The LINK | October 2015

THE LINK

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

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

CORPORATE

PARTNER

Helping Students...Every Step of the Way

ocmoncampus.com

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN HOST?

PHOTO CREDIT: NACURH 2011

BID TO HOST NACURH 2017 Letters of Intent | Due Tuesday, December 1, 2015 @ 11:59PM EST Pre-Bids | Due Tuesday, December 1, 2015 @ 11:59 PM EST Contact Christina Aichele, NACURH Conference Resource Consultant, at crc@nacurh.org with any questions!

THE LINK

OCTOBER 2015

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 The Odyssey On Campus Marketing Arizona State University -Tempe

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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13

ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN PICTURES

Take a look back at some of the moments that shaped the NACURH 2015 Annual Conference hosted by North Dakota State University!

NACURH & BEYOND

11 14

A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVES By: Nathan Tack, NACURH Chairperson

NACURH BY THE NUMBERS Get a glimpse at the numbers behind the 2014-2015 affiliation year

NACURH & BEYOND

11 14 15 18 19

FROM PILLARS TO VALUES Looking towards the future of NRHH

NACURH 2015 AWARD RECIPIENTS Recognizing our award recipients from the 2014-2014 Affiliation Year

STRATEGIC PLAN: YEAR ONE An update on where NACURH is at with our Strategic Plan

WHY I LEFT A DORM AND MOVED INTO A RESIDENCE HALL

“And why I’m never going back”

CALL TO CHIEF HOUSING OFFICERS How administrators can connect with and support students

REGIONAL HAPPENINGS PHOTO CREDIT: NACURH 2015

SPOTLIGHTS

05 - 09

SPOTLIGHTING INITIATIVES ACROSS NACURH -

ASU-Tempe MACURH 2015 CAACURH Regional Education NEACURH Sub-Regions SWACURH 2015 Conference Co-Chairs CAACURH’S 25th Anniversary NEACURH’s Paperless Bidding LEAD Program Update

20 21 22 23

THE IMPORTANCE OF FROG PUNS See how PACURH is engaging students outside of conferences

MOLDING A MISSION: THE MACURH STANDARDS How reevaluating their mission is helping MACURH plan for the future

THE WHAT, WHY, AND HOW OF GOAL SETTING Helpful tips on goal setting to kickstart your organization

OPERATION: BUILD THE BRIDGE CAACURH’s efforts to bridge RHA and NRHH in their region

A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVES !

TO: FROM: BY: NATHAN TACK, NACURH CHAIRPERSON SUBJECT: DATE:

Dear Member Institutions, Housing Professionals, Students and Alumni:

NACURH remains committed to empowering, motivating, and equipping residence hall leaders by providing them with skills and resources in order for them to excel and positively impact their campus communities. As the largest student run organization in the world, we remain dedicated to our vision of a network of engaged citizens sharing common experiences through residential leadership opportunities.

Over the last year, we have been making strides to help shape the future of residence hall leadership. We are proud to revitalize a previous NACURH publication - The Link - by updating it to meet the needs of our member institutions and today’s students. The Link serves to educate and inform students, administrators, alumni, and partners on happenings within and beyond the NACURH, Inc. Within this bi-annual publication you can find information about member and institution achievements, opportunities within NACURH, and information about the trajectory of the corporation.

As part of our efforts to strengthen the corporation and shape the organization for the future we developed a NACURH-wide Strategic Plan. We as the NACURH Executive Team are committed to ensuring the success of this plan by developing the initiatives outlined within the document into overarching goals for the corporation to reach. You can find more info about the plan within this magazine or on the NACURH website.

Additionally, I am excited for our lineup of Fall Regional Conferences and their host institutions! Students will expand their knowledge, create a network, and share experiences with other residence hall leaders from coast to coast. I encourage students who will be attending THE LINK | 3

NACURH and NRHH Membersh NACURH Executives NACURH NRHH Advisor Appoin July 7th, 2015

At the NACURH 2015 Annual Business

temporary NACURH NRHH Advisor position w

position and its potential impact on NRHH an

NACURH Associate for NRHH (in consultation application process to seek an appointee for

After a successful confirmation by the N

we announce Adam Schwarz as the 2015-201 PHOTO CREDIT: KAT ROEMER

Adam has been involved with NACURH

these conferences to make the most of this opportunity. I want to call Chief Housing OfficersNRHH to supportchapters Inalso addition toonhaving advised students as they travel on this journey; encourage them to South NRHH Advisor put the Atlantic lessons theyRegional take home into action. In addition, from 2 I’m encouraging RHA Presidents and Chief Housing Advisor from October 2012-February 2013. H Officers to take time to sit down and meet once a semesterAtlantic to discuss ways RHA can advocate their Florida University in theforSouth Atlanti peers and improve the residential living experience for all.

We are incredibly excited for Adam to

As always, I want to thank you for your support and experience, knowledge, to NRHH please do not hesitate to contact usand if youpassion need anything.

Wishing you continued success in the year ahead.

Sincerely, On behalf of the NACURH Executives, The NACURH Executive Team

Nathan Tack Nathan Tack

NACURH Chairperson NACURH Chairperson

NACURH BY THE NACURH BY THE NACURH BY THE

IN 2014 NUMBERS NUMBERS

GET A GLIMPSE AT THE NUMBERS BEHIND MEMBER THE 2014-2015 SCHOOLS AFFILIATION YEAR.

428

NUMBER

IN 2014 426 Programs Presented

MEMBER SCHOOLS

428

NACURH Represents Over

ONE MILLION NACURH Represents AND Over FOUR HUNDRED ONE MILLION TWENTY-EIGHT THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND STUDENTS TWENTY-EIGHT THOUSAND

426 Programs Presented

7,500+ St Confer 7,500+ Students at Conferences

$29.445 Sp on Recogn

41,220 OTMs Submitted

$29.445 Spent on Recognition

41,220 OTMs Submitted

5 Countries Represented

STUDENTS Contributions

5 Countries Represented

52 AAFN Ind 52 AAFN Inductees

TOTAL ASSETS

TOTAL ASSETS

Contributions

1,339,074 1,339,074 Dollars US US Dollars 46%

NACURH currently operates with roughly 46% with roughly NACURH currently operates of all assets being accounts of allcash assets being(checking cash accounts (checking accounts). This money is used by NACURH, the by NACURH This to money is used eight regions,accounts). and two offices fund day-today activitieseight regions, and two offices to fund day day activities NACURH currently operates with roughly 23% of all assets being savings accounts.operates This NACURH currently with roughly money is used by NACURH and thesavings eight accounts. This of all assets being regions for items like ADA needs, technology, money is used by NACURH and the eight and scholarships. regions for items like ADA needs, technol NACURH currently operates with roughly 31% and scholarships. of all assets being investments in mutual funds. TheseNACURH funds are used to ensure financialwith roughly currently operates security and of stability of NACURH moving into in mutual all assets being investments the future.

46%

23%

23% ACUHO-I Donation STARS College Honorariums ACUHO-I Donation Case Study Awards Programming Grants STARS College Honorariums POY Scholarship Case Study Awards Annual Conference Scholarships

31%

31%

Programming Grants POY Scholarship Annual Conference Scholarships THE FUTURE OF NACURH'S FINANCES

funds. These funds are used to ensure fin security and stability of NACURH moving the future.

Historical Assets (USD)

1,400k Moving into Fiscal Year 2016, NACURH is in a very stable position. The NACURH Board of Directors have recently implemented an investment policy book that will govern how NACURH uses our investment revenue to further help give back member schools.

Movingto into Fiscal Year 2016, NACURH is in a very stable1,300k1,400k As the graph shows, NACURH has exhibited positive growth position.

The NACURH of indication Directors recently over the recent years andBoard there is no that have will change. implemented an regions investment policy book that will govern how Additionally, are moving toward more financially-stable NACURH usesthat ourwill investment revenue furtherishelp giveat back practices ultimately ensure thattoNACURH here for least another 60 years! to member schools.

THE FUTURE OF NACURH'S FINANCES

1,200k1,300k 2011

As the graph shows, NACURH has exhibited positive growth over the recent years and there is no indication that will change.

Additionally, regions are moving toward more financially-stable practices that will ultimately ensure that NACURH is here for at least another 60 years!

1,200k

Historical Assets (USD)

2012

2013

2014 THE LINK | 4

SPOTLIGHTS

2015 SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENT

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY - TEMPE

BY REBECCA LYNCH, NCC

and supervising their vice-presidents. We have a large number of Vice-Presidents that are residents that live in their respective communities. The number of vicepresidents vary per each residential college, depending on the size of their residential college. For example, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Residential Community has four buildings so they have four vicepresidents, while the Mary Lou Fulton Teacher's College/ School of Sustainability is smaller and only has once VicePresident. The responsibilities of Vice-Presidents include holding and leading community council meetings and planning at least two programs a semester. In total, our RHA has around 40 staff members, and 12 community councils.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BECCA LYNCH

At ASU-Tempe, we have a large on campus population of 12,000 residents, with a large percentage of those residents being mostly first-year students, and the other being sophomore and beyond students. We also have a large population of international students that live on campus. We have nine on-campus communities that are broken up per their residential college. Students live in communities that correlate with the area and college they are studying in, in order to benefit their academic studies as well as match them with students of similar interests as their own. Those communities are Barrett, the Honors College, Mary Lou Fulton Teacher's College/School of Sustainability, the Herberger School of Design and the Arts/School of Health Solutions, the College of Letters and Sciences, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, Cholla Apartments, and Vista Apartments.

Because ASU-Tempe is in a residential college model, our RHA model reflects that. We have an Executive Board of nine members that oversees the overall workings of the organization, which includes an Executive Director (RHA President), Director of Operations, Director of Business Administration, Director of Leadership Development, Director of Leadership Development, Director of Campus Affairs, Director of Programming, Director of Marketing, NACURH Communications Coordinator, NRHH Chancellor (NRHH President), and RHA Advisor. Below our Executive Board, we have nine residential council presidents that reflect the nine residential colleges we have on campus.

The presidents duties include being a direct liaison to their residential college partners, creating community councils, THE LINK | 5

Our NRHH chapter currently holds 52 active members, with a cap of 120 members. The Chapter of the Maroon and Gold is lead by the NRHH Chancellor (NRHH President) and a full executive board or chancery. The chancery is comprised of the Chancellor, the Director of Administration, Director of Member Development, Director of Advertising and Communication, Director of Service, Director of Recognition, NRHH Advisor, and NRHH Co-Advisor. The hold bi-monthly meetings that include chancery updates, committee breakouts, and other activities with an emphasis on member development.

At our institution, we pride ourselves in our efforts in programming and advocacy, with having two of our Executive Board members have these specific focuses.

Our Director of Programming throws six events a year, including the annual Disneyland Turnaround Trip, and participating in the ASU Homecoming Parade. The Director of Campus Affairs throws events and implements advocacy initiatives with the mission of improving the residential community our students are residing in. In addition, each of our staff members are required to throw programs for their community that benefit and reflect the needs of their residents, as well as implement advocacy initiatives for their halls. For example, a few years ago, RHA made an inclusive fee for laundry in student tuition so students no longer had to pay for each load they did, ensuring that students could do as much laundry as they wanted at no additional cost to them. Our community councils have traditionally advocated for improvements to their halls, including capital improvements ranging from purchasing pianos to ping pong tables, to ensuring more opportunities and spaces for sophomore year and beyond students to live on campus.

SPOTLIGHTS

BE THE CHANGE

BY EMILY BRAUGHT, MIDWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR The University of Missouri, endearingly known as Mizzou, is hard at work planning MACURH’s Regional Conference, MACURH 2015: Be The Change. A conference staff’s job can be challenging; they must battle the flight of change with the weight of expectation, striking a balance of consistency and progress. Never have I witnessed a conference staff so intent on excellence.

If the conference theme isn’t enough to convince someone that Mizzou’s Conference Staff cares about progress and change, the improvements they’ve made to the conference experience will. Not once has the Conference Chair, Mariah Urban, accepted “we’ve always done it this way” as an answer to any question. With a critical eye, she has lead her team in examining every aspect of the conference, using the theme to not only promote leadership in the residence halls, but also leadership within MACURH. Some exciting things to look forward to include:

•

Key Note by Ryan Sallans, LGBT Rights Advocate to discuss social justice, diversity, and inclusion to kick start a weekend that focuses keeps diversity at the forefront

•

Well-presented and well-planned programs due to an extended application and preparation process

•

Intentional use of time at socials to get attendees talking about deeper level.

•

A focus on tradition that promotes the value of the past while still allowing room for growth, challenging students to Be The Change

For MACURH, Mizzou is at the forefront of change and the changes they’ve made will set a precedent for future conference staffs of MACURH and beyond.

CAACURH REGIONAL EDUCATION

BY SHANE GUINAN, CENTRAL ATLANTIC CO FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT It is the goal of all regions to have more schools fully engage with the region. Within each region, there are several schools which seem to dominate the conversation each year, but the goal is to ensure that all institutions are participating to their greatest ability. In order for an institution to be engaged beyond only their voting representatives, it is vital to begin connecting with RHA and NRHH members on each campus. In order to increase involvement, people need to be aware of and identify with the organization.

In response to this challenge, CAACURH is undertaking a project to create a uniform regional education program.

This program is in the form of a presentation that can be used in one of several methods: through presentation at a

conference for delegates to attend, by the Regional Board during affiliate meetings, or by the voting representatives of the institution. This program works to ensure that all institutions are receiving information about the identity of CAACURH and NACURH, and are seeing themselves as a part of both organizations.

It is important to ensure that the program is itself very engaging. As a part of this, there are plans to incorporate regional cheers and other forms of media in the presentation to create spaces for varying levels of thought and activity by the audience.

The regional education program is still in the process of being revised before official release this fall.

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SPOTLIGHTS

“FIRST YOU FORM NEW YORK…”

BY CASSANDRA DEAL, NORTH EAST REGIONAL DIRECTOR

board games getting to know the other representatives in their sub-region.

“…AND THEN YOU ADD NEW ENGLAND; AND THEN YOU NEACURH!”

A lot of people never forget their first sub-regional meeting, arriving newly elected to their position and knowing little about NEACURH and nothing about the position on a larger scale; however, not too long into the roundtable discussions they feel accepted into the most loving community our Moose family can offer. Not only do they learn about NEACURH and boardrooms, but they begin to form lasting relationships that live on after their terms end.

NEACURH is unique in many ways, one of which is the way that we divide our region: The sub-regions of New England and New York. The Regional Board of Directors hosts two sub-regional meetings before each of our conferences and schools look forward to them as a great time to bond with other schools and prepare themselves for what they will experiencing in boardroom. After the business portion of the meetings, the host schools have entertainment that involves bonding with everyone in attendance. Attendees will sometimes stay up all night chatting over movies or

The best part about our sub-regional system is that when we come together at Conference we’re no longer divided; we are completely blended into the NEACURH family.

People are more comfortable facing their first time in boardroom after attending a sub-regional meeting because they have some familiar faces and know what to expect.

SWACURH 2015 CO-CHAIRS

MICHAEL BUSE & JOHN NALLEY

BY MOLLY MCKINSTRY, SOUTHWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR Everyone knows that conferences, with all their wonderful experiences and amazing student leaders, can also be stressful. Especially for the conference chairs, who even after years of planning still strive for perfection every Fall.

Michael Buse and John Nalley are the two exceptional chairs for the SWACURH Regional Conference this year.

Their incredible attention to detail, willingness to change or alter any and everything for the better of the region, and steady leadership have been incredible assets to our team.

What makes them even more exceptional, is they have only had the position for three months. After the previous conference chair had to step down, Michael and John stepped up in a big way and the Southwest got incredibly lucky. It was sheer happenstance that these two men would be running a conference, but as soon as they took the helm, our conference has been smooth sailing.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF SWACURH

It is hard to jump into a new position, but Michael and John have shown incredible grace and patience with every challenge they have faced. Outside of conference planning, they have also been incredible Regional Board members.

Their positivity has made our at times long meetings enjoyable for everyone. Their humor is a constant light in every interaction they have. As a previous conference chair I hold an incredible amount of respect for the hard work and dedication both chairs have put forth these past three months and cannot wait to see what an amazing conference Michael and John bring us in the upcoming months.

SPOTLIGHTS

25TH ANNIVERSARY OF CAACURH

BY JUSTIN SCHWENDEMAN, CENTRAL ATLANTIC REGIONAL DIRECTOR & CLAUDINE MCKINNEY, CENTRAL ATLANTIC CO FOR INTERACTIVE MARKETING

“HEY! HEY MACK! COUGARS GOT YOUR BACK! YOU GOTTA ROLL WITH THE SILVER AND JAM WITH THE BLACK!” Speaking of silver, The Central Atlantic Affiliate, as well as the North East Affiliate, have their 25th anniversaries this coming year. With that, members of the Central Atlantic RBD are hard at work ensuring this momentous occasion is highlighted.

Claudine McKinney, the CAACURH Coordinating Officer for Interactive Marketing is going to be leading a group of CAACURH members towards the creation and implementation of various celebratory items. Some of these items include the updating and revamping of the CAACURH history document. In recent years, it has not been kept as up to date. By adding in more recent information, it is our hopes that it will continue to be built upon year after year. In addition to the history document, it is Claudine’s hopes that CAACURH will be able to have a bound history book for distribution at NACURH 2016. The group will be tasked with reaching out to alumni, gathering images, quotes, and insight into the past 25 years that CAACURH has had as its’ own region.

hopes to work with them to find what resources they truly hope to see put forth by the region. It is his hope that this organization can one day act as a sponsor for conference scholarships, offer a strong professional network, and give back to the organization that has meant so much to them.

One way that CAACURH plans to utilize alumni this coming year is at the 2015 Regional Conference. Laura Hellwig and Kylie Madden, the CAACURH Regional Conference Co-Chairs, are hard at work to ensure that alumni are an integral part of the conference experience.

On Saturday afternoon delegates will have an opportunity to meet both CAACURH alumni, as well as The George Washington University (GW) alumni, who have experienced CAACURH or RHA in some capacity. Some of these alumni will hopefully include former RBD members, as well as the founders of GW’s RHA. Both CAACURH and NEACURH hope to work together this coming year on some initiatives. One being the creation of new regional pins. Details are still being discussed, but just think of the old school best friend type of bracelets that connected when put together, and that should give you a good idea of what to expect! CAACURH looks forward to the big 2-5 this year and many more years to come!

On the topic of alumni, Justin Schwendeman, the Regional Director, is working on the rebranding of the CAACURH Association for Continued Service. Since its’ establishment, just two years ago, around 15 members have been inducted into this prestigious society. Justin

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SPOTLIGHTS

’15-16 AFFILIATION

GOING PAPERLESS While NEACURH was the last region to adopt a paperless bidding policy and the corresponding boardroom technology policies that followed, we’ve quickly learned and adapted. After close to 4 years of discussions in boardrooms and various versions of the policies written and re-written, NEACURH passed paperless bidding at our Regionals 2014 conference at Syracuse University. The decision to finally move NEACURH into the “21st century” like our regional counterparts was both exciting and nerve wracking, would the transition be accepted by our region? what challenges would we face?

At our Minis 2015 conference, we saw a nearly seamless implementation of the policies. Boardroom participants were both excited for and pleased with the paperless boardroom procedures. With all participants having quick access to many resources at their fingertips, conversations were increasingly well-informed and discussions of bids and policies reached a new level of professionalism and accuracy. At NACURH 2015 we broke new ground when

BY THE NORTH EAST AFFILIATE

NEACURH had our first completely virtual election, Luke Habib completed a successful bidding process from all the way in Pennsylvania and ultimately became the Coordinating Officer for Outreach and Bidding. Luke continues to aid NEACURH in exploring the full potential of Technology guiding the region when, for the first 7 weeks of the Fall 2015 semester, he meets virtually with our entire RBD and various other regional members from all the way in Switzerland!

We are looking forward to another seamless incorporation of technology at our Summit meeting when Luke will be joining us at various points in the meeting from Zurich! We have certainly come a long way in a short period of time and are very excited for future progress and incorporation of technology to further the advancement of our region.

Who knows, now that we know Luke can effectively connect from Europe maybe we’ll be able to search farther for affiliations not only in NEACURH, but NACURH-wide!

L.E.A.D. LEADERSHIP EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

LEAD UPDATE 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. The link to the website and the submission form can be found at lead.nacurh.org. The website should be available in three weeks, before regional conferences.

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FROM PILLARS TO VALUES

LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF NRHH BY: COTY BEHANNA, NACURH ASSOCIATE FOR NRHH

PHOTO CREDIT: NATHAN TACK

Since its inception in 1964, the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) has been on a forward march to bring a special experience to residential students in higher education. Over the course of its 50 years in existence, NRHH has become the heart of NACURH’s mission to empower, motivate, and equip residence hall leaders by providing them with skills and resources in order for them to excel and positively impact their campus communities.

During the 2014-2015 affiliation year, NRHH pursued several opportunities to focus on and highlight what made NRHH a crucial component of the resident student experience across NACURH’s membership. One such opportunity was to reassess the underpinnings of NRHH and to transition away from the four pillars. The four pillars of NRHH developed over the past decade to answer a call for a codified value system of what NRHH’s purpose and mission was on our campuses. Last year, NRHH leadership completed an assessment of how our chapters were implementing this value system as well as the realities of what NRHH could offer on a grander sense.

Thus, the four pillars of NRHH were transformed into a new values statement for NRHH. The Honorary will now be a leadership-based honorary focusing on two core values: service and recognition. For many years, there has been continual feedback about difficulties NRHH chapters have had finding a place on their campus. Determining that NRHH is to be a leadership-based organization provides energy for a rebranding effort focused on personal and professional leadership development geared towards NRHH membership as well as the residential community.

Service is a concept that presents itself in many institutional mission and purpose statements related to civic engagement and student leadership. NRHH believes that service can and should be an important part of preparing students for global citizenship. Thus, as a value of our organization, NRHH hopes to redefine what service means by helping chapters connect to local community needs and to provide guidance for reflecting and applying experiences to post-graduate life.

Recognition has long been a core part of NRHH and its functions both on campus and within NACURH. NRHH recognizes that the simple act of recognition is a powerful motivator for our peers and colleagues as well as a way to make a positive impact on our communities. NRHH will continue to foster the commitment to recognizing the truly extraordinary leaders, programs, and mentors in our campus communities for years to come.

Despite the excellent gains we have made in recent years to solidify our resources, support our chapters, and further integrate NRHH with the campus community, we are now determining our path forward. This year, NRHH will enter a strategic planning exercise to create guidelines and goals for our continued development. We recognize that a yearly turnover rate of student leaders brings excellent ideas, fresh perspectives, and diverse skills, but also that a lot can get lost in translation. This strategic planning exercise will help us listen, unite, and construct.

Listening involves a number of variables. It certainly includes listening to the experiences, dreams, and expectations of our member chapters of NRHH as a global organization, but expands to other groups of influence. One such group is housing officials. We are forever thankful for the advising and support supplied by residence life and housing programs at our member institutions and want to further understand their perspective of NRHH and its current state.

In our effort to maximize our impact for resident students, these administrators are a key group in our effort to listen.

NRHH has long celebrated our autonomous nature. We provide a framework for chapters to make their organization exactly what they need and want, as well as what the campus community may need or want. We want to continue the support of chapter autonomy while also focusing on uniting NRHH under a single mission. This begins with reassessing our mission and vision statement and making certain that they reflect the specific components of the oncampus experience that we hope to impact.

Finally, constructing a plan for the future involves multiple layers of feedback, dialogue, and pragmatism. This final purpose of NRHH’s strategic planning exercise will aim to create a framework for future development. However, given that hot topics in higher education regularly shift and mold to current events, we want to construct a framework that allows for constant assessment and revision. Thus, the framework will be revisited each year to allow for modifications that adjust for present situations.

Through collaboration with NRHH and NACURH leadership, our member schools, our chapters, and the dedicated professionals that support NRHH across NACURH, we hope to see NRHH become even stronger and more impactful for students living on campus.

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN PICTURES NACURH 2015: Once Upon A Time was hosted by North Dakota State University May 22 - 25th. NACURH would like to thank Beth Walsh, Amanda Christianson, Rachel Kinsel, Rebecca Bahe and the entire conference staff for their commitment to NACURH and our Annual Conference. Through dedication to the delegate experience, the staff at NDSU made an impact in the lives of our students as they shared their leadership stories.

Take a look at our photo recap! We look forward to seeing everyone at the University of Delaware for our 2016 Annual Conference June 24 - 27!

PHOTO CREDIT: DANIELLE MELIDONA

NACURH & BEYOND

NACURH 2015 AWARD RECIPIENTS FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE AWARD Nicole Machovina | Kent State University STUDENT OF THE YEAR Rudi Zurbuchen | University of Utah NRHH MEMBER OF THE YEAR Amy Zeigler | University of Northern Colorado NACURH ADVISOR OF THE YEAR Travis D. Schilla | Missouri State University NACURH PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR William Hsu | University of California - San Diego NACURH NCC OF THE YEAR Jenn Gray | University of Arizona NACURH OTM TRAVELING AWARD Colorado State University 2015 NACURH/ACUHO-I PROGRAM OF THE YEAR AWARD Arizona State University - Tempe NACURH OUTSTANDING ADVOCACY INITIATIVE The University of British Columbia NRHH BUILDING BLOCK CHAPTER OF THE YEAR The University of California - Berkeley NACURH BUILDING BLOCK RHA OF THE YEAR The University of Michigan OUTSTANDING NRHH CHAPTER OF THE YEAR North Dakota State University NACURH SCHOOL OF THE YEAR Arizona State University - Tempe

2015 NRHH DIAMOND AWARDS Hayley Rodgers Hannah Adkins William Rehrig Nicholas Viviano Ryan Cafiero Michaela Davenport Tiffany Shierling STARS COLLEGE HONORARIUMS Katie Fransisco | Southern Oregon University Jeremiah Stinnett | University of Oklahoma MaryLyn Silverstein | University of Nevada, Reno Elizabeth Hurley | Suffolk University 2015 NACURH AAFN INDUCTEES Brianna Gomez, NACURH Associate for NRHH Kat Roemer, NACURH Associate for Finance Melissa Lourie, Central Atlantic Director Amanda Christianson, Annual Conference Finance Chair NACURH SERVICE AWARD Brianna Gomez Melissa Lourie GOLD PINS Lydia Batchelor Danielle Melidona Kat Roemer Brianna Gomez Megan Corder Nicholas Chen Adam Schwarz Beth Sutton NACURH 2016 CONFERENCE HOST University of Delaware

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NACURH & BEYOND

STRATEGIC PLAN: YEAR ONE Since being approved by the NACURH Board of Directors at NACURH 2015, the NACURH Executives have been working to put the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan in motion.

Leadership on the regional and NACURH levels will play a critical role in the plan’s implementation over the next three years and beyond.

NACURH Strategic Plan Year One of implementation is in full swing. In June of 2015, the NACURH Executives used the initiatives outlined in the Strategic Plan to set overarching goals for NACURH Inc. for the 2015-2016 Affiliation Year.

NACURH STRATEGIC PLAN | 2015-2018

Accomplishments thus far include: • • • • •

Development of NACURH’s corporate brand Purchase and integrated use of Zoom, a virtual conferencing platform Adoption of NACURH’s Investment Policy Book Identifying potential corporate partnerships Transition from committee structure to taskforce structure for accomplishing NACURH-level goals and projects

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE HALLS, INC. | 1954

In addition to these accomplishments, we have several other initiatives underway. The NACURH Executives will be providing a full update on goal progress to the NACURH Board of Directors and NRHH National Board during the 2016 Semi-Annual Business Meeting. We look forward to making even more progress over the next few months!

Regional Strategic Planning Update Along with the implementation of Year One of the NACURH Strategic Plan, regional affiliates have been charged to develop their own Strategic Plans for the 2016-2019 affiliation years. Each region has taken the necessary steps to build a Strategic Planning taskforce made up of regional board members and students. The taskforces will participate in a similar planning process to NACURH’s Strategic Planning Commission last year including the development of a needs assessment and the identification and development of initiatives that will continue to progress the regions forward.

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PHOTO CREDIT: COTY BEHANNA

The NACURH Strategic Planning Commission at their planning retreat in November 2014.

NACURH & BEYOND

TIMELINE | 2015 - 2018

http://www.nacurh.org/strategic THE LINK | 16

SHOW US WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF

PHOTO CREDIT: NACURH 2015

BID FOR PROGRAM OF THE YEAR NACURH/ACUHO-I Daniel Siler 2016 Program of the Year Applications Now Available!

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NACURH & BEYOND

WHY I LEFT A DORM AND MOVED INTO A RESIDENCE HALL

[ AND WHY I’M NEVER GOING BACK ]

BY TEVIN MONROE, WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

Originally appeared in The Odyssey on July 20th, 2015

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

There are so many pieces that make up the college experience. From my time as a campus tour guide, I’ve learned this in a very practical way. Parents want to hear about things like campus safety, academics, campus resources, and financial aid. Students want to hear about campus life, student organizations, signing up for classes, places to hang out, late-night food, Greek life, and more.

Then there’s the one topic on my tours that makes both parents and students listen up, the one topic that’s the selling point for my university, arguably the most important piece of a healthy university: housing and residential life.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I was once like many others. I once threw around the D-word without a second thought.

One of my favorite phrases had to do with rule enforcement, as in the criminal usage of hot plates or candles, “not in the dorms!” I saw university housing as a place to lay my head at night, a place with the dining hall on the first floor, and a place to run away from whenever my parents promised they’d cook for me on a weekend. For a long time, university housing was no more to me than the sum of its parts. I grew in my understanding of housing, though. And very soon into the process, I packed up my dorm and made the choice to move into a residence hall.

It’s a very slight change in language, but it means so much.

At the beginning of my first semester as a freshman, I joined a hall government. Within that, I was introduced to an entirely new world of student affairs: putting on programs, promoting diversity and inclusion, and creating leadership opportunities for residents. All the while, as I was doing my civil duty as one who creates a culture of community, inclusion, and leadership, I found that a change

in language, however small, can mean the difference between isolation and community.

A dormitory is defined as “a building containing a number of private or semiprivate rooms for residents, usually along with common bathroom facilities and recreation areas.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t appear to me to paint the entire picture. Where’s the notion of student resources in this definition? Personal and professional development? How about community?

So I discovered, in my time in hall government, that the Dword is not enough to describe the dynamic, beautiful community in which we live. The D-word cannot contain all that we’ve experienced, all the makeup-smearing, tearyeyed, heart-to-heart late-night talks we’ve had, all the HGTV we’ve binge-watched, all the 2 a.m. pizza orders and study sessions and instant coffee we’ve consumed, and all the love we’ve shared. Because all of that is so much more than a building containing private or semiprivate rooms for residents. It is so much more than the sum of its parts. It’s the creation of a family, or a group of best friends, or a collection of experiences that we’ll have for the rest of our lives.

It’s not called a dorm; it’s called a residence hall. And switching from one mindset to the other will make all the difference. So pack up your things, check out of your dorm, and make the linguistic change to a residence hall. You won’t believe the difference it’ll make.

Appears with permission from The Odyssey.

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NACURH & BEYOND

CALL TO CHIEF HOUSING OFFICERS

BY JEN O’BRIEN, INTERMOUNTAIN NRHH ADVISOR

The more you build strong relationships with student leaders, in particular those involved with RHA and NRHH organizations on your campus, the greater the likelihood of improving your Housing program. This is not only true because as a Housing Officer you are closer to the student voice and understanding the campus climate, but also it improves staff morale and continuity. The connection to student leaders improves staff morale through increasing the intrinsic rewards they receive. In addition, that connection helps them to be more thoughtful about how decisions influence student life. In turn, this improves staff continuity, because staff feel increasingly valued by the department and students.

When staff build these types of connections with students they are more likely to spend quality time at work, do higher quality work, and know their community at a higher level. Additionally, when student leaders in the halls feel a greater sense of support from Professional Staff at all levels, they are more likely to be involved at a higher level beyond the campus. For example, hosting conferences, hosting executive officers at the Regional and International level, win award bids, and overall have higher engagement with schools other than itself. Higher engagement leads to a higher recruitment standard for

the school, as students outside of the institution see the school as a positive place with which they could get involved, a place that will support student life, and a place that helps students to grow. This ultimately improves the bottom line as your school is more likely to hire highly capable and diverse entry level staff who are more likely to stay because the school has a positive reputation. Then they enter the cycle the school has already developed in aligning student and professional staff life to ensure intrinsic benefit to both. This would ultimately save in recruitment costs, as new staff would be more likely to stay at the institution longer and grow the position reputation of the school. If all schools started developing similar cycles of student leader and professional staff support systems, this would hopefully lead to an increase of professionals in the field, reduce professional staff burn out, and nurture growth in the amount of staff who stay.

Overall, this all boils down to presence. Promoting presence of all staff from the CHO down, going to student-run programming and meetings, and having face time with student leaders starts the cycle of improving the field of Housing in Higher Education.

PHOTO CREDIT: NACURH 2014

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REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

THE IMPORTANCE OF FROG PUNS:

ENGAGING STUDENTS OUTSIDE OF CONFERENCES

BY THE PACIFIC AFFILIATE One area for growth that NACURH as an organization has been exploring in recent years is how to engage students beyond conference attendance. The Pacific Affiliate has been especially interested in alternative programming and engagement as our region is geographically quite large and we often find ourselves far, far away from the location of the Annual Conference. Technology is increasingly becoming essential in the workings of our region, but we still struggle to entice people to attend online chats and webinars. Enter: Frog Puns. Over the past year the Pacific Affiliate has incorporated fun, educational online programming every month called ‘Jeremiah’s Corner’ (named for our mascot, Jeremiah T. Frog), spirit points we call ‘Ribbit Points’ (get it? Like the sound a frog makes. Haha), and a weekly newsletter called the ‘Froggy Friday’ (that one’s pretty self-explanatory). Although these froggy puns have caused a bit of debate (is it froggy or froggie? You be the judge), we have found an increase in participation on our online platforms and our regional spirit is at an all time high.

This next year will be an exciting time for both NACURH and PACURH, as we will be looking toward the future and laying down the framework for future generations of frogs to build upon. One central focus of PACURH’s strategic plan will be programming outside of conferences and use of technology. As an organization NACURH has given countless students opportunities to grow as leaders and learn from one another, but the advent of online learning and a push to provide more resources to our affiliates is causing NACURH to start broadening its horizons. Here on the west coast we see a huge potential for providing opportunities for students to learn from one another all year long, not just three times a year at conferences. We will strive to present diverse and progressive material all year round, so that our affiliated schools get the most benefit possible from their affiliation dues.

PHOTO CREDIT: NACURH 2011

are available. We may have wonderful webinars and guides stored away on our hard-drives, but if students can’t find them they aren’t accomplishing their purpose.

This has continued to be a problem in our region, which is why we have started to incorporate light-hearted names and themes to attempt to engage with students more effectively. We have also found that consistency is key. Our webinar series ‘Jeremiah’s Corner’ occurs every month at exactly the same time, this way students know to book time to attend weeks in advance. By being consistent with our weekly newsletters, efficient with our communication, and utilizing all the online resources available to us we have been able to create a culture where students expect to engage regionally year-round.

This next year will be a year of change for NACURH. Out here on the West Coast we look forward to continuing to set trends and push for more online engagement with our affiliates, so don’t forget to attend some Jeremiah’s Corners, wrack up those Ribbit Points, and get to know the rest of our Froggy Family!

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of offering online resources is communicating with schools what resources THE LINK | 20

REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

MOLDING A MISSION:

THE MACURH STANDARDS

BY THE MIDWEST AFFILIATE In the midst of developing plans for the future year and working towards creating a strategic plan, the Midwest Affiliate faced an identity crisis. With a strong mission and values statement at the NACURH level, the Midwest asked, “What is our fit? What do we have to offer? How can we strengthen MACURH to meet NACURH’s standards?” The Midwest Affiliate is often trademarked as “The Birthplace of NACURH”, but too often is this the defining fact of MACURH, when in reality there is so much more.

With a critical eye, MACURH examined the services we provide to better define MACURH’s mission so that schools, recruited or re-affiliated, would understand what the Midwest is all about. In an effort to keep it simple, The Regional Board of Directors, headed by Keiler Swartz, Coordinating Officer for Outreach, created the MACURH Standards.

The creation of the MACURH Standards was necessary for three reasons. The first was to push past MACURH being the “Birthplace of NACURH”. The Midwest needed something more to stick with the Affiliate. The second was recruitment related. Mission statements should help interested institutions understand what an organization is about; simplifying the Midwest’s mission into five standards allows the use of specific standards to recruit schools with diverse needs and interests. The third involves the services MACURH provides. In defining five broad standards, the Midwest is able to then further define and create services that fall into each of the five categories that MACURH values, developing a stronger Midwest affiliate across the board.

STANDARDS Leadership: MACURH believes in the value of learning about our strengths and challenges, defining who we are as leaders, using our strengths and challenges effectively to best serve others. We are constantly challenging ourselves to develop new leadership abilities.

Education: MACURH firmly values education, not only in the progression of your education, but in learning about diversity, inclusion, and leadership.

This educational aspect is offered by preserving the culture and individualism of our members.

Tradition: MACURH values where we have been and where we are going; we believe in respecting old traditions and helping your institution create new, meaningful practices.

Family: MACURH strives to create an environment where all are welcome and our members are part of the bigger picture. We are one family, we are MACURH. Growth: MACURH values growth by providing personal and professional to challenge one’s self in a variety of ways.

Having simplified the Midwest Affiliate’s mission, it allows the Midwest space to broaden what MACURH can and will stand for in the future, but allows the Midwest to hold tight to our values that have always been a part of our culture.

Simplification has allowed us to develop more services this year, and as strategic planning continues to be an emphasis of the Midwest and NACURH at large, the MACURH Standards help the Midwest focused on what has always mattered and what will always matter: Growth, Tradition, Education, Leadership, and Family.

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REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

THE WHAT, WHY, & HOW OF GOAL SETTING

BY AARON RINGSBY, INTERMOUNTAIN AD-NRHH What are Goals? Goals are different from positional duties in that they aren’t required, per say. Positional duties list what is required of your position and goals list out how you will go beyond those duties to better the position, your organization, and your school. For instance, a positional duty for my position would be, “hold regular communication with the NRHH Presidents and facilitate chats.” A goal on the other hand would be reformatting the NRHH constitution checklist. Like stated earlier, the main difference is that positional duties are things you have to do while goals are things you want to do to improve aspects your position controls.

Why Are Goals Important? These goals are often what helps organizations grow, change, and develop. Many campus initiatives started out as goals such as gender inclusive housing, lowering student fees, etc. They also often have more of an impact on the residents than positional duties. During elections, as long as it is believed that all candidates can perform the positional duties, discussion usually turns to whose goals will have a bigger positive impact.

How Does One Set Goals? In order to set yourself up for success, you should make SMART goals, meaning that they should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and have an aspect of time. Say for instance, that you have a goal to create gender-inclusive housing on campus. Just saying that you want to implement the program doesn’t lead yourself to your first steps, and it could seem daunting to actually complete the goal.

This is why you should turn your goal into a SMART goal and then go from there!

To make your goal specific, it should answer who, when, where, and why. You can ask yourself a series of questions to accomplish this: • • •

Who is involved?

What do I need to accomplish and what are the requirements and constraints?

Where will this take place? Why is this important?

If we are to continue the example of gender-inclusive housing, our goal can become: Have RHA and NRHH leaders work with Housing to establish gender inclusive housing on campus by creating an area on the housing application to opt into gender inclusive housing, setting aside rooms, and advertising gender inclusive housing in the residence halls. This goal is now much more specific and can lead you to your first steps such as getting a committee of leaders together and contacting the housing department.

Next, you should make your goal measurable. Some guiding questions to consider when making your goal measurable are the following: • • •

How much?

How many?

How will you know when your goal is accomplished?

Some of these are already answered when you made your goal more specific, but you can still fine-tune your goal a little bit more. For instance, you can add how many residence halls you want a gender inclusive housing option in or how many rooms across campus. If your goal is measurable, you should be able to track your progress and use that progress to continue to motivate yourself.

As for realistic and attainable, you should ensure that you believe you and your team can a reach your goals. Your goal should push you, but not be too unattainable where you lose motivation and quit. Your goal can be lofty, but as long as you have the resources and the motivation to achieve it, you will be meeting these aspects. You should also feel passionate to achieve your goal. If you are passionate, it will motivate you further and make your goal more attainable. The last element is a time aspect. This aspect grounds your goal in time. All you have to do is set an achievable time frame for your goal.

The process of goal setting allows for you to do more than just your positional duties and empowers you to change the residential experience in a different way. By making yourself SMART goals, you can set make your goals more detailed and attainable. Throughout SMART modification of goals, our goal went from: “Create gender inclusive housing on campus” to “Have RHA and NRHH leaders work with Housing to establish gender inclusive housing on campus by creating an area on the housing application to opt into gender inclusive housing, setting aside rooms, and advertising gender inclusive housing in five residence halls by the end of the school year.”

As you can see, the new and improved goal is much more in depth and will serve you and your organization better. It is easier to pace yourself, track progress, and push yourself with your new goal.

Happy goal setting!

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REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

OPERATION: BUILD THE BRIDGE

BY EMILY NIGHSWANDER, CENTRAL ATLANTIC CO FOR RHA RELATIONS & NICKOLE WATSON, CENTRAL ATLANTIC AD-NRHH Operation Build the Bridge is CAACURH’s mission for this year to help bring RHAs and NRHH Chapters together.

The project is being led by our Associate Director for NRHH, Nickole Watson, and our Coordinating Officer for RHA Relations, Emily Nighswander. Our hope is to see RHAs and NRHHs within the Region better collaborating by the end of the year. There will be numerous ways for students to get involved this year with the movement.

Additionally, there will be a hashtag associated with the movement this year: #BuildtheBridge.

First, recently released, we will have a Twitter Campaign within Operation Build the Bridge: #caRHAchat and a #caNRHHchat. Every month on the 2nd, we will post a question for RHA members to answer using the hashtag #caRHAchat. RHA members can answer the question with the hashtag #caRHAchat. Every month on the 22nd, we will post a question for NRHH members to answer using the hashtag #caNRHHchat. NRHH members can answer the question with the hashtag #caNRHHchat.

Second, we will be hosting monthly Campbell Call-In Chats. Campbell Call-In Chats will be a monthly conference call for all RHA members and all NRHH members to call in to discuss a topic. Sometimes, RHA and NRHH will have separate hours and separate topics. Other times, the chats will be combined at one

PHOTO CREDIT: CANVA

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hour! The Campbell Call-In Chats will always occur on the same day.

Third, Emily and Nickole will be leading a combined NRHH and RHA Spring Taskforce. The taskforce will work to identify best practices for NRHH and RHA collaboration and relationships. The end goal of the taskforce will be to create a resource to leave behind for next year’s NRHH Chapters and RHAs, so that there can be a continued effort to Build the Bridge between the two organizations in years to come.

In addition to the three opportunities mentioned above, Nickole and Emily will be working on some other great things for Operation Build the Bridge. This includes, but is not limited to, a “Picking Conference Delegations” best practices tip sheet, 2:2s with NRHH Presidents and RHA Presidents from schools who identify as having a strong relationship between the two organizations, working to make OTMs more RHA friendly, a mirrored voting representative buddy system for all voting representatives, combined NRHH and RHA boardrooms at conferences, combined monthly chats, a combined winter virtual conference with RHA Presidents and NRHH Presidents, some recognition fun, and more! CAACURH is excited to launch this new initiative, and we are excited to see RHA and NRHH within the Region build better working relationships, grow, and develop together!

PHOTO CREDIT: CANVA

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