All about: The NSRO!

"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing." ~Eva Young

Hey PACURH!

Here are some NRHH updates, this time related to the NSRO.

First off, what is the NSRO? Well, it stands for the National Services and Recognition Office, and is the official supplier of NACURH apparel and recognition goods. This includes NRHH needs (membership pins, graduation cords, gold seals, etc), as well as apparel for both NACURH and NRHH. It used to be called the National NRHH Office (the NNO), and the director was also the official director of NRHH. In 2006 at the NACURH conference at UC Berkeley, that all changed and the NSRO was created, as well as the NAN position (called the "NANSI" for National Associate for NRHH and Special Initiatives. The last bit was dropped in 2008).

NSRO website

This past Semi-annual conference, the National NRHH Board approved a few changes with the NSRO that you might want to keep in mind.

First off, all pins have had their price changed. Bronze pins, OLS pins, NRHH membership pins, and RBD pins all equal $4.00 (USD). Membership pins have gone down in price 25 cents (USD), and the rest have gone up in price 75 cents (USD). Canadian Dollar amounts have changed in equivalence.
Next, the NSRO will no longer be providing 20 free induction certificates to chapters that affiliate on time. This was a decision that the NNB talked about for a very long time, and we agreed with the NSRO that there were other resources they could provide to chapters for affiliating that would be more financially sound and more widely-used than the certificates.

The NSRO is also looking into changing their apparel, so look forward to that! I most certainly have to admit that both the NBD and NNB got quite excited over some of the ideas they had.

(Argyle NRHH apparel, anyone?)

Finally, One last thing I want to mention is that the NSRO is the place where you will get your NRHH honors cords for graduating seniors. With that, it's easy to think that you can wait until around April or May to order those, but want to tell you: DON'T DO THAT. Order everything by March at the latest! The reason for this is that you're not the only one ordering cords and pins, so the office is going to be absolutely swamped around April-May. The earlier you order, the more likely you are to get everything in by graduation and awards ceremonies.

My last tip, when you mail in your check, fax a copy of the check and order form as well so that they can get started on the order immediately (and don't have to wait for the mail to deliver your money all the way to Wisconsin).

That's it for now, but be sure to contact the NSRO or myself if you have any other questions! Head to the NACURH website for even more info! (www.nacurh.org)

Diamond Love,
Beth
AD of NRHH

OTMs of Utmost Importance!

Hey PACURH!

So, there's been a few changes with OTMs that are important to keep in mind, so I felt it would be helpful if I included a quick blog about all of them. If you need to, please send this to your campus OTM admins so they can be aware of this for future reference.

First, a reminder that the Faculty-staff OTM is for academic faculty staff only, and not residential life staff or faculty. We had a lot of OTM submissions this past month that were disqualified because of this. Please change this on your campus level, so that any residential life staff are either under adviser or spotlight.

Second, (drum roll..........) The creation of a Passive Program OTM category is complete!!!! Now, instead of submitting an OTM for bulletin board of the month, you will submit it under the category of "Passive program" under the PROGRAM category (not the general category). This is possible thanks to a piece of legislation that PACURH presented the past year to the National NRHH Board, thanks much in part to Ashley Day's fantastic work. Please be sure to tell your schools and OTM administrators, since this is very important news!

Third, OTMS are due RIGHT when the 11th hits! So, at 11:59 on the 10th of each month is the last possible minute you can submit. This is just a little clarification since I know it can be kind of confusing at times.

☆ Also, the December 11th OTM submission date (for November OTMs) marks the official start of the OTM Competition! Remember: regional wins get 1 point, and national wins get 2! And, there may even be a special bonus for OTMs submitted in a certain category☆

Finally, here's the link to the official letter from the NAN, Matt Winkeler.

With utmost Diamond Love,

Beth

PACURH up and kiss it!

Hey NRHH!

So, it seems PACURH is upon us! This coming week there's gonna be a lot going on, and you definitely need to make sure you are properly prepped. This blog entry is all about PACURH and what you can do to get ready for it!

1) The first thing you can do to get ready is...

Read all of the POY (Program of the Year) bids! The bidders took a lot of time to get them ready, and it will make your life a lot easier if you read the bids beforehand. This award has the potential of going national, so we want to make sure the PACURH region is properly represented!

You can find the bids here: http://pacurh.nacurh.org/node/508

2) The second thing you can do to get ready is...

Read the guide to boardroom and bid reading! I put this together to properly prepare everyone for what lie ahead in boardroom, so I hope you all can get something out of it!

You can find the guide here: http://pacurh.nacurh.org/node/500

3) The third thing you can do to get ready is...

Double check to make sure your school NRHH chapter is affiliated. If not, send in your constitution, or re-send it in with the necessary alterations, ASAP! Schools who are not affiliated will not have voting rights in boardroom, and they will have to pay a $5 fee per delegate.

4) The last few things you can do to get ready are...

Get some sleep! Tell the appropriate people (professors, RDs, etc) about your absence! Get pumped for NRHH boardroom! Brush up on your cheers! Learn how to do the PACURH stomp AND say "heeyyyyyy PACURH!" simultaneously (I'm still getting it...)!

AND Contact me if you have any questions or concerns! I check my email multiple times a day, so please try to ask as soon as you can!

With diamond love,

~Beth

All about the OTMs, baby!

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing – that's why we recommend it daily." 
~Zig Ziglar

Hey PACURH!

So, this blog is all about OTMs! We recently had a regional NRHH chat about OTMs, so I thought it would be fitting to write my blog about that.

I used to write pretty crummy OTMs when I first became an NRHH member. I remember they had no more than a couple hundred words, and never really said anything significant about what the nominee did during the month. Half the time, the nominee wouldn't even know the OTM was written about them!
But, then one day an NRHH executive board member came to my RA staff meeting to talk about how to write good OTMs, and my world was changed! I learned that there's almost a fine art to how you write these, and ever since then I started winning campus-level OTMs. THEN I started winning regional level OTMs! I decided to have a personal goal to write an OTM every single month, and I have kept up with that goal ever since November of 2008.

Of course, I'm no longer allowed to write OTMs (which is weird, because I have to try to convince other people on campus to write OTMs for people I think are awesome), but I have certainly seen the benefits of writing these for people. Ever since my OTMs started really winning, I was able to brighten the days of many leaders and people on my campus.
Just the thought that I took time out of my busy schedule to write this for them and recognize the hard work they did really made them feel even better. Indeed, I discovered the magic of recognizing as I began my journey into OTM writing. It's more than just a membership requirement for my campus NRHH, it's a way to keep people going. To give them feedback and tell them that what they're doing is good, and to keep on doing it.

We all need positive feedback once in a while, so why not submit an OTM today and try to make someone's day better, and their job easier?

Below is the new OTM guide that I, along with the OTM Voting COmmittee, put together. There's tips about writing good OTMs, along with category break-downs, and a few ways campuses have spread the OTM love! I hope you all enjoy!

PACURH OTM Writing Guide