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

Let's talk about membership!

"Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success." ~Dale Carnegie

Hey PACURH!

It's a new year and a new and exciting beginning for your NRHH chapter! Hopefully you are all ready to start the year strong and get lots of valuable new NRHH members, along with keeping up the interest of the old!

Most of you are probably familiar with the fact that catching and keeping members can be a daunting task at the very least. The good thing is, you aren't alone! Not only are other NRHH chapters going through similar things, but other organizations as a whole go through this! Clubs, Greek communities, workplaces, etc.! During the past year, I went to a program at my school, put on by one of the community centers for diversity clubs, all about membership recruitment and retention.

(Image courtesy of Sonoma State's housing home page)

This program was valuable because, although not catered towards NRHH itself, it talked about ways to get members and to keep up their interest. Here are some of the main points from the event (keep in mind these are meant to just give you some ideas, and you are encouraged to try new things and be creative!):

1) Make sure your current membership knows what you are all about. Perhaps create a tag line or slogan (elevator speech?) that sums up your organization as it runs on campus. Basically, if your members can't explain what NRHH is, how do you expect anyone to be interested in joining? *eg: "NRHH is the residence hall organization made up of the top 1% of on-campus leaders, and is devoted to creating community in the residence halls and providing opportunities for service, leadership development, academic enrichment, and recognition."


2) Create a handout that explains your purpose. So, when you go to club fairs, etc., you can hand it out to people to let them know what you are. This might be more effective with your RHA, but it never hurts to have a few pamphlets made out to send to prospective members!

3) Think about ways your chapter can provide things that no other organization can provide. Perhaps NRHH can link up with alumni members for networking nights or etiquette dinner programs. Maybe you're the only service-oriented organization on campus. Maybe OTMs can become something your Associated Students organization gets to learn more about!

4) Create a membership benefit program. Everyone loves coupons and study snacks... even more, everyone loves getting mail! Consider membership gifts or benefits.

5) Be creative about getting your name out there! Even if it's just all your members go to programs on campus to give recognition to the organizers! Passive programming works well too!

So, with that, I'm going to open up the comments for everyone to mention something about how they recruit members or retain them! Please give a little paragraph about anything in particular your chapter does!

Besides that, I wish you all the best of luck as your reach out to new and returning members!

(NRHH logo image credit: University of Arizona's NRHH chapter. Due to formatting issues, the credit for it is going down here...)

NRHH Buddy Schools

"No my friend, darkness is not everywhere, for here and there I find faces illuminated from within; paper lanterns among the dark trees." ~Carole Borges

(Photo courtesy of: http://www.esnathens.gr/?q=news/buddy_system_spring_semester_2010_new)

Hey NRHH!

Does your chapter feel like it's all alone in the challenges of establishing an awesome NRHH experience for students on campus? Do you feel like you have all this experience just waiting to be shared with other chapters? Well, you don't have to be lonely anymore! I'm putting together an NRHH Buddy School system to pair up schools based on how they can help one another with strengths and weaknesses.

Thing is, I don't know every chapter's strengths or weaknesses, so I need your help to do so! Please fill out this survey to give me more information on pairing up schools in the best way possible!

https://catalysttools.washington.edu/webq/survey/bgawne/109916

Let me know if you have any issues with this, and I can't wait to see what everyone has got going on!

Lots of diamond love,

Beth