OTMWritingGuide CreatedBy: ZachHenderson DirectorofRecognition 2016-2017 nrhh.umd.edu otms.nrhh.org Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. —Margaret Cousins Table of Contents Pg. 2 WhatisanOTMandWhyDoWeWriteThem?………………………………………………3 ActiveMemberOTMRequirements……………………………………………………………….3 HowtoMakeanOTMAccount……………………………………………………………………...4 CategoryDetails&Descriptions…………………………………………………………………...5-7 TipsforWritingaFearlessOTM…………………………………………………………………...8 WritingaCAACURHRegionalWinner…………………………………………………………...9 WritingaNACURHNationalWinner…………………………………………………………......10-11 HowDoISubmitOne?…………………………………………………………………………………12 HowtoSearchPastOTMs…………………………………………………………………………….13-14 ContactInformation…………………………………………………………………………………….14 What is an OTM and Why Do We Write Them? Pg. 3 AnOTMisshortfor“OftheMonth”andisutilizedtorecognizethehardworkthat differentpeople,organizations,clubsanddepartmentsdoeachandeverydayto makeourresidencehallsgreatandourresidentsshine! Everymonth,hundredsofOTMawardsarewrittenaboutavarietyofthingsby schoolsacrossthecountry.Youdon’thavetobeaffiliatedwithNRHHorRHAto writeone,anystudent,faculty,orstaffmembercanwritethemaboutmanydifferent thingsjustbymakinganaccount!OTMsaregreatwaystoshowsomeonethatthey aredoingagreatjobintheirposition—itcanmakeadayandevenchangealife.It’s easytosay“ThankYOU”whenyouareataneventorwhensomeonedoessomething foryou,butwithanOTM,yougettopointoutspecificthingsthattheydogreat,and itshowsthatyouarethinkingaboutthemevenwhenyouaregoingthroughyour everydayschedule. RecognitionisoneofthetwocorevaluesoftheNationalResidenceHallHonorary, anditservesasouroutlettoshowwhatwe’vebeendoinghereattheUniversityof Maryland,butalsotoseewhatotherschoolshavebeendoingacrossthecountry. YoucanwriteanOTMaboutanyone,andthisguidewilldetaileverythingthatyou canthinkofOTM-related! Makeaday,changealife,andwriteanOTM! Active Membership Requirements TheJimHensonChapteroftheNationalResidenceHallHonoraryholdsmembers responsibleforbecomingengulfedinthevaluesoftheorganization,whichleadto thecreationofActiveMembershipRequirements.EachchapterofNRHHholds theirmemberstodifferentexpectations,attheirdiscretion. AccordingtotheJimHensonChapteroftheNationalResidenceHallHonoraryat theUniversityofMaryland’sConstitution,inordertoretainan“ActiveMember” status,eachmembermustwriteatleastoneOftheMonth(OTM)permonth. ActiveMembershipisanimportantpartofbeingamemberoftheNational ResidenceHallHonorary,fromthetimeyouareinducteduntilyougraduateand becomeanAlumniMember. OTMsAREDUEONTHE7THOFEACHMONTHBY11:59PM(EST) FORTHEUNIVERSITYOFMARYLAND. *TheExecutiveBoardoftheJimHensonChapterofNRHHhastherighttomodifytherequiredduedateinordertoobtain ActiveMembershipStatus. Pg. 4 How to Make an OTM Account Step1:Goto otms.nrhh.org Step2:Click“Create Account” Afterselecting UMDCP,input yourinformation. Category Details & Descriptions Pg. 5 CategoryDetails GeneralCategory:Themorecommonofthetwocategories,thisisusedto recognizeindividuals,groups,ororganizations.Despitethefactthattheseare “general”,theyshouldstillfocusonspecificthingsthatthe person/group/organization/departmenthasdonewithinthemonthinwhichyou arewritingfor.It’sgreatthatsomepeopleareoverallgreatpeople,butthereis SOMETHINGthatmadethempopouttoyouthatmadeyoulogonandwriteone! Themaximumwordcountis600,andtheJimHensonChapterexpectsthatyou writebetween500and600words.Theycanbewritteninanyformthatyoufeel appropriate,andsomemonthswewillevenhavecompetitionswithfuntopics! ProgramCategory:Alittlemorespecific,thiscategorywasdesignedtorecognize anentireprogram,andspecifically,howtheprogramwasenhancingand informativetotheresidentialpopulation.Thesehaveadifferentformat,withsix fieldsaddressingvariousaspectsoftheprogram,andwithamaximumwordcount of1,400.ProgrammingOTMsshouldbewrittensothatsomeoneatanother institutioncouldreaditandimplementasimilarprogram,somakesureyou’re includingpertinentinformationsuchassignificanceandlastingresults,aswellas thenumberofresidentsthatattended. CategoryDescriptions Advisor:Anyindividualwhodirectlyadvisesaresidencelifeorganizationandhas madeoutstandingcontributionstotheorganization(s).Theymaybethemain advisororagraduateadvisor.UMDexamplesinclude,butcangobeyond:RHA Advisor,NRHHAdvisor,AreaCouncilAdvisor,HallCouncilAdvisor,etc. CommunityServiceProgram:Aserviceorphilanthropicprogramthatbenefitsa group,charity,orotherorganization.Theprogramshouldfocusontheimportance oftheresidentsgivingbacktothecommunitiesinwhichtheylive.UMDexamples include,butcangobeyond:FOHTY,RHACannedFoodDrive,BeautificationDay, etc. DiversityProgram:Terpseducateaboutdiversityandunderstandingquite frequently!Forthiscategory,youshouldbeilluminatinghowtheimportanceof diversityispromotedintheresidencehallsandhowresidentswalkedaway knowinghowtoembracediversitymoreintheireverydaylives. EducationalProgram:Fearlessideasleadtofearlesseducation!Programsforthis categoryincludeonesthatweremeanttoeducateandinformonatopic,idea,or issue.ThesehappeninourhallsquitefrequentlybyourhardworkingHalland AreaCouncils,aswellasourRAs! Category Details & Descriptions Pg. 6 ExecutiveBoardMember:TheExecutiveBoardteamsofallorganizationsgo aboveandbeyondtoallowtheirorganizationtoexcel,andresidentlife organizationsdoalottopromoteideallivingspacesforapproximately12,000 studentson-campus.ThesefolksatUMDincludeRHA/NRHHExecutiveBoard Members,Directors,andChairs,alongwithHallandAreaCouncilBoards. First-YearStudent:Itcanbehardadaptingtoanewenvironmentwhenyou attendaschoolthathasover30,000students.Somefreshmenstepoutsideoftheir comfortzonewhentheyattendcollegebygettinginvolvedintheirresidencehall community.Thesesubmissionsshouldhaveanemphasisonacademics, leadership,involvement,andcontributionstotheircommunity,floor,hall,or Hall/AreaCouncil. InstitutionFaculty/Staff:Doyouhaveanawesomeprofessororotheruniversity staffthathasalargeimpactonyou?That’sgreat!Thiscategoryismadefornonresidentlifefacultyandstaffwhohavemadeacontributiontotheresidencehall communityinsideandoutsideoftheclassroom.Wehaveextraordinary Professors,Instructors,TAs,Counselors,Housekeepers/MaintenanceWorkers, DiningServicesStaff,HealthStaff,andmuchmorehereatUMD! Organization:Therearemanyorganizationsthatvalueresidentlife,whilealso committingtostudentleadershipandrecognition.Thiscategoryismadeforthe entireorganization,notjustcertainmembers.Stuck?There’splentytochoose from:RHA,NRHH,Hall/AreaCouncils,AdvisoryBoards,otherorganizations outsideofResidentLife. PassiveProgram:Anythingthatrequiresnohumanstooperatecangointhis category.HavethatRAthatexcelsinbulletinsanddoordecs?HallCouncilwitha greatdoorhanger,flyer,etc.?Spreadthespirithere! ResidenceLifeProfessionalStaff:DRLatUMDexcelsineverywaypossibleto makesurestudentsarehavingthebestexperiencepossiblelivingoncampus!This categorywascreatedforthepeoplewhohavededicatedtheircareertoserving collegestudentsintheDepartmentofResidentLife.Nomineescaninclude ResidentDirectors,GraduateAssistants,Directors,CommunityDirectors,and more! ResidentAssistants:Everyonethathaslivedoncampushasinteractedwiththeir RAinsomefashion.RAsworkeachandeverydaytomakeanimpactontheir residentsandthewholeon-campuspopulation,andnomineeshereshouldhave wentaboveandbeyondasanRA,butcanalsoincludeotherresponsibilitiesthat thepersonhastakenoninadditiontotheirchallengingroleasanRA. Category Details & Descriptions Pg. 7 ResidentialCommunity:Thisincludeswings,halls,floors,areas,etc.andshould emphasizewhatthecommunityhasdonetonotonlysupporteachothers,butalso thoseoutsideoftheircommunity.OTMswritteninthiscategoryshouldfocuson howthecommunityworkedtogethertoaccomplishgoals. SocialProgram:TheseOTMsareaboutprogramsthatareallaboutresident interactionandsocializingasaunit.Notonlydoesthisincludeeventshappening onfloorsorinbuildings,itcanexpandallthewayouttocampus-wideevents! Spotlight:Doyouhavesomeoneorsomethingthatjustdoesn’tseemtofitanyof thesecategories?That’salright!TheSpotlightnominationreferstoanyTerpthat hasdonesomethingFearlessinthepastmonthandyouwanttomakesuretheyget therecognitiontheydeservewithanOTM! Student:ThiscategorycoversanypersonenrolledatUMDasastudent.These shouldhighlighthowthestudentisexcellingintheirresidencehallcommunityor organization,butitcanalsohighlighttheiracademics,campusinvolvement,and whateverelseyouthinkishelpingthembeashiningstarinthecommunity! StudentStaffMember:WeliketorecognizeallTerpsatUMDexcellingintheir positionhereatUMD,andthiscategorydoesjustthat!Thisisintendedforany studentwhoisworkingforResidentLifeoutsideofaResidentAssistantor ExecutiveBoardMemberposition.ThesecanincludeOfficeAssistants,Customer ServiceSupervisors,CommunityAssistants,ProgrammingAssistant,tutorsfrom MathSuccess,andmore!* *UMDhasdesignatedcategoriesforDeskAttendant(CA),Custodial/Maintenance,andOffice/Hall Assistant.Ifthenomineefitsunderoneofthesecategories,pleasedesignatethemappropriately, otherwise,useStudentStaffMember. Tips for Writing a Fearless OTM Pg. 8 EveryoneattheUniversityofMarylandhasFearlessIdeas.TheJimHenson ChapteroftheNationalResidenceHallHonorarywantstomakesurethatyouare translatingtheseideaswhenwritingOTMs!Herearesomegreattipstoremember whenmakingpeople’sday: ThreeMainThings: ü OFFERinformation,details,examples,andexperience. o BeSPECIFIC!àXNumberofpeoplecametotheevent o GiveExamples!àMyRAmadeeachpersonawelcomebackgift whenreturningfromwinterbreaktobeginthecommunitybuilding again. ü TRANSLATEacronyms,peopleandevents. o Manyschoolshavedifferentnamesforevents,positions,and numerousotherthings.Makesureyou’rebeingdetailed! § Example:WhenmentioninganRD,makesuretotypeout ResidentDirector(RD)forthefirsttime,theneverything followingyoucansayRD. § WhenreferringtoResidentLifeasadepartment,makesure yourefertoitasDRLasanabbreviation,notResLife. ü MAGNIFYaccomplishments,actions,andmerit o YoushouldalwaysstarttheOTMbyaskingyourselfWhydoesthis persondeservethisOTM? o Remember,thisisacompetition,soyoushouldbemakingyours soundthebesttobeapotentialwinner,andwealwayswanttoshow howgreatUMDis! OtherImportantTips: ü Makesuretheyaremonthspecific! o Somepeoplearegreat365daysayear,butwhatreallymadethem standoutforthemonthyouarewritingitfor? ü Trytocomeasclosetothewordlimitaspossible! o Thewordlimitis600forGeneralOTMsand1,400forProgramming OTMs—youshouldbewritingatleast____/_____wordsforittocount towardsyourActiveMembershiprequirement! ü PROOFREAD! o WritetheminaWordDocument,ifneeded,andcopyandpasteto thewebsite.Thesehavethepotentialtobereadbypeople throughouttheregion,andpotentially,thecountry! ü HAVEFUN! o Ifyoudon’thavefunwritingit,thereaderprobablywon’thavefun readingit! Writing a CAACURH Regional Winner ExampleofaUMDRegionalWinner,November2016byRickMikulis Pg. 9 TerpThon,likemanyotherprogramsintheMiracleNetworkDanceMarathonmovement, isadancemarathontobenefittheChildren’sMiracleNetworkHospitals,specificallythe Washington,DCChildren’sNationalHealthSystem.TerpThon.TerpThonistheninthhighestfundraisingdancemarathoninthenation,andit’sonlyinitseighthyearhereat theUniversityofMaryland,sothatprogressisstartlingtosaytheleast. WhilethemaineventoftheTerpThonseasonisundoubtedlythedancemarathonitself,a twelvehouraffairinMarch,theTerpThonorganizationremainsactivethewholeyear, andNovemberwasaparticularlyeffectivemonthforthegroup.Theystartedoffthemonth withamovienighttorecognizeanyofthisyear’sparticipatingstudentswhohadraised $250ormore,followedjusttwodayslaterwiththeTerpsGotTalentshow.TerpsGot Talentwasastudent-athletetalentshowwithalltheproceedstobedonatedtothe Children’sNationalHealthSystem. Thenextweek,TerpThonreallypickeduptheiradvertisingmethodswiththeirMiracle Madness,a“Bigger,BolderWeekforStrongerKids”.Monday,November14th,wasFallin LovewithFTK,whichwasaTerpThoneventencouragingstudentstostopby,enjoybaked goods,andlearnabouttheprogram.TuesdaywastheScavengerHunt,acampus-wide eventwithprizes,Wednesdaywasablooddrive,andThursdaywasthemostimpressive dayofall.OnThursday,November17th,throughthenightandintoFridaywasTerpThon’s DayofMiracles.Withinthatone24-hourspan,thegrouphadthegoaltoraise$100,000for thekids.Afterallthedonationshadbeencounted,thegrouphadraisedwellover $105,000,meetingandfarsurpassingtheirgoal. InNovember,TerpThonalsoannounceditsfundraisinggoal.Afterraising$728,453.16 lastyearforthekids,TerpThonsetanadmirablegoal:onemilliondollars.Thismayseem likeanunattainablefigure,buttheTerpThonteamhastransformedthecampusclimate morethananyothergroupI’veeverseen.DuringthemonthofNovember,itwasrareto walkanywherewithoutseeingaposterorchalkwritingadvertisingTerpThon.Duringthe MiracleMadnessweek,itwasraretobeabletolookthroughmyFacebookorTwitterfeed withoutseeingyetanothertouchingadvertisementfortheChildren’sNationalHealth System.AndontheDayofMiracles,everyTerpThonofficerandmember,wellovera hundredtotalstudents,waswearingaTerpThontshirtandremindingeveryoneintheir classesabouttheprogram. ThemostimpressivethingthatIsawaboutTerpThoninthemonthofNovemberwasnot theirwidefundraisingreachoreventheirimpressive#OneDay100KDayofMiracles. Rather,itwasthecommitmentthateveryoneoftheirmembersshowedthroughoutthe entireprocess.Thosestudentshavetrulybeenmovedtodowhat'sbestforthechildrenin theMiracleNetworkHospitalsandtheytrulybelieveindoingeverythingwithintheir powerforthekids.I’mnotamemberofTerpThon,butmanyofmyfriendsare,andthe lengthstheywerewillingtogotoformetodonatetotheirpageswascommendable,some offeringbakedgoods,othersevenofferingtocleanmyroomforme. ItwasbecauseofthatgenuinecarethatIdecidedtosetupmyownTerpThonaccountand askfordonationsratherthangiftsfrommyfamilythisholidayseason.Ihopetooneday havethesamepassionandloveforhelpingthekidsthatthemembersofTerpThon showedinNovember.(WordCount:600/600) Writing a NACURH National Winner Pg. 10 ExampleofaUMDNationalWinner,February2016byZacharyBoyles OriginofProgram: TheUniversityofMarylandhasaneventeveryyearcalledTerpThonthatraisesfundsfor theChildren'sNationalHealthSystem.Intherunuptothismassiveevent,theNorthHill AreaCouncil(NHAC)decidedtohostanphilanthropicprogramthatwouldbenefitthose childreninthehospitalandpromotethecampuswideevent.OneofNHAC'smembers suggestedablanket-makingeventbecausethehospitalwasalwaysaskingfordonations. Additionally,aphilanthropiceventwasthebestideabecausealargesegmentoftheNorth HillcommunityismadeupofstudentsinCIVICUS,aserviceorientedlivingandlearning programthatrequiresmemberstocompleteasetnumberservicehourseverysemester. Uponhearingthesuggestion,theentirecouncilagreedtohosttheprogram.Allofthese factorsculminatedinFebruarybeingagreatmonthtosettheprograminmotion.(143) ShortDescriptionoftheProgram: Everysuccessfuleventbeginswithaplanningstage,forblanket-makingthatprocess beganaboutthreeweeksinadvance.Duringthosefirstfewmeetings,NHACplannedthe time,date,andshiftsforallmemberstobeattheevent.NHACalsowentovertheprocess ofmakingablanketstep-by-stepsothattheycouldteachandmanagevolunteers effectively.TheNorthHillAreaCouncilthenbegantomarkettheeventbycreatinga FacebookeventpageandbyhangingpostersthroughoutthetenhallsthatmakeupNorth Hill.ThecouncilespeciallypromotedtheeventtostudentsintheCIVICUSprogramby placingpostersbyeveryentrancetotheirhall.Inthedaysleadinguptotheevent,they purchased$350worthoffleecefromacraftsstoreandbeganpreparingthematerial.The councilcuttherollsintodesirable6x6sheetsandseparatedthemintopairssothatthey hadeverythingreadytogowhenvolunteersarrived.Withthetablespushedtogetherto formseveralsquareworkstationsandthefleecesheetsstackedinthemiddleoftheroom, theprogramlaunchedthenextdayat2:30pm.Whenthedoorsopened,agroupofstudents waddledintotheroomunsureofwhattodoandhowtostart,butthatwasquickly remedied.ThemembersofNHACtookthembythearm,satthemdownintogroupsoftwo orthree,andtalkedthemthroughtheinstructions.Firstwiththetwosheetsoffleeceof equalsizestackedontopofoneanother,theywouldcuta3x3inchsquareoutofeach corner.Thentheywouldmakecutsinthefabric3inchesdeepand1inchapartalongallof theedges.Theywouldfinishtheblanketbytyingeverypairof1inchstripstogetherina doubleknot.Afterthegroupwarmeduptothetask,theblanketsbegantopileup.The studentvolunteersworkedforaslongastheycouldbeforeleavingforotherobligations, butitdidn'tseemtomatter.Thewholeprocessseemedlikeawelloiledmachine,apairof studentswouldleaveandtheywouldsubsequentlybereplacedbyafewmorefreshand eagervolunteers.Attheendoftheday,theeventresultedinthecreationof29blankets. (382) GoaloftheProgram: Thegoaloftheprogramwastocreateabout20blanketsinthreehours.Originallythe NorthHillAreawasunsurethatnumberwaspossiblebecausebeforeplanningtheirown eventtheyreachedouttoanothercounciltoseehowmuchmaterialtopurchase.NHAC wasstunnedtofindoutthiscouncilwasonlyabletocreate3blanketsinafewhours.But insteadofallowingthisfiguretodauntthem,theNorthHillAreaCouncildecidedtobe ambitiousatshootfor20.TheothergoalwastopromotethecampuswideTerpThon, whichwasachievedbediscussingwithvolunteerswheretheblanketswerebeingdonated andwhy.(112) Writing a NACURH National Winner Pg. 11 PositiveandLastingEffectsoftheProgram: TheblanketsdonatedbyNHACinFebruarywillhaveanextremelylonglastingimpact. TheyblanketswillprovidewarmthandcomforttomanypatientsintheChildren's NationalHealthSystem.ThereisalsoapositiveimpactontheNorthHillCommunityas well.Throughthesekindsofevents,NHACisabletoforgebondsbetweenstudentsof differentresidencehallsandcreateatighterknitcommunity.Lastlybasedontheturnout totheblanket-makingevent,NHACwilltryandincreasethenumberofphilanthropic eventspersemesterbecausestudentsclearlyenjoyparticipatinginserviceactivitiesand givingbacktonotonlytheircampuscommunity,butalsothelocalcommunity.(109) ShortEvaluationoftheProgram: TheNorthHillAreaCouncil'sblanket-makingeventyielded9moreblanketsthantheir originalgoal,that's45%higherthanexpected,andtheymadealmost10blanketsanhour. Alsothenumberofpeoplewhoattendedtheeventandthelengthoftimetheystayedwas asuccessinitself.Gettingstudentstotaketimeawayfromtheirschedules,especiallyona weekend,canbedifficultbutbasedontheturnoutitiseasytoseethecommunity's dedicationtoservice.TerpThonalsoraised$728,453.16fortheChildren'sNationalHealth System,anincreaseofalittleover20%fromlastyear.Overalltheblanket-making programwasahugesuccess.(109) HowCouldThisProgrambeAdaptedtoOtherCampuses? Thisprogramcouldeasilybeadaptedforanotherschool.Therearemanyschoolsthatput onsomeformofdancemarathonsimilartoTerpThon,andsoforthemitshouldbefairly easytoreplicate.Forotherschoolsthatdon'thaveadancemarathon,thegoalof promotingabiggereventisnotarequiredelementofblanket-makingandtheycould simplyhosttheeventforitsphilanthropicnature.Theamountoffleecepurchasedfor blanket-makingcaneasilybeadjustedbasedonthesizeoftheschoolandthesizeofa council'sbudget.Itshouldalsobeveryeasytofindahospitalthatacceptsblanketsas donations.Lastly,aschoolorcouncilcansettheirgoalforthenumberofblanketsbasedon interestfromthestudentbody.(131) TotalWordCount:986/1,400 How Do I Submit One? (Without Account) Pg. 12 Gotootms.nrhh.org ü ü ü ü SelectUniversityofMaryland,CollegePark Inputnecessaryinformationforyourselfandthenominee Selectthecategoryfromthedropdownmenuatthetopofthepage. WriteyourOTMandsubmit! How Do I Submit One? (With Account) *AllNRHHMembersmustuseanaccountwhenwritingOTMs! ü Onyoursidebaronceyoulogin,youwillfind“OTM Submissions”withtheoptiontoselectGeneralorProgram. ü Selectwhichyouarewriting. ü Allofyourinformationwillbeauto-populatedinthefields; youneedtoinputthenomineeinformation. ü Selectthecategoryunderthedropdownmenuatthetopof thepage. ü WriteyourOTMandsubmit! Searching for Past OTMs (Without Account) Pg. 13 Gotootms.nrhh.org ClickAdvancedSearch InputCAACURHforthe regionandUMCPfor university Inputdesired characteristicsinthe designatedfieldsto narrowsearchresults. Clicksearchtoget yourresults! Searching for Past OTMs (With Account) Pg. 14 Onceyoulogintoyouraccount, clickonthe“SearchOTMs”button inthesidepanel,andfollowthe samedirectionsaslistedabove! Justsearchingforgeneralexamplesortofindnon-UMDwinners? Leavethesearchfieldsblankandhit“Search”toreadaboutthe sparklingdiamondsfromacrossthecountry! Contact Information JimHensonChapteroftheNationalResidenceHallHonorary AnnapolisHall UniversityofMaryland,CollegePark CollegePark,MD20742 ChapterWebsite:nrhh.umd.edu NationalResidenceHallHonorary:nrhh.org OTMWebsite:otms.nrhh.org CAACURH:caacurh.nacurh.org NACURH:nacurh.org 2016-2017DirectorofRecognition: ZachHenderson [email protected]|[email protected]
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