Instructions for OTMs

Sponsored by NRHH, the Of The Month awards are an excellent way for you to recognize leaders and programs on your campus. Nominations from any school affiliated with NACURH must be narrowed to one submission per category and sent to the Regional Associate Director of NRHH. Regional winners are then forwarded to the NRHH National Office for national selection.

Nominations should be month specific and focus on residence hall activities. Past accomplishments or year long commitments may be supplied, but the focus should be on the activities of the month they were nominated for. On the following pages you will find criteria, hints on how to write a winning OTM nomination.

ADVISOR OF THE MONTH

Is the nomination month specific?
Did the individual recognize the students they worked with in the month of nomination?
Did the individual impact the students they work with during the month of nomination?
Is the individual being nominated for his/her professional contributions or for work with students during the month of nomination?
What outstanding accomplishments merit recognition of this individual this month?

Advisors need to create a supportive environment for the leaders they work with. The focus of the Advisor OTM should be based on the advisory role of the person rather then their professional role. Personal examples are often the best way to express the intangible contributions of an advisor. The nomination should display how the advisor was instrumental in helping the leaders they work with grow, learn, and develop.

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER

Is the nomination month specific?
Is the individual from the central residence hall governing body (i.e. Residence Hall Association) or NRHH Chapter, not a specific hall government?
Has the nominee used the services and resources of NACURH and campus resources?
What outstanding contributions did the individual make during the month of nomination?

Be sure the person you are nominating for this award is eligible to receive it. The nominee needs to be from a campus wide residence hall governing body, not a hall government. Bring out the nominees special efforts, not just fulfilling the job requirements of the position.

NCC

How many of his/her responsibilities in terms of the NCC position were fulfilled during the month of nomination?
Did the nominee use the resources available to them through NACURH or any campus resources?
What outstanding contributions did the individual make during the month of nomination?

The nominations in this category need to display how the individuals had gone above and beyond in their job description. Be sure to include how the NCC has enhanced your school's delegations to conferences, served on regional committees, contributed to special school projects, and used NACURH resources. Be sure to include any unique approaches to communication or creativity in the traditional NCC responsibilities.

NRHH Chapter

Did the chapter recognize or contribute to student leadership on your campus during the month of nomination?
Did the chapter impact the students they worked with during the month of nomination?
What activities set this month apart for the chapter from other months?

This category is to recognize an outstanding NRHH chapter, not an outstanding member. Nominations should be group specific and not concentrate on the efforts of a few individuals. Possibly reviewing the purpose and goals of NRHH and your chapter before writing the nomination may be helpful.

PROGRAM

Does the nomination fall into one of the following categories; diversity, community service, educational, or social program?
What makes the program unique from what is usually done?
How can the program be adapted to other campuses?
Did the program have lasting effects on residences?
Did the program meet all the goals that were set?
What was the quality or evaluation of the program?

For both educational and social programs, the judging committees look for creativity, originality, financial feasibility, percent of attendance, and adaptability to other campuses. If the nomination is in conjunction with a nationally recognized week or holiday, the nomination needs to display how your campus has approached the program in a new or different way. When writing a nomination for a educational program try to show the relevance or reason the issue being programmed on is needed on your campus. These nominations are not only giving recognition to a group of leaders who have done a super program, but it becomes a resource and a guide for leaders on other campuses.

RESIDENT ASSISTANT

How well does the nominee work with residents and what impact has he/she had during the month of nomination?
Has the nominee fulfilled and gone above their job responsibility during the month of nomination?
Are there any specific projects in support of hall government or committees that they have participated in?
What outstanding contributions has the individual made for the hall they work in during the month of nomination?

A important thing to keep in mind is that there are different job/programming requirements on various campuses. Include they requirements that have fulfilled and show what they have done beyond that during the month of nomination. When writing the nomination be sure to include any unique contributions to the position the individual makes.

SPOTLIGHT

Does the nominee fit into only this category?
What contributions did the individual/group make to the residence halls during the month of nomination?

This category is to recognize the efforts of people who do not fall into any other categories. The nominee can not be an advisor, exec board member, NCC, resident assistant, or student. Possible nominees could be food service personnel, night security staff, or janitorial staff. Please include how this person has helped out an individual or contributed to the well being of the building.

STUDENTS

What organizations and activities was the individual involved in during the month of nomination?
What interaction did the nominee have with their residence hall government or individual hall during the month of nomination?
Does the student work well and motivate others?
What outstanding contributions did the individual make during the month of nomination?

This category is intended for the new or average student leader who puts forth some special effort during the month of nomination. Possible things to include in the nomination could be leadership development, contribution to the people in their community, and activities they were involved in. Please note that campus-wide executive board members, NCCs, and resident assistants are not eligible for this award.

#10	OTMs are needed by the 13^th of the following month being written about.
#9	TYPE, TYPE, TYPE!!! Make those OTMs look great by typing them. The National Office will not accept them in any other form.
#8	Each school may submit one nomination for each category each month. There are ten categories: advisor, executive board member, NCC, NRHH chapter, community service program, educational program, social program, resident assistant, spotlight, and student.
#7	Do NOT submit additional information (photos, drawings or graphics). Your nomination must fit completely on the OTM form. Do not attach any additional information or include information on the back of the form.
#6	Type the complete address and name of the nominator and nominee on the form in the space provided. This is the name that will be printed on the certificate if you win regionally or nationally. Write the address clearly because this is where notification of winning at the regional or national level will be sent.
#5	Use the correct forms! This means that you should only be using the forms that say "Revised 1996" on the form. No outdated forms will be accepted.
#4	Define acronyms, they aren't always universal! The only acronyms you should use are RA, NRHH, NACURH, RHA, NCC, and region name (i.e. SWACURH.)
#3	Make sure you are using the correct category for your nominee. This is a common error people make. To avoid mistakes look at the previous pages criteria especially executive board member, spotlight, and student OTM.
#2	Presentation is the key! Proofread the OTM to make sure you are clearly saying what you mean to say. Look out for bad grammar and spelling errors!
#1	Make sure your nomination is month specific! It is very important to highlight the outstanding things that the nominee did in the month of nomination. Use phrases like "in the month of ____ they did…. Keep this in mind through the whole OTM.