2016 NACURH RHA President of the Year

RHA PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR Crystal Sipila

NACURH 2016 at the University of Delaware PACURH Bid by the University of British Columbia

INTRODUCTION TO CRYSTAL ..................................................................................................... 1 PAST COMMITMENT TO THE RHA............................................................................................. 2 HER TIME AS PRESIDENT ........................................................................................................... 2 COMMITMENT TO ADVOCACY ................................................................................................... 3 REGIONAL INVOLVEMENT ............................................................................................................ 4 PLANNING RHA TRAINING ............................................................................................................ 4 PEER MENTORSHIP ...................................................................................................................... 5 WHAT MAKES CRYSTAL PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR? ............................................................ 6 LETTERS OF SUPPORT................................................................................................................ 7

INTRO TO CRYSTAL AND HER PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR BID Like so many of the leaders in student housing, Crystal Sipila is a kind, passionate and inspirational individual, who is currently the RHA president at UBC. There is no hesitation from anyone within the UBC RHA in nominating her for President of the Year, because it is through her leadership that the organization has been able to thrive and grow to where it is today. Thank you for taking the time to read this bid and consider her for the award!

LIFE ON CAMPUS: UBC Delegates exploring WSU at PACURH 2015!

To begin, a bit about Crystal and her life outside of the RHA – Crystal is a fifth year Geological Engineering student at UBC. Despite Engineering being notoriously one of the hardest disciplines at the university, Crystal has always been able to maintain a strong academic performance.

In addition to completing her school work, Crystal has been part of the co-op program, meaning that beyond simply attending classes, she also applies for and completes work-terms related to her field of study, and is sometimes working a 9 to 5 job while balancing her extra-curricular responsibilities.

Despite this, Crystal has always found time to be an active member of the greater campus community, engaging not only in departmental and faculty-specific events, but also being actively present and engaged with student government, sporting and recreational events. Of course, some of her most significant contributions to the campus have been through her involvement in the RHA.

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This was Crystal’s fifth year of being involved in Residence, and fourth year in an elected position in the RHA. Not only is her past reflective of her ongoing dedication and commitment to student housing at UBC, but it is vital to understanding the wisdom, insight and experience that she has brought to the presidency position this year.

GAGE RESIDENCE ASSOCATION Her longest period of contribution was with the Gage Residence Association (GRA), where she served three years as a leader within the council. Gage is home to approximately 1300 residents who live in apartment style housing, making it a more difficult setting to build community, and making the GRA that much more important.

Crystal began serving as the Public Relations Officer in Gage, and then the next year was elected as treasurer.

In her third year living in Gage, she was elected as the President of the GRA, meaning she spent a year managing a council of nearly 20 individuals. Over the course of several years, Crystal gained a wealth and diversity of experiences that would prove to be invaluable to her as RHA president, providing her with background knowledge and understanding that few people who have reached the role have had.

NRHH Crystal was inducted as a member in October 2014. Since then has been actively attending and contributing to meetings and the NRHH’s efforts.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:     

Chris Proctor: An internal award for outstanding contribution to the RHA over several years.

White Pin: Crystal was the recipient of a White Pin in 2015 Bronze Pin: Crystal was also the recipient of a Bronze Pin in 2016 PACURH Service Pins: Crystal received Three Year, Four Year and Five Year Service Pins for her contributions to the RHA and PACURH over the years PACURH RHA President OTY 2016

A LOOK INTO UBC RESIDENCE: To fully understand the scope of the RHA President’s role at UBC, it is important to get an understanding of the structure and size of housing at the university. UBC houses over 10,000 students in residence, with the RHA acting as an umbrella group for seven different councils, that oversee different Residence Areas, ranging in size from several hundred to several thousand students. It is the RHA President’s responsibility to oversee the running of all of these different councils. Crystal plays a key role in ensuring that the thousands of students living in residents have a safe and welcoming community to live in, as well as making sure they have a student body that is actively advocating for them. Her responsibilities are numerous, yet Crystal has always handled them with grace and ease, without so much as batting an eye.

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ONGOING RESPONSIBILITIES:      

Provide leadership and mentorship to 7 Area Council Presidents, hosting one on one meetings, office hours, and attending local council meetings.

Plan and facilitate weekly RHA meetings, RHA Executive Meetings Coordinate and organize annual RHA training for approximately 60 elected student leaders Oversee residence-wide programming, as well as assisting in the coordination of events Actively represent UBC to PACURH as president Work with the treasurer to help maintain the budget of the RHA

While Crystal has always accomplished all of these responsibilities in stride, simply listing them just serves to give an idea of the scope and breadth of Crystal’s work. However, what makes Crystal so exceptional is not simply her ability to accomplish these tasks effectively, but everything else she does to serve the RHA, and all the things she does above and beyond this that has allowed the RHA to thrive.

Perhaps one of the most valuable things that Crystal has brought to the role of RHA president in an unprecedented way is her ongoing commitment to advocacy, and expanding the RHA’s capacity to actively speak on behalf of its residents. Most importantly, Crystal has worked to establish more meaningful partnerships and dialogues between the RHA and Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) to ensure open communication about relevant issues. While her commitment to advocacy began before she was President, it has continued through to this day.

FEE CHANGES:   

Attended consultation meetings – as many as multiple times a week for several months to consult on a proposed 20% increases to residence fees throughout 2014 and 2015.

Drafted proposals opposing the fee increases – worked closely with the RHA Executive Board of the time, as well as SHHS and Student Government leaders Co-wrote a 20 page NACURH-winning Advocacy Initiative Bid to share her experiences with RHAs facing similar increased student fees and cost of living.

ONGOING CONSULTATION ON RESIDENCE EXPANSION PROJECTS:   

Orchard Commons Residence Area – Has been actively engaged with the planning and consultation around a new residence area that will house thousands of students.

Totem Park Expansion – Ensuring that residents were consulted regarding changes and adaptations to different parts of residence, including several sports fields and facilities.

Gage South Expansion – Voicing concerns and consulting on new Residence buildings being developed in conjunction with a new transit terminal on campus.

Her tireless work and ongoing communication has established the RHA as a key partner for Student Housing in ongoing consultation and communication regarding decisions that affect residents. Through Crystal’s work, the RHA has been able to expand its scope, and be even more effective at fulfilling the second half of its mission and responsibility, which is ensuring that the students living in residence have voices actively representing them to the University.

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Crystal’s contributions are not limited to UBC. On the contrary, Crystal is an active participant and contributor to PACURH on a regional level.

CONFERENCES    

NACURH 2014 NACURH 2015 PACURH 2015 PACURH No Frills 2016

PACURH TASK FORCES  

RHA Compensation Regional Board of Directors Positional Restructure

Beyond attending conferences and participating on these task forces, Crystal also does her best to contribute in other ways that are extremely reflective of her strengths as an individual. She has also worked very closely with UBC’s NCC in helping to create even greater ties and feelings of connection between the greater RHA community and the region. Just of a few of the ways she has contributed are outlined below:  Helping the NCC coordinate and prepare delegations for conferences.  Ensuring ongoing communication with locally hosted PACURH Director, Mason Margotta.  Assisting in bid-writing process for several years in a row  Working to more actively engage conference participants in activities like RHA training

RHA council training is a yearly event that is coordinated by the RHA president, and involves planning, coordination and facilitation of four days of workshops for approximately 60 student leaders in a variety of positions. While RHA training is an annual occurrence and not a new part of the role, this year Crystal played an integral role in making this one of the most effective and meaningful trainings to date. From early in the summer months, Crystal established avenues of ongoing communication with housing administrators, her fellow executives and all RHA members to ensure that everyone was being kept up to date, that deadlines were being met, rooms being booked, and more. What was potentially most important to the success of training this year, however, was purposeful restructuring of RHA training with the aim of ensuring that it was both education and engaging for all members of the RHA. When she was elected as the RHA President, she made it a top priority to create a training program that prepared council members for their diverse leadership roles in the upcoming year.

This involved many unique additions and components to the training structure and schedule. One of the key components involved encouraging UBC NACURH 2015 delegation to present something they learned from the conference. This was a great way for other members to learn about programs and ideas from other institutions.

Beyond this, Crystal focused a lot on creating a training that encompassed tangible learning outcomes, in order for things to be more thoroughly assessed. This was followed through when she did the work of creating and distributing online feedback forms that members filled out post-training. It is things like this that highlight Crystal’s ongoing dedication to future success of the RHA, as next year’s executive now has measurable responses and specific feedback on how training can continue to be improved. Her emphasis on professional branding for the RHA has also been a key component of establishing meaningful relationships with housing administrators, as well as maintaining a responsible and respectful image for the RHA within the greater residence and campus community.

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The success of RHA training was recognized through nomination and winning of a Campus OTM for Educational Program and Spotlight, and was also awarded PACURH Student Award for Leadership Training OTY at PACURH No Frills Conference 2016. She created the bid with her Executives and presented the program herself to the student representatives at PACURH to share her ideas with the region.

MENTORSHIP TO AREA PRESIDENTS AND FELLOW RHA EXECUTIVES Training was just the first of many examples of the ongoing mentorship that Crystal provides in her role as president. As mentioned earlier, the RHA includes 7 different residence areas with hundreds of students - each one with its own President, Crystal and her fellow RHA Executive Cabinet Council, and programming initiatives. One of the major responsibilities of the president is providing guidance to the area presidents, giving them the skills, confidence, support and advice necessary to be effective leaders within their own community.

It is within this part of her role that Crystal has performed exceptionally; her years of experience have allowed her wisdom and insight that historically few presidents have had. Specifically, she hosts regular office hours to answer questions, as well as has one-on-one meetings with presidents throughout the term. These allow her to provide both personal and professional support, and ultimately ensure that they have all the necessary tools to be successful in their own positions.

Every week, Crystal facilitates RHA meetings and RHA Exec meetings, for which she consistently drafts an effective agenda, and works to facilitate the meeting in a way such that everyone’s opinion is both respected and included, while still encouraging everyone to think critically about all the decisions being made.

“I have absolutely loved working alongside Crystal these past two years. She encourages me to think critically and challenge norms, which is something that doesn't come natural to me. She is always there to provide support, and her professional yet personable take on everything she does still blows me away. Crystal has given so much to the RHA in her 4 years of involvement, and it will be sad to see her graduate this coming April.”

-Bree Fraser, RHA Vice President

DEDICATION TO LONG TERM SUCCESS

The RHA Executive Council outside the Housing Office

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Ultimately, everything Crystal does is not just an attempt to help this year be successful, but an investment into the future of the RHA, shaping and establishing things that will allow long term sustainability of the organization. One example of this is her current work to create RHA U (adapted from PACURH U and NACURH U), a series of informational workshops and resources to help guide any individuals wanting to bid for RHA executive positions. These workshops and resources are aimed at ensuring

that all councils have relevant timelines and information needed to succeed!

It was a crucial year for UBC RHA as the Executives worked hard to implement a new residence area and a brand-new area council for the upcoming year, as well as restructuring the current RHA Executive Positions to better meet the needs of the UBC residents. Crystal played a key role in leading UBC RHA take their biggest step in many years. With Crystal’s legacy, UBC RHA is excited to see where the new changes will take them in many years to come.

PACURH is lucky in that it has many amazing presidents who excel in their positions; being RHA President and a student requires the ability to balance the responsibilities of presidency with the workload of being a full time student. Time and time again, individuals have passed through the PACURH boardroom with an ability to juggle schoolwork, programming, mentorship, meetings, regional activities, and more, and Crystal is no exception here. However, beyond these things there are a few key qualities worth highlighting that have made Crystal the remarkable person and President she is, and the key differentiators in why UBC believes she is qualified to be President of the Year.

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Vision & follow through – Even prior to being elected, Crystal had a strong vision of potential for the RHA, involving expanding the scope, focusing more on advocacy, and increasing training. Through a year of hard work, Crystal has been able to see this vision become a reality.

2. Focus on long term success and sustainability – While it is an amazing feat in and of itself to make an impact in the year one is President, Crystal is amazing in that the benefits of her work will be felt for many years. From restructuring of positions to better evaluation tools, she has set up the RHA for many future years of success.

3. Commitment to PACURH, and finding ways her strengths can benefit it – Crystal has done an exceptional job of not only being dedicated to the PACURH region, but really seeking out opportunities that best complement her strengths and abilities.

4. Ability to provide her team with both support and opportunities for growth – Whether be planning an impeccable training or creating resources to help people further their personal career in RHA, Crystal has always been proactive in providing chances for professional development. Beyond that, Crystal is always there for her team on a personal level to provide whatever support they might need.

5. Passion, and willingness to challenge herself - One of the most amazing things about Crystal is her ability to achieve that impossibly difficult balance between her ability to be a rock for everyone around her, while never failing to challenge herself or push herself out of her comfort zone. She knows her limits so that she can always practice self care, while never failing to complete her responsibilities, or push herself to the next level.

6. Dedication to inclusivity and advocacy – While this is closely tied to her vision for the RHA, one amazing thing about Crystal is her unfaltering commitment to ensuring that everyone’s voice is represented, and that everyone’s needs are being met. In everything she has done, she has challenged herself and her team to ensure that nobody is being excluded or not heard.

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UBC Residence Hall Association Student Housing and Hospitality Services Office | Marine Drive Building 6 University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus rha@mail.housing.ubc.ca Dear PACURH, February 5th 2016 It is with great honour that I write this letter in support of Crystal Sipila for the PACURH RHA President of the Year Award. Crystal was elected and began her term as the RHA President at University of British Columbia (UBC) in April 2015. Crystal has been a part of the UBC RHA for the past four years, three years as a member of Gage Residence Association (GRA), and most recently as the RHA President. There are over 10,000 students living in residence halls across seven residence areas on UBC’s Vancouver campus, and each residence area has their own residence area council and area president. Seven area presidents from seven residence area councils make up the RHA Executive Board with the four RHA Executive Cabinet (President, NCC, Treasurer, Vice-President). Crystal has done an excellent job, leading a diverse group of leaders, and providing mentorship for Area Presidents and her fellow RHA Executives.

One of her main responsibilities is to mentor all seven area presidents and oversee all seven residence areas. She hosts office hours, 1-on-1 meetings with area presidents and attends area council meetings and events to increase the RHA presence and visibility. She is committed to making personal and professional connections with every member of the RHA. She is honest and genuine with all interactions she makes.

As the RHA President, Crystal listens to the needs and opinions of residents and brings them to Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS). She believes that, as an elected student body, RHA should always look out for the best interests of residents, and actively advocates on behalf of them. She was heavily involved with RHA’s advocacy initiative regarding our university’s decision to increase student housing fees by 20% last year, and helped RHA emerge themselves as a fundamental organizational group on campus. As a result, this advocacy initiative was nominated for the Outstanding Advocacy Initiative Award and won at the NACURH level at NACURH 2015. Currently, she is working on creating a new residence area council for the new residence halls which are expected to open in September 2016, and is working with various groups in residence to address what is needed in our community through several consultations (Totem Park Residence Area Infill, Gage South Expansion, Micro-units and etc).

Crystal is one of the most professional and insightful people I have had the privilege of working with.

These traits of hers helped our annual RHA Council Training be really educational and engaging. She has been extremely supportive in preparing the UBC Delegations to NACURH 2015 and PACURH 2015.

Crystal is an excellent and confident public speaker, and a critical thinker. She encourages all members to think critically with all of our decisions. She brings new perspectives to the table during the RHA meetings and PACURH regional boardrooms.

Crystal’s service and commitment to RHA deserves this recognition. RHA has been very efficient this past year and has achieved a new level of professionalism and growth, and it will continue to change and grow to better serve the residents for the remainder of the year. It has been a pleasure working with Crystal on the RHA Executive Board this past year. She is an outstanding leader and a supportive peer, and she has our organization’s full support.

Sincerely,

Andy Jeun National Communications Coordinator Residence Hall Association, University of British Columbia

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February 5, 2016 Dear PACURH, It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of support for Crystal Sipila’s nomination as RHA president of the year. As the Residence Hall Association Advisor at UBC, I have worked with Crystal for approximately 4 years. This year in particular, she has set herself apart as the Executive President of the approximately 200-person Residence Hall Association at UBC. Crystal has, and continues to remain in good standing with Student Housing and Hospitality Services as well as the University of British Columbia.

Within her role as RHA president, Crystal is responsible for coordinating and monitoring the performance of 7 Residence Area Council Presidents, as well as 3 other RHA executive leaders. She has chaired meetings, planned programs, and represented the 10,000 UBC residents at various meetings with Student Housing and University Officials. Crystal has excelled in her role as president because of her dedication, hard work and uncompromising desire to exceed expectations.

UBC Residences consist of both first-year communities as well as upper-year and graduate student communities. As the RHA president, Crystal is aware of and ensures a balanced approach between addressing the needs of first year students as well as the needs of upper year and graduate students. This year, Crystal supported the establishment of a Residence Hall Council within our Family Housing Community here at UBC. She provided mentorship to the newly elected president of our Family Housing Residence Council through intentional one-on-one meeting, and supported the new council by providing feedback on their constitution and by-laws. Additionally, in September 2016, UBC will open a brand new 1000-bed property for first year students. Recognizing the need for successful council within this new residence area, Crystal has worked to propose a governing structure for the council, has provided feedback to Student Housing on funding for the new residence council and has laid the foundation for mentorship and support of the new council.

Over the past year, Crystal has had multiple opportunities to represent residents in meetings with Student Housing and University Officials. Crystal demonstrated professionalism and thoughtfulness in the way she framed her feedback at each of those meetings. Further, she challenged her team of council members to think critically about how they engaged in dialogue, encouraging them to be respectful in their thoughts and actions. It is the role of the RHA president to advocate on behalf of their constituency. Crystal takes this role seriously and is successful at doing just that.

As part of Student Housing’s strategic plan, we are set to build and open 3 more unique residence areas by 2019. Over the last year, Crystal has been invited to provide input to the architects on the design and livability of each of these properties.

Crystal’s effectiveness at providing this feedback required her to seek feedback from other students both formally, in her RHA Executive meetings, or informally through conversations at residence events and programmes. The intentional and critical approach that Crystal takes in offering feedback has allowed the student voice to truly be represented in the design of our upcoming residence properties.

Over the past year, Crystal has consistently demonstrated the ability to coach, lead and inspire a group of peers into accomplishing a common goal. I attribute much of Crystal’s success to her authenticity and passion towards her work with the RHA. Her contributions to the RHA this year, and every year preceding, makes Crystal deserving of the RHA President of the Year Award.

Sincerely,

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Tiffany Mintah Assistant Director Residence Life and RHA Advisor Student Housing and Hospitality Services (604)827-5724 Tiffany.mintah@gmail.com

April 23, 2016

Dear NACURH,

On behalf of the entire Pacific Affiliate, we are pleased to support Crystal Sipila from University of British Columbia as this year’s nominee for the President of the Year Award. This bid was chosen among many at our 2016 No Frills Conference hosted at California State University Monterey Bay. Through careful consideration by PACURH Presidents, NCC’s, NRHH Representatives, and other PACURH members throughout our region, Crystal Sipila was decided to be the best exemplar of Presidents, and we are excited to present her as our nominee to the rest of NACURH.

From her first years on campus, Crystal has contributed tremendously to her institution’s RHA and the PACURH region. Serving for three years as a leader within her Gage Residence Association, being inducted into the NRHH chapter in October 2014, and then being elected RHA President of over 10,000 students living on campus, she has cultivated community, served on student fee committees, and written a NACURH­winning Advocacy Initiative Bid.

On her campus, she has provided leadership and mentorship to the seven area council presidents, and planned & facilitated various weekly RHA meetings. She has coordinated RHA training, and worked tirelessly with her various Executive Board Members all while being an exemplary student first. Her work on campus is only rivaled with her work for the PACURH and NACURH Region.

She has attended four Regional and International conferences, where not only has she assisted in writing PACURH and NACURH winning bids, but has also been an active member of the RHA Compensation and Regional Board of Directors Positional Restructuring Task Forces. Her work and attitude within this region has rubbed off on many other Presidents, and we cannot find a better example for the President of The Year Award.

Thank you for spending the time to read and review this bid, as well as the numerous bids submitted for this award. We are incredibly appreciative of the opportunities NACURH provides for recognition, and are excited for the decision of the President of The Year Award.

Best Regards,

The Pacific Affiliate Board of Directors