a nationwide organization called the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH—www.nacurh.org). This organization is the largest run student organization in the world, and has been in existence for over fifty years! NACURH has eight regional affiliates, and the one we are part of is the North East Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (NEACURH—www.nacurh.org/neacurh). In case you were wondering, there are over 170 chapters of NRHH nationwide!
Being active in the region and nation has several advantages. First of all, it provides even more recognition to our OTM winners when they win on a regional or national level. It is an amazing feeling to receive a certificate from our Regional Associate Director of NRHH saying that an OTM written about you was the best one in the northeast!
Secondly, it provides members with effective networking tools. Since there are 170 chapters nationwide, we are part of an intricate web of student leaders who have similar interests and are just as passionate about residential living as we are. Each of those chapters also has alumni who are already making a difference in the world and are waiting for us to join them.
Lastly, it gives us the opportunity to share information. Through OTMs, writing bids (reports about our chapter), the NACURH Forum (www.nacurh.org/forum), conference attendance, and simple online communication, every chapter has myriad opportunities to learn from another school. NEACURH and NACURH give us those opportunities.
Q: Bid? What is a bid? Why is it important?
A: A bid is essentially a much longer OTM that is applicable to the entire year, rather than just a month. Within NRHH, chapters and members can bid for NRHH Outstanding Chapter of the Year (for well-established chapters that have gone above and beyond), NRHH Outstanding Member of the Year, and Building Block NRHH Chapter of the Year (for chapters that are being revived or created from scratch and are doing amazing things). The bids for chapter awards can be up to thirty pages (plus an additional twenty pages of appendices) and the bid for members can be up to eight pages. The NRHH Outstanding Chapter of the Year bid also requires a ten minute oral presentation at the Mini No-Frills Conference in the spring. Bids are submitted to the regional level (NEACURH) and if they win there, they move on to compete against other chapters from the nation (NACURH).
The most important reasons for writing a bid are to share information and leave a legacy for future NRHH members to follow. They are also a wonderful way to show the campus community just how much we have influenced life here at Geneseo and give chapter members a pat on the back!
