The LINK | March 2016

THE LINK

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE HALLS, INC.

Nacurh & OCM: NACURH & OCM

30 Years Together

30 YEARS TOGETHER

THE DIAMOND AWARD NOMINATION APPLICATIONS DUE APRIL 30, 2016 AT 11:59 PM EDT SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO YOUR REGIONAL AD-NRHH VISIT NRHH.NACURH.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION

THE LINK

MARCH 2016

The Link is a publication of NACURH, Incorporated created to educate and inform students, administrators, alumni, and partners on happenings within and beyond the corporation.

Special Thanks To: The Central Atlantic Affiliate The Great Lakes Affiliate The Intermountain Affiliate The Midwest Affiliate The North East Affiliate The Pacific Affiliate The South Atlantic Affiliate The Southwest Affiliate The NACURH Information Center The NACURH Services & Recognition Office The NACURH 2016 Annual Conference Staff Odyssey On Campus Marketing Texas State University

CONNECT NACURH, INC. | NRHH @NACURH | @NACURHNRHH NACURH

As an organization, NACURH empowers, motivates, and equips residence hall leaders by providing them with skills and resources in order for them to excel and positively impact their campus communities.

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REGIONAL CONFERENCE RECAP

It was incredible 2015-2015 Regional Conference Season! We hope you’re left with lasting memories of boardroom, programs, and more!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

03 05 06

A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVES

Nathan Tack, NACURH Chairperson

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES

2016 NACURH/ACUHO-I Program of the Year Recipient

A DAY IN THE LIFE Lessons learned from Texas State’s RHA when they visited UT at Austin’s RHA.

NACURH & BEYOND

15 16

THE ADVANCEMENT SOCIETY

17

A THANK YOU LETTER TO NACURH

18 19 20

PHOTO CREDIT: NACURH 2015

SPOTLIGHTS

08 09 11

ENGAGING ALUMNI Encouraging current students and advisors to use alumni to further the reach of our efforts.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP DURING CRISIS Practical responses student leaders can make and how to help with the Flint Water Crisis.

HEY, NACURH!

Hear from the Conference Staff for NACURH 2016!

Read about our new vision to support student leadership.

IDENTIFYING TRANSFERABLE SKILLS An update on where NACURH is at with our Strategic Plan

“There is not a single thing in my life that has more impact on the person I have become.”

MISSION & VISION STATEMENTS Get the most out of your student organization.

NACURH PARTNERS Lessons from the professional network.

BRANDING And why it matters.

REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

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COLLABORATE, EDUCATE, DEVELOP

23

COMING HOME TO THE FARM

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WE FOUND FRILLS IN A NO FRILLS SEASON

Learn about new regional NRHH Initiatives in the South Atlantic.

The new alumni branch of the Midwest.

Hear how the Central Atlantic & North East benefit from some frills.

SUSTAINABLE IN THE SOUTHWEST

Implementing paperless boardroom.

!

A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVES TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE:

NACURH and NRHH Memb NACURH Executives NACURH NRHH Advisor Ap July 7th, 2015

At the NACURH 2015 Annual Busi

Dear Member Institutions, Housing Professionals, Students and Alumni: Can you believe the NACURH Annual Conference is just under three months away! In that short period of time many things will happen all across NACURH. We will see many residence halls close another chapter in their history books, many students will walk across the graduation stage, new executive boards for RHAs and NRHH Chapters will be elected, and institutions will begin to prepare for the class of 2020. As all this happens, it a great time to reflect on what an amazing year it has been so far. While reflecting, we encourage you to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions and achievements to your campus, students, organizations, and NACURH by writing award bids, inducting them in the Advancement Society, or submitting a Diamond Award nomination. More information can be found in this publication or on the NACURH website.

I would like to take an opportunity to recognize all the outstanding host institutions of all 16 of our fall and spring regional conferences. They took a leap of faith to bring their region to their home campuses and share with us all they have to offer. If it were not for these institutions, NACURH and our affiliates would not have the chance to expand their knowledge, create a network, and share experiences with other residence hall leaders from coast to coast.

Additionally, in the first publication of The LINK this year we discussed the NACURH Strategic Plan and our efforts to strengthen the corporation and shape the organization for the future. As part of this process each regional affiliate is on an endeavor to create a regional component to the plan as well as a NACURH NRHH-level component.

We encourage you to participate in this process and help shape the vision for the future of NACURH and our

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temporary NACURH NRHH Advisor posit

position and its potential impact on NRH

NACURH Associate for NRHH (in consult

application to seek an Team appointee regional affiliates.process We as the NACURH Executive are committed to ensuring the success of this plan and will be presenting an update at the Annual Conference in addition to the introduction of the regional components.

You can find more info about the plan on the NACURH website.

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regional affiliates ends. There are many ways to maintain South Atlantic Regional NRHH Advisor fr your involvement in between conferences. NACURH will

be hosting roundtables and webinars, participate in Advisor from October 2012-February 201 taskforces, and participate in regional business chats,

roundtables, and discussions.

We encourage visit Florida Atlantic University in you theto South At your regional website, the NACURH website, or contact your Regional Director to inquire about ways to get involved. We are here to network and connect residential student leaders so if you have an idea do not be afraid to share it.

We are incredibly excited for Adam

experience, knowledge, and passion to N As always, I want to thank you for your support and

Sincerely, please do not hesitate to contact us if you need anything.

The NACURH Executive On behalf of the NACURH Executives, Team

Nathan Tack Nathan Tack

NACURH Chairperson

NACURH Chairperson

Danielle Melidona

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DEADLINE: MAY 1, 2016 AT 11:59 PM EDT NACURH.ORG/SCHOLARSHIP

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SPOTLIGHTS

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES

2016 PROGRAM OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENT

BY SHANNON MULQUEEN, INTERMOUNTAIN DIRECTOR teams submitted recipes and prepared dishes for the cook off. After submission, peers voted and judged one another’s dishes to be given awards in various categories, such as “Most Residence Hall Friendly” and “Most Original”.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRITTANY SCHREINER

Over the past two years, Colorado School of Mines has grown immensely as an organization. A group of hardworking students have taken a struggling group and turned it in to a major campus force for change. Colorado School of Mines RHA works to address campus needs through the implementation of Passion Projects, events planned by members of the RHA board to address an area of passion and a need on campus. RHA’s Second Annual Cook-Off began as a passion project, but has grown to become the 2015 ACUHO-I Daniel Siler Program of the Year.

Following the Cook Off, an online cookbook of all submitted recipes and their nutritional value was created and distributed to campus residents. The program was also followed up with multiple evaluation tools, which reached 100% of participants. This assessment allowed leaders to evaluate the successes and areas of improvement for the program. This evaluation was then added to the Colorado School of Mine’s program archive, which allows current serving students to understand past events successes and failures.

Since the completion of this program, Colorado School of Mines has started to work on implementing changes for the Third Annual Cook- Off. After looking at student evaluation, Colorado School of Mines RHA is hoping to add in a physical activity component to the event to give students a tangible understanding of how many calories are in a dish. They are also working on expanding the already impressive reach of this program on campus.

Colorado School of Mines is a science, technology, and engineering focused school located in Golden, Colorado.

The resident population is very academically driven and, due to limited space on campus, the majority of halls are reserved for first year students. This creates a distinct set of student needs that the Residence Hall Association addressed directly with the Second Annual Cook Off.

RHA created a campus wide community and helped students learn skills and create resources that would follow in to the their day-to-day lives. Second Annual Cook Off enabled residents from halls and apartments to create connections with staff and students from across campus while learning crucial cooking skills.

What is the Cook-Off? Well, it’s many things. Second Annual Cook Off was a campus-wide program developed by student leaders with the premise of providing residents with the opportunity and tools they need to cook delicious, healthy meals in a community environment. This event included a heavy focus on health, wellness, and cooking skills, with the development of nutrition labels for all food and a guest cooking demonstration. Student

Second Annual Cook-Off is an innovative combination of education and engagement that is adaptable to any campus. The level of thoughtful consideration to planning, follow-up, and student need has been exceptional and impactful on the Colorado School of Mines student population, and will continue to impact others as the NACURH/ACUHO-I Daniel Siler Program of the Year recipients.

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SPOTLIGHTS

A DAY IN THE LIFE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM VISITING ANOTHER RHA

BY ALISHA SUNDRANI, TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY

On Monday, February 22, 2016, Texas State University's Residence Hall Association (RHA) visited The University of Texas at Austin's University Residence Hall Association (URHA).

We have been working all year long planning, "A Day in Another RHA," as we loved that RBD members are able to swap regions and attend each other's conferences, and were inspired by the opportunity they had to share information about their region, learn about others, and bring back ideas to implement within their own region.

"A Day in Another RHA" allows schools that are nearby each other to visit each other during their General Assembly, observe and learn how the RHA works, share the practices of our own RHA, and bring back ideas to our school to implement them, similarly to a regional swap for RBD members. If there is time we are able to include a tour of a residence hall, a dining hall, and even the RHA office. I think we sometimes forget how

close we are to other schools, as we live and interact primarily on our campuses! This is possible for many schools, and I hope that others will take the time to visit. You never know what you'll learn and want to quickly take back to your own campus! It was really great seeing some of UT’s residence halls, their URHA office, discussing compensation and benefits, talking about the executive board structure, seeing their meeting agenda, and observing how their meetings are run! We can't wait to have UT visit us within the next couple of weeks, and are already working with other schools to have more great swaps. It is a truly enriching experience for RHAs to learn how other RHAs function. If you have any questions, please contact sw_marketing@nacurh.org for more information from the original author. Thank you, and I hope you have the opportunity to experience “A Day in Another RHA!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALISHA SUNDRANI

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LEAD is a program designed to promote and recognize the outstanding achievements of residence hall student leaders throughout their collegiate and NACURH career. By completing LEAD, individuals may earn their NACURH Links. Residence hall students at NACURH affiliated institutions are eligible to participate.

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You can submit your links at nacurh.org/lead.

Questions? Email lead_nacurh@nacurh.org

SPOTLIGHTS

ENGAGING ALUMNI

BY JEN O’BRIEN, INTERMOUNTAIN NRHH ADVISOR What connects us all is at one point we were students and this organization has impacted each of us in some way. By NACURH further developing its connection to alumni, today’s students will have more opportunity to connect to professionals of any field. This will ultimately lead to mentorship and a higher likelihood of successful careers in the future.

NACURH’s move to increase alumni involvement is a step in the right direction and further builds the ties between professionals and the students they once were. However NACURH needs your help to educate alumni on the opportunities that have opened up for them. This is an opportune time for regions, chapters, and institutions to further develop their connection to their alumni base.

Whether it’s creating new network socials with alumni to releasing quarterly updates about your school; continuing to develop this connection is crucial to the development of our students. Some

regions have already been developing in this direction, inclusive of alumni Facebook groups, alumni socials at conferences, and alumni newsletters, but it’s now time for NACURH and our regions to support our schools in further exploring this topic.

History has been lost due to many institutions lack of understanding on how to connect to this population. Whether you are a student leader or an advisor, I urge you to look into how you can further develop this idea into what works for your school and bridges the unknown of what comes after college. Ultimately, as students today, knowing you have a place to come back to builds affinity to the community you are currently in and a greater understanding of what’s to come after graduation. By supporting alumni today, you are building a stronger future for NACURH, your region, your school and yourself tomorrow.

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SPOTLIGHTS

STUDENT LEADERSHIP DURING CRISIS PLAYING OUR PART TO SUPPORT FLINT, MICHIGAN

BY KELLIE HOWE, GREAT LAKES COORDINATING OFFICER FOR TECHNOLOGY A hurricane. A tornado. A fire. A bomb threat. An active shooter on campus. A crisis comes in many forms and as leaders on our campus and in the community; it is our responsibility to set an example and help respond to the crisis to the best of our ability. This isn’t always easy as we need to keep our own feelings and emotions in check, but with a few key tips we can all become stronger leaders and a beacon of hope within a crisis.

For Flint, Michigan, crisis has come in the form of lead poisoning from the drinking water the city provided to its citizens. The Flint Water Crisis is a drinking water contamination disaster that started in April 2014 after Flint changed its water source from treated Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water – which was sourced from Lake Huron as well as the Detroit River – to the Flint River – which Flint officials failed to apply corrosion control treatment to.

The drinking water had a series of problems that culminated in lead contamination, creating a serious public health danger. The corrosive Flint River water caused lead from aging pipes to leach into the water supply, resulting in extremely elevated levels of lead. Between 10,000 and 12,000 Flint children have been exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead and they may experience a range of serious health problems that will follow them into their adult lives.

The Flint Water Crisis is happening in the Great Lakes region of NACURH and has had great impact on the University of Michigan – Flint campus as well as the surrounding community. From around the region and nation we have witnessed an outpour of support and generosity from individuals donating bottles of water and money to Flint in an effort to support those living there. But what can we do as student leaders? We have a responsibility to our campus to respond to a crisis through programming, support, and service.

There are three typical responses a student leader can take in response to a crisis. The first addresses programming. As

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student leaders we love programming and we are good at it.

Possible programs include informational and hands on programming. Putting together a program, passive or not, to inform others of the crisis is the first step into understanding and ultimately helping to recover from it. The awareness we can bring from programming is valuable to the community affected by the incident. In the face of the Flint Water Crisis, there have been multiple programs on campuses around Michigan to keep everyone updated on the status of the crisis and what is being done to rectify it.

The second response a student leader can take is support to the victims and individuals affected in any way by the incident. Support can be offered through something as simple as raising money on campus or collecting tangible items to donate to those affected. Looking at Flint again, student leaders have been collecting donations of bottled water as well as monetary donations for the Flint community.

The clean bottled water donated has been a priority for the community in order to keep the residents of Flint safe while officials work to figure out how to rectify the water crisis. As a region, GLACURH has taken action by putting together a monetary donation and water bottle drive at No Frills 2016.

Learn more about GLACURH’s efforts here.

The third and last response addresses a student leader taking part in service for those affected by the crisis. Volunteering to do hands on work is worth, on average, the same as donating $23.00 dollars per hour of service. Therefore by getting a group of ten students to volunteer for only two hours, you are donating about $460.00 dollars of work towards the cause. To tie back to Flint, volunteers have been working to pass out water to residents of Flint as well as going door to door to see how they can help the residents.

While no one wants to have a crisis of any kind in their community, knowing how to react to them is a critical trait for a student leader. Never let a crisis go unaddressed. Everyone is capable of helping in one way or another.

For more information on the Flint Water Crisis and how you can help, visit www.michigan.gov/flintwater or www.helpforflint.com.

DUE MAY 1 AT 11:59 PM EDT NACURH.ORG/NACURH-U

NA CU R H . O R G/AWARD S

HEY, NACURH!

BY THE NACURH 2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE STAFF

see. You can go see one program during the conference and watch the program you couldn’t make it to when you head home. After conference ends, our staff will be posting all of the top program recordings online for your schools to access.

Spring has sprung at the University of Delaware, and the Annual Conference Staff are as excited and busy as ever to ensure that all of the delegates at your institutions are able to unmask their super leaders. For those of you who might be wondering, we decided to chose our theme UnMask the Super Leader in You, because we believe that inside every person is a super hero. Every person in your residence halls has the ability to become great and make an impact on those around them. By getting involved in residential leadership; running programs; advocating for students; recognizing others; and serving their community, your normal everyday students can unmask their super leader. At the Annual Conference this year, we hope to connect you and your delegates with a wealth of opportunities in order to educate you and bring information back to your campuses.

A new aspect of programming this year, involves recording the Top 40 programs! This will help you be able to take the best programs from conference this year and share them effectively with your campus communities. Now you don’t have to make the difficult choice of selecting which top program you want to THE LINK | 11

New sustainability initiatives are being launched at NACURH 2016 as well. This year’s annual conference will be the first carbon neutral conference in NACURH history! Our Sustainability Chair is working with an outside company in order to ensure that all of the carbon emissions are offset from the moment delegates get in their cars or board their planes until the moment they get back home. The process will be working through a system called carbon offset credits, wherein the carbon cost is calculated for all of the delegates traveling to NACURH 2016 and then the equal amount of carbon will be prevented from entering the atmosphere through methane capture, carbon scrubbing, and other measures in sites throughout NACURH. For those of you thinking “Cool! My carbon emissions will be offset from my travel, but how am I getting to the University of Delaware?” have no fear! Our campus is a 45 minute drive from the Philadelphia International Airport. We will be running a shuttle service to and from the airport to get delegates to our campus.

Schools closer to Delaware on the East Coast, can also drive directly to our campus or take the Amtrak line to the Wilmington train station only 20 minutes away.

Whichever way you and your delegation decide to come to the University of Delaware, our staff cannot wait to meet you in June! Until conference begins please make sure to follow all of our social media and utilize the hashtag #unmask2016 for all of your delegation posts! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and conference.nacurh.org.

NACURH 2016: UNMASK THE SUPER LEADER IN YOU REGISTRATION NOW OPEN And will remain open until April 30th. Registration forms can be found on our website. Also on our website you can find an NCC Guide to Registration which will walk you through how-to register for the annual conference!

GET INVOLVED & FOLLOW US Check us out | www.conference.nacurh.org Tweet us on Twitter | @NACURH_CONF Follow us on Instagram | @NACURH_CONF Like us on Facebook | “NACURH Annual Conference”

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PHOTO CREDIT: DANIELLE MELIDONA

NACURH & BEYOND

REGIONAL CONFERENCE HOSTS We want to thank our 2015-2016 Regional Conference hosts for their service to NACURH and our regional affiliates. Thank you for your time, energy, and dedication to creating the ultimate delegate experience.

CENTRAL ATLANTIC The George Washington University - CAACURH 2015 Bowling Green State University - No Frills 2016 GREAT LAKES Saginaw Valley State University - GLACURH 2015 Ball State University - No Frills 2016 INTERMOUNTAIN Colorado State University - IACURH 2015 CU Boulder - No Frills 2016 MIDWEST University of Missouri - MACURH 2015 Missouri University of Science & Technology - No Frills 2016 NORTH EAST SUNY Geneseo - NEACURH 2015 Western New England University - Minis 2016 PACIFIC Washington State University - PACURH 2015 California State University- Monterey Bay - No Frills 2016 SOUTH ATLANTIC University of North Carolina - Wilmington - SAACURH 2015 Winthrop University - No Frills 2016 SOUTH WEST Texas A&M University - SWACURH 2015 University of Oklahoma - No Frills 2016

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NACURH & BEYOND

THE ADVANCEMENT SOCIETY A NEW VISION AND STRUCTURE TO BENEFIT STUDENT LEADERSHIP

BY NATHAN TACK, NACURH CHAIRPERSON As part of NACURH's 2015 Strategic Planning efforts we are revamping our alumni network and advancement branch of NACURH, Inc. Through this process, we have transformed our Association of Alumni & Friends of NACURH (AAFN) into The Advancement Society. As outlined on the right you can see the four different levels of support.

All previous inductees of AAFN will be grandfathered into the Gold Level of the Advancement Society.

The purpose of the Advancement Society is to establish and recognize those who make individual monetary contributions to NACURH, Inc., providing an avenue to recognize others for their leadership in NACURH by donating on their behalf and generating interest money to support NACURH leadership development, recognition, scholarships, grants, honorariums and general financial support.

Starting in 2016, we will be inducting new individuals to the Advancement Society. Any individual who pledges support of $100.00 or more will be inducted into the Advancement Society similar to the previous AAFN induction process. Institutions, RHA's, and NRHH Chapters will continue to be able to induct individuals as a form of recognition.

For more information visit nacurh.org/advancement.

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PHOTO CREDIT: COTY BEHANNA

NACURH & BEYOND

IDENTIFYING TRANSFERABLE SKILLS THROUGH STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

BY JACOB CROSETTO, NACURH ASSOCIATE FOR FINANCE We’ve all seen that perfect job posting but then saw “requires X years of experience” – seems unattainable, right? In moving on from your undergraduate program and entering graduate school or the work force, today’s business climate seems to require experience far beyond what anyone could develop in four (or five) short years. Well, lucky for you, student leaders have a unique opportunity to learn and practice effective skills, administration, and gain non-traditional experience desired by employers daily. Through your student organizations, it is important to begin building your resume from these experiences – from your transferable skills. Transferable skills are the accomplishments and understandings you have developed in various situations that can be used in many other situations.

Employers want adaptive recruits, people who can rapidly fit into the workplace culture, work in teams, exhibit interpersonal skills, communicate well, take on responsibility, perform efficiently and effectively. They want adaptable people, people who can use their abilities and skills to make the organization evolve through bright ideas and persuading colleagues to adopt new approaches and they want transformative employees, people who can anticipate and lead change, who have higher level of understanding. In looking at RHA and NRHH in particular, there are many areas for you to highlight in your job search, for example:

Event Management – Students are exposed to many areas of event management through program planning, analyzing contracts, and promoting events.

Leadership Development – Student leaders work for the campus population, create vision for a better oncampus environment, and act as change agents.

Communication – From presentations to running meetings, student leaders use effective communication to ensure that their organization progresses.

Collaboration – Working with other departments, students, and organizations allows students to learn to build connections and relationships.

Assessment – So many of the decisions made from RHAs or NRHHs are based on feedback from residents.

Evaluations of programs and student activities allow for leaders to hone their skills in making data-driven decisions.

These five transferable skills are just the beginning!

Challenge yourself to think critically about what you do each day and apply that to the field you’re interested in – you’ll be surprised as how much experience you truly have.

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NACURH & BEYOND

A THANK YOU LETTER TO

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE HALLS

BY CLAUDINE MCKINNEY, CENTRAL ATLANTIC COORDINATING OFFICER FOR INTERACTIVE MARKETING

Originally appeared in Odyssey on February 2, 2016

Odyssey is a social content platform that crowdsources ideas and perspectives from millennial thought leaders in their local communities.

Dear NACURH, Three years ago I could not even say “NACURH.” Now, I sit here and I can rattle off all eight regions in alphabetical order in the blink of an eye. I could not imagine the last three years without everything you have done for me, and truthfully, everything I have done for you. There is not a single thing in my life that has more impact on the person I have become. I completely owe it all to you! Putting this into words is not easy, but it is the least I can do for an organization that continues to impact my life so strongly and in such positive ways.

Thank you for encouraging me to dig deeper within myself, my abilities and my core values. Believe it or not, you have tested me! You have taught me the true definition of “leadership,” while also teaching me to find my own leadership style and appreciate that of others. You taught me dedication. I cannot think of any organization in this world that has more dedicated members. Most importantly, you taught to be inclusive of everyone. Because of you, I have felt more included than I ever have before.

I am so thankful for the experiences, new places I get to visit, and friendships all of which I would not have if it weren’t for you. Conferences are my happy place! Being surrounded by such empowering individuals for an entire weekend, there is no place I would rather be. Thank you for opening my eyes to other ideas and giving me the opportunity to present my ideas to others. Thank you so much for the awards and recognition. I will remember every pin and which conference I received each one. More than that, I will remember all of the awards I have been able to give others.

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Thank you for taking me to new places; who else can just pack up for a weekend and go to North Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Delaware? Okay, perhaps other people are fortunate enough to do that, but are they welcomed by hundreds of student leaders, cheering, and dressed in spirit wear? Are they given the opportunity to attend programs that can potentially change someone’s life? I win, I promise!

Thank you so incredibly much for introducing me to some of my greatest friends and bringing me closer to friends I already had. Thank you for giving me some of the most inspirational individuals who encourage me to be the best version of myself.

I could go on and on for days. You have single-handedly led me to become such a better individual and leader. You are a source of growth for so many individuals and allow us to see a new side of student leadership. Thank you for opening the door to my future! Finally, thank you for many years filled with many memories that I will remember forever. I cannot wait to see how much you continue to help me and so many other wonderful leaders.

With so much Love, One of the Many Lives You've Impacted.

P.S. It is only appropriate to give a special shout out to the region that has become my family, the Central Atlantic Affiliate of NACURH! “I said from East to West, the Cougars are the best!”

Appears with permission from Odyssey.

NACURH & BEYOND

MISSION & VISION STATEMENTS

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR STUDENT

BY JACOB CROSETTO, NACURH ASSOCIATE FOR FINANCE ORGANIZATIONS As NACURH has made large strides in strategic planning over the last year, there are two statements that guide NACURH in its entire decision making process – the Mission and Vision Statements: NACURH Mission: As an organization, NACURH empowers, motivates, and equips residence hall leaders by providing them with skills and resources in order for them to excel and positively impact their campus communities.

NACURH Vision: The National Association of College and University Residence Halls, NACURH Inc, seeks to create a network of engaged citizens sharing common experiences through residential leadership opportunities.

For your RHA and NRHH, it is important to have a similar foundation to guide your team in making your campuses a better place. These statements can help your organization focus on what is really important. Although your organization knows what you are trying to do to improve your campus community, it is easy to lose sight of this with high organization turnover, loss of institutional memory, and day-to-day challenges.

Let’s start with the basics: What is a mission statement?

A mission statement describes WHAT your organization does and HOW it is going to do it. A mission statement should be a few sentences, be inclusive of key goals, and are outcome-oriented.

What is a vision statement?

The vision statement is what you desire your organizations to be. This statement clarifies your organization’s beliefs and principles and provides an ultimate goal in which to achieve.

This statement should also be concise, well-understood, inspiring, and easy to communication. This is your “elevator pitch” in discussion your organization to people that are not familiar.

Creating these statements can be a challenge, but there are a few steps to take that will help you navigate this process: 1. Gather feedback from administrators, student leaders, and the people living on campus. Knowing the important issues in your community is vital for the development of a strong, effective, and enduring team. Do this by sending surveys, conducting public forums, and holding focus groups.

2. Develop strong questions to ask your stakeholders that include their visions for the future, their ideal organizations, major issues, and what success would look like.

3. Analyze the data using a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). This form of analysis can start to craft a strategy that helps you realize the core issues of your organization, the feelings of your residents, and identify how you can be withstanding.

4. Deciding the focus of your organization. Your organization will need to consider what it has learned from the research, and decide through thoughtful discussion the best direction for your organization. This discussion needs to be with all levels of your organization, not just executive boards.

5. Finally, you will develop multiple mission and vision statements and decide democratically which to use moving forward.

Perhaps the most important aspect of mission and vision statements is sticking to them. These statements had a lot of research, feedback, and thought put into them. Above all, these statements should be at the forefront of all decisions that your teams makes. In respecting these statements, you will have a concrete foundation in pushing your organization forward.

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NACURH & BEYOND

NACURH PARTNERS

LESSONS FROM THE PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

BY SHANE GUINAN, CENTRAL ATLANTIC COORDINATING OFFICER FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT projects has been recruiting new institutions to CAACURH, Two goals from the NACURH Strategic Plan is to strengthen our professional partnerships and to develop more leadership development opportunities for the members of NACURH. While for NACURH and the eight Regional Affiliates, this means our partnership with ACUHO-I and its member regions, our professional partners include our alumni, and all those who have served, are serving, and will serve as part of NACURH, both inside and outside of Student Affairs.

As a first year graduate student student Higher Education and Student Affairs, I have been touched by the NACURH network time and time again by those who have been apart of NACURH: from NRHH Representatives. to past conference chairs, to advisors, to past NACURH Execs. This network has served me in making connection to interviewers and gaining new and diverse perspectives.

For those of you not looking to enter Student Affairs, I want to highlight the importance of the NACURH network and Regional Alumni Associations. These organizations have spurred and aided in opportunities for connection including Alumni Socials at conferences such as the CAACURH Regional Conference 2015 and the NACURH Alumni Roundtable earlier this month. In order to continue these opportunities, it is essential for all members of NACURH to join the alumni network of NACURH and the regions.

Going into my own story, I have three examples of the NACURH Network has popped up within the last 7 months of my graduate career.

My first experience with the strength of the professional network was while I was interviewing a candidate for a professional staff member at my host institution. During the process, she mentioned that she served as an RHA Advisor at one of the CAACURH member institutions, ultimately leading to a quick conversation about the region. When my fellow interviewer asked how do you spell CAACURH, the two of us began chanting “C double A-C-U-R-H, CAACURH, CAACURH!” In seeking my own professional development with my regional professional association, MACUHO I was met with the NACURH network once again. This year, one of my

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and two of those are my host institution’s sister schoolsRutgers University, Newark and Rutgers University, Camden.

In this process, I have been working with the advisors of each institution, and have seen them enter my professional network and not only my NACURH network. I even had the opportunity to present at MACUHO NJ Core Conference, reconnecting with the Rutgers Camden Advisor, Kathryn Lonczewski and having a chance to connect with the Director of Residence Life from Rutgers Newark and MACURH Alumni, Shigeo Iwamiya.

Finally, I have seen NACURH in the assistantship interviews for my graduate program at Rutgers, New Brunswick. Two of the applicants served as institutional reps- Danielle St. Vincent, RHA President from Monmouth University and James Forrester, NRHH Rep from California State University Channel Island, and one, Jorge Florimon hosted a SAACURH conference. While these three individuals have had such diverse experiences, it allowed me to immediately make friendships with them and am happy to announce all three have accepted their positions at Rutgers!

Now, you may be thinking that since I am a member of the board, I must have fostered these relationships during my undergraduate career… and I want to tell you that you’d be wrong. I have only been involved in CAACURH and NACURH since CAACURH 2014, less than two years ago. In such a short time, I have fostered great friendships and have made connections with people across NACURH and the country.

These relationships have all come from the opportunities for leadership development I have had in conducting interviews, attending conferences, and my leadership positions. As NACURH, we have and will continue to work to increase the exposure of all members to the NACURH network and promote opportunities that currently exist- such as the Stars College Honorarium.

I urge you all take advantage of the professional and social networks that NACURH has to offer, and to consider membership in the Advancement Society and/or your Regional Alumni Association. The network that connects us all can only exist because of all of us, so make an effort to give back to the organization and help the future of NACURH.

NACURH & BEYOND

BRANDING YOUR ORGANIZATION AND WHY IT MATTERS

BY KATIE MILLER, SOUTHWEST COORDINATING OFFICER FOR MARKETING & RECRUITMENT "What is branding and why does it matter? Often times, when people think of branding, things such as a font, logo, or a graphic design come to mind. However, in this simplistic and generalized view, we fail to recognize that branding is the single most important aspect of establishing and defining any group, and sets a platform for all marketing, and a “product” perception for “consumers,” or in our case, residents. Branding, while it does include all of the aforementioned things, is actually more defined in how a customer experiences and perceives the product. In our case, the products are our organizations, and how we establish ourselves relates back to the experiences of our students. How do residents think of our organizations? What sorts of benefits do we provide, and are they evident, accessible, and prevalent to the lives of our residents as they prepare to and enter into adulthood? All of this information can and should be answered through the proper establishment of branding. So then how do we brand ourselves?

Before we can begin to brand ourselves, we must first ask and answer several key questions. What is our mission; what are the benefits of our product and services; what is the image we currently have and how do people already perceive us to be; and lastly, what qualities do we want to have associated with our organizations? As a brand provides a promise of who we are and what we offer, these questions help us to define on a very basic level what our brand is, and give us a general idea of what our branding should look like.

These are the most fundamental questions in establishing branding, but they are a far cry from the only questions that can be asked. As your organization continues to grow and develop your brand, it is vital that you continue to ask more specific and defined questions.

As I previously mentioned, things such as logos are important to branding. In fact, this is the best place to begin.

Your logo is important for visual recognition, and should be included in everything tangible that you create. When people see your logo, it creates a curiosity for, and an awareness of your organization. This is crucial to the growth and promotion of your brand. The next step is in establishing core values. When someone asks a member

about your organization, they should know and be able to talk about these values. In fact, this is often where jingles are used by professional companies. For example, think about the messages portrayed in the jingles for insurance companies. Although you may never have consciously picked up on it, they provide messages of safety and comfort that your brain subconsciously recognizes. This is a part of their branding. However, simply talking about these values is not enough. They must be integrated into everything that your organization does, from the way you respond to emails and handle social media, to the programs and events you host. If we say one thing, and do another, we have essentially destroyed all of the branding we have worked so hard to create. This integration must also include a certain tone. This “voice” should be applied to all visual and created content, and should be consistent. If we are occasionally friendly and light-hearted, and other times strictly professional and nononsense, what sort of message are we sending to those with whom we communicate, and how can they then know how they should communicate with us?

Consistency is key in all aspects, and we must always stay true to our established values. When consistency fails, so does the organization. We lose all of our branding, trust, and everything that was established throughout the continual campaign of establishing and building a brand. A part of this consistency can be conveyed through the design and implementation of templates and branding standards. This can be anything from design and logo placement, to font and coloring, but is incredibly useful and efficient for any brand. These are also great tools when you get to the next step, which is marketing. Now that you have all the knowledge for understand and creating a brand for your organization, you can begin to market the brand you have established. Marketing, another entirely complex subject, will be covered next time. Until then, I wish you all the best as you continue your ResLife journey. Now, go brand yourselves!

If you have any questions, or need more information, please email sw_marketing@nacurh.org.

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R E G IST E R AT N A C U R H . O R G/ WE B IN A R S

REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

COLLABORATE | EDUCATE | DEVELOP NEW REGIONAL NRHH INITIATIVES

BY THE SOUTH ATLANTIC AFFILIATE

In a primarily virtual organization, it becomes challenging from time to time engaging members and forming a community. This year, the South Atlantic NRHH laid the foundation of all initiatives with three main goals: Collaborate, Educate, Develop.

Currently standing at 45 chapters, the South Atlantic is known as one of NACURH's affiliates with the largest number of affiliated chapters. At the start of the new year, SAACURH's AD-NRHH, Taylor, started thinking of ways to engage NRHH Representatives and further help them develop their chapter. With a goal of connecting more individually with each chapter, Taylor set up a Google spreadsheet covering six weeks of availability for NRHH Representative 1:1s. Through these 1:1s, NRHH Representatives shared unique characteristics and initiatives of their chapter, brainstormed some resolutions to any challenges their chapter was facing, and learned about various NRHH policies to help guide chapter development. Furthermore, the 1:1s allowed a more direct method of communicating regional initiatives and updates on the upcoming conference.

least one other chapter based off of Diamond Database (a regional chapter informational database) information, regional involvement, and OTM database activity. After the reveal of Diamond Duos/Trios, all groups were given weekly challenges leading up to SAACURH’s annual No Frills conference. The main goals of these challenges were to encourage and increase collaboration among NRHH chapters as well as help them learn about different initiatives and develop new ideas to bring to their campus.

Challenges included giving a special shoutout to your assigned Diamond Duo/Trio, sharing Chapter fun facts, recognizing your NRHH support system, sharing how your chapter helps build the bridge between NRHH & RHA, submitting a #SAACURHShoutout for the monthly NRHH newsletter, and more!

The South Atlantic NRHH is excited to bring even more initiatives to the region as we work together to move the honorary forward! Strengthening the connection between the region and the campus, one initiative at a time: Collaborate, Educate, Develop.

The next regional NRHH initiative involves the collaboration of NRHH chapters through Diamond Duos/ Trios. Each affiliated NRHH chapter was paired up with at THE LINK | 22

REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

COMING HOME TO THE FARM: THE NEW ALUMNI BRANCH OF MACURH

BY KEILER SWARTZ, MIDWEST COORDINATING OFFICER FOR OUTREACH Until our No Frills conference this year, MACURH had no successful alumni organization to speak of. The Midwest had long relied on NACURH’s alumni operations for recognition of our members, but we had no system in place for communicating with these individuals. Because of this issue, the Regional Board of Directors began discussing ways to both recognize our graduating members, as well as give them an an opportunity to contribute to the future success of the organization. After a discussion with our Regional Director, Emily Braught, we decided to that this new branch of MACURH needed to be uniquely Midwestern, so the idea of the F.A.R.M. was born.

The Friends and Alumni Related to MACURH was officially founded on February 13, 2016 at the MACURH No Frills conference. The purpose behind the FARM was to create an organization that allowed for the recognition of our members while also encouraging them to give back.

Students who have graduated from a member institution in the Midwest now have the ability to donate $35 to the Alumni Fund in order to become a member of the FARM. Alumni who have donated $35 will receive a personalized plaque which shows their membership in the FARM. In addition to those who choose to donate to the FARM, our region will also have the ability to induct three honorary members into the organization at each NACURH conference. The benefits of being involved with the FARM don’t stop with induction, however.

In addition to being added to the alumni listserv and receiving the alumni newsletter twice a year, members of the FARM will be asked to give back to the region through continued involvement. Members of the FARM will be invited to attend the MACURH Regional Conference each year and share their knowledge through special program sessions. These alumni will also have the opportunity to connect with current students of MACURH during the alumni luncheon where they will be able to participate in a mentorship program. The whole goal behind these THE LINK | 23

opportunities is to expand on several of our MACURH Standards.

The FARM will allow our region to gain new LEADERSHIP skills and TRADITIONS by bringing alumni back to our conferences. The FARM will also help to expand our standards of EDUCATION and GROWTH. By bringing alumni back into our organization, we are helping our current students with not only their professional education, but also their personal growth. Ultimately the FARM will help the MACURH Standard of FAMILY the most. In the Midwest Affiliate we consider all of our students to be part of our greater family. Because of this sense of family, our region is making a serious effort through the FARM, to bring our alumni home.

The FARM is a new and revolutionary endeavor for the Midwest. Through this organization we are uniting our former members with our current members in order to build a stronger MACURH. If you are a MACURH alumni and would like to be involved with the FARM, please don’t hesitate to contact the Regional Board of Directors!

REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

WE FOUND FRILLS IN A NO FRILLS SEASON

BY LUKE HABIB, NORTH EAST COORDINATING OFFICER FOR RECOGNITION & JUSTIN SCHWENDEMAN, CENTRAL ATLANTIC DIRECTOR

PHOTO COURTESY THE NORTH EAST AFFILIATE

As CAACURH and NEACURH enters their 25th anniversaries, I started thinking about 25 years of leadership development, bidding, recognition, service...and even frills. It’s fitting that the 25th year starts off with No-Frills/Minis Conferences this spring where in the branches of old NAACURH, frills and/or fun are still on the mind.

NEACURH Minis frills can include cheering, programming, and almost anything else that you would expect at Regionals. The most important reason why NEACURH has kept frills at Minis all these years is that extra opportunity for leadership development. Many NCCs use NEACURH Minis to introduce new executive members to NEACURH and NACURH, not only so they can understand NEACURH and the NCC’s role, but also to help them find creative ways to fulfill their own roles. For institutions who cannot afford to go to NACURH, Minis has always been a great alternative for leadership development and continued involvement in NEACURH.

ensure that recognition is at the forefront of our minds coming into the conference. Our CO for Recognition works extremely hard to provide several opportunities for members of the region to recognize one another. Our boardrooms are a time where we work to empower our reps to voice the opinion of their institution on legislation, positional, and award bids. We provide an opportunity for not only outgoing representatives to attend, but incoming representatives as well, so that they may learn the ins and outs of the organization.

No matter how you look at it, it’s all about leadership development and recognition of the amazing things our leaders are doing throughout the year.

CAACURH and NEACURH have found our favorite way to do that is to keep the fun (or frills) around just a little bit longer!

PHOTO CREDIT NICOLE MACHOVINA

While the Central Atlantic does have a No Frills Conference, we do not necessarily have no fun.

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REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

SUSTAINABLE IN THE SOUTHWEST IMPLEMENTING PAPERLESS BOARDROOM

BY IAN WRIGHT, SOUTHWEST NO FRILLS 2016 CONFERENCE CHAIR As with any organization, we should always try to set a precedent by being as green as possible. We, as an organization, award schools for being sustainable, and should in turn also act with sustainability in mind, and recycle and reuse whatever we can. However, once we enter boardroom, it often seems as though we senselessly begin to waste paper through voting, notes, and snaps. The amount of paper waste in a single conference weekend is absolutely unacceptable. It is for this reason that we, as a conference staff, set out to act with sustainability in mind as we prepared for, and hosted, SWACURH No Frills 2016.

Thankfully, with all the advancements in technology, there is an incredibly well-known and user-friendly platform for something such as a paperless conference - Google! Thanks to the Google Form option, collecting snaps is a simple process. For each boardroom (Joint, NCC, NRHH, and RHA Presidents) we created a separate snap form, through which, the representatives in each boardroom could submit snaps. The link to each form was easily found on our conference website, and responses were accessible only to RBD members, who could easily sensor the snaps before reading them aloud. This setup also allowed for snaps to be read immediately upon submission, and less time spent attempting to decipher handwriting.

Google Forms was also implemented for all award voting. Google forms have an option available to restrict each form so only a single response can be submitted per account, and all voting forms were made with these restrictions, so as to ensure that all

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voting was equitable. Each of the voting sheets was linked on the same page as snaps on our website, in order to create a more centralized and easily accessible location for paperless boardrooms. All submitted votes were time-stamped, so it was easy to see if any had been made before voting was opened, and to clear those votes. In the event that a re-vote was required for any reason, a second tab was added for that category. Not only was this an incredibly efficient process, it was also eco-friendly!

Over the course of the weekend, there were a total of 1259 snaps submitted and 14 different award bids voted upon using the paperless forms. The success of this process and the acceptance of the region was incredibly positive for us, and we hope to share the idea with other regions so that we, as one NACURH, can also go paperless!

If you have any questions about paperless voting, please contact Ian Wright, the SWACURH No Frills 2016 Conference Chair at ian@ou.edu.

PHOTO CREDIT: CANVA

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2016 | JUNE 24 - 27