The UpLink

Hey All,

So, I’m blogging about MACURH 2008 while sitting at checkin for IACURH 2008. I guess I’m just at conference all the time. But I’ll talk about IACURH later. Right now we’re talking about 11/7-11/9, MACURH 2008.

MACURH 2008 ROCKED!!! I had a blast at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. This had to be one of the most well prepared conferences I have ever attended. I am so impressed with the hard work of the conference staff led by Tori Seeley and advised by Marty Kofsky. You guys were amazing.

This was my first MACURH experience and so I had no idea what to expect. The theme was “The Sweet Stuff of Leadership” and I think I overloaded on candy. The first night was roll call and MACURH U, which prepared NCCs, PCCs and NRHH Reps for the boardroom and educated them on topics such as conference hosting, bidding, and parli pro. A bunch of us were then treated to an improv show, featuring MACURH’s own Jacob Sherry, RCC Special Projects as a off-shore shark dentist.

The next day was boardroom. All day long. We started at 8 AM and did not end until 11:58 PM. However, I want to praise the hard work of Ben and Abby who were amazing as a Director/AD team. Great job guys. There were so many bids to go through, plus legislation, selecting a new Regional Co-Advisor, I’m surprised we made it out at all. I got to sit up front once in a while, as I was rotating in and out of the parliamentarian position with Jess Knox, the visiting Director from GLACURH. All the NCCs, PCCs and NRHH Reps were absolutely amazing as well. Great job to everyone who presented and everyone who was there!

I also got the opportunity to present the Street Smarts - NACURH Edition program. The NACURH trivia unfortunately was a little over the heads of some of the delegates, but quite a few were able to guess some of the answers. I had a lot of fun after though, because I answered their questions about how I got involved and what I was doing with my life and got to ask them the same. I <3 Delegates.

Closing ceremonies was a little emotional. Adam Foley was stepping out of Regional Co-Advisor to be replaced by the newly elected Mishelle Banas. He’s touched many people over his tenure and it can be seen on their faces. Ben also awarded silver pins to Genny Walters (former NIC Director), Tori Seeley (Conference Chair) and Renee Skau (Regional Co-Advisor). And I was finally able to get the MS&T their host recognition plaque for the 3 years they held the NIC.

Overall the conference was AMAZING. Friend me on facebook to see some pictures (I can’t get them to upload).

I returned from the South Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (SAACURH) Regional Conference hosted by Clemson University in South Carolina this past weekend and it was amazing! The conference was themed “Capturing the SPIRITS of Leadership” which was very fitting for an education and development conference during Halloween weekend. Conference chairs Ashley White and I’John Gatewood worked extremely hard with their advisor and conference staff to make SAACURH 2008 a great success. I arrived on Thursday night and was happily greeted by the SAACURH Executive Committee (SEC)- EJ Walicki, Joey McNamara, Lindsey Johns, Bonnie Brackett, Danielle Vitale, Sean Pierce and Korrin Stanek- and welcomed to SAACURH 2008.

Kye Murphy- UNC Wilmington

The conference started on Friday, October 31 with Opening Ceremonies where members of the Clemson chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha presented a step show. The step show was then followed by each State Association presenting video roll calls. The roll call presentations were extremely cool and very creative. Roll call was followed by Keynote Speaker James Robilotta who spoke on the importance of leadership, dedication and having a good time. The night wrapped up with multiple socials where I was able to talk to National Communications Coordinators (NCCs), National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) Representatives, Advisors and Delegates in their respective socials.

Emily Taylor- Clemson University

Saturday is the beginning of regional business. The day started with SAACURH U (101) where NCCs and NRHH Representatives were given the ground rules for the boardroom. In addition, this served as a forum for question and answer for first-timers in the boardroom. After SAACURH U, I attended the SAACURH Advisor Townhall Meeting where Sean Pierce and Korrin Stanek updated the region on any major changes since NACURH and the developments of the Advisor Recognition & Training (ART) program. ART will be headed up by the Regional NRHH Advisor from now on, so if you have any questions, please send them to

sa_nrhhadvisor@nacurh.org.

 

 

Joey Paynter

The boardrooms started off split for this conference; something that I cannot remember being done before. I walked the NACURH Information Center (NIC) Buddy Alicia Kim to the NRHH Boardroom and went back to the NCC boardroom with the NACURH Services and Recognition Office (NSRO) Buddy Trey Kauerz. While there I watched schools bid for the Student Award for Leadership Training (SALT) Award. It was very insightful to see how other schools train their campus leadership; in the end Appalachian State University would bring home the gold. After SALT, I and Trey switched with Alica and went to the NRHH boardroom to watch Program of the Year (POY) bids and got to see some of the awesome programs that SAACURH member schools have organized. It was a tough race and the University of Florida came out on top.

 

Jasmine Foster- Kennesaw State University

The NRHH Boardroom was over at lunch and we went to eat. I started handing out NACURH bracelets to delegates going above and beyond in spirit, networking, volunteering and those who just stopped by to say hello. After lunch, I helped judge the SAACURH Case Study- something I organized for 2 years and never got to judge. The case was very realistic and there were a lot of good recommendations submitted by schools. After judging, I went to present Street Smarts- NACURH Edition and then returned to the combined boardroom where SAACURH 2009 bids were being presented. The bids were well written and took a lot of time to prepare; we wish the University of Kentucky good luck on hosting SAACURH 2009. The next item on the agenda was the election of the NRHH Regional Advisor-Elect. There were two (2) very well qualified student affairs professionals bidding and Adam Schwarz of Florida International University was elected by the affiliated chapters to serve in this capacity. Following the elections, Joey McNamara presented a couple pieces of legislation with EJ Walicki and Danielle Vitale on various policies and financials that needed updating. The boardroom closed after presentations by the NIC, NSRO, NBD Executive (me), and the National Residence Hall Month (NRHM) committee members. The closing ceremony and after party signify the end of the conference; but no conference can properly close without a swap-shop. The swap-shop was huge, there were so many schools that were trading t-shirts, cups, hats, polos, jerseys, and more- it was very exciting. After the party, we went back to the hotel and went to bed. I must say that it was an amazing experience!!!

 

SAACURHians

I want to thank the Clemson University, Department of Student Housing, SAACURH 2008 Conference Staff, SEC, NCCs, NRHH Representatives, Delegates, and Volunteers for helping make SAACURH 2008 a success and welcoming me and the other national guests to your region and conference.   

- Ron Hamner, NAN

 

 

Here are the first ever Faces of NACURH, as nominated by the various RBDs and voted on by the National Executives

Savannah Rose - Northeastern University NCC

National Communication Coordinator

Savannah Rose currently serves as the National Communications Coordinator and Marketing Major at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.  Her involvement on campus and in both NEACURH and NACURH have proven extensive, through active forum and listserv participation, as well as a member of the nationally winning POY 2008 bid team.

Tim O'Malley - Ball State University RHA Advisor

Advisor

Tim O’Malley is an Advisor in every sense of the word. In every aspect that he serves the residence halls, as a Residence Hall Director at Ball State University, as an Advisor to Ball State’s RHA, and as the Advisor for the Indiana Residence Hall Organization, Tim strives to challenge and encourage students to use their talents to fully serve the communities with which they work.

Jamil Malone - SWACURH Regional Director

Regional Board of Directors Member

Jamil Malone has always been a dedicated member of NACURH. Mr. Malone is currently serving his second term as the SWACURH Director. Jamil also served as the NCC for his host school, the University of Tulsa for two years. Jamil has participated in many NACURH committees and even helped put together the Recruitment Guide. Jamil is beloved by SWACURH and his affectionate relationship with SWACK-Daddy is neverending.

Yeah, my title does sum it up. It certainly has been a while since I last posted, I apologize.  Life has certainly been hectic the past few weeks with adjusting to grad school and such. It has actually not been as bad as I expect, it’s just a lot more reading. I’m currently taking 3 courses: Intro to Student Affairs, Research Design and Methodology and Leadership Theory. They’re all wonderful classes that I’m really enjoying. I finally can say I’m starting to feel at home at OSU.

Which brings me to my next point. I’ve been missing out all my undergraduate career. College football is fun! I’m loving going to the games and rooting for my school, it’s exciting and fills me with a sense of pride. In fact, after I write this I’ll be going to bed so I can wake up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to get a seat with some friends down by the field at the 20 yard line.

NACURH-wise, things have been quiet, with everyone just finishing training or starting school. I’ve done 1 on 1s with almost all the regions and offices and am quite impressed with the great work everyone has been doing. I’m excited to be all set to attend the IACURH and MACURH Regional Conferences in two months (woo!).

I’m also really excited to hold the first ever Chat with the Chair on Monday September 29 at 9PM Eastern / 8PM Central / 7PM Mountain / 6PM Pacific. This is going to be a chance for you, the member schools, to directly ask me questions and let me know if you have anything in NACURH you want me or the National Board to address. Just IM ‘The NACURH Chair’ to get an invite.

Until next time…GO POKES!

It’s the end of the first NACURH quarter and I must say that it has been an interesting three (3) months. When I assumed my position, my first priority was the training of the ADs-NRHH. This was a major concern of mine due to an influx of residence hall association based leaders (with NRHH membership) who have never served in any NRHH leadership role serving in one of the most critical positions in the honorary (the other being a NRHH Representative or equivalent). Each AD-NRHH was put through HEART Training and was given the entire summer to learn everything they could about their region, its chapter needs, issues and concerns. This was done, and has been so for years, so that they would be well equipped to represent their region to the best of their ability in the fall and spring. I am happy to say that the ADs-NRHH are ready to get to work as a board with a strong emphasis on recognition, service, scholastics and recruitment.

First and foremost, NACURH is a student organization that offers leadership opportunities to all whom are willing to accept the challenge, but we also have to handle that other part- which is that of a corporation. As National Executives we are responsible for handling the day to day operation of the organization which, in itself, can be one stressful situation. It is our intention to serve NACURH to the best of our ability; this sometimes comes with long days and many sleepless nights. One thing that is very beneficial to us are quarterly evaluations completed by your Regional Directors. These are a medium for members of the National Board of Directors (NBD) to rate us (National Executives) on various measures (professionalism, communication, resourcefulness and availability). We just completed our first quarter rounds and are extremely thankful to the NBD for giving us pointers on how we can improve ourselves and be better representatives of the organization.

Looking back on this quarter, there have been a lot of low points and a lot of high points- NRHH membership cards, National Executive Retreat, NRHH Website, etc. In any organization, situation, or stage of life it is very important to not let failures get the best of you. We must all take risks in order to survive or, in our case, move the organization forward- It is also extremely important to have a very good friend to ventilate your frustrations to (Thanks Jmac). When I bid for this position I had numerous goals that I felt were very important to move NRHH forward. As the transition phase was coming to a close, I knew all to well that I would spend my entire term strengthening the foundation and pride of the honorary. As it is, I risk not fulfilling all of my goals that I proposed to the NBD when I bid at the NACURH Semi-Annuals; which could look bad on me in the end, but it is a risk that I am willing to take to strengthen the honorary.

As you each begin your terms as leadership on the campus and regional levels, I want you to take pride in everything you do. It is pride that motivates others- the executive board, members and the individual residents. In order for others to notice your organization, you must have pride in it; and in my opinion, there is no pride like NACURH pride!!! GO RECOGNIZE…

- Ron Hamner, NAN

August is the quietest month in NACURH. This generally is due to students returning to school, and many student leaders are in some form of training this month (at least in the semester schools, I’m sure this is not the case in most of PACURH). As such, I’ve found I’ve had to tone it down myself just to make sure people don’t become overwhelmed.

Right now, we have a couple of pieces of legislation in the pipe that will go through review. One involves revamping RCC policies, which has gone back to the RCCs for review, another will deal with making many small changes to policy to insert the National Associate for NRHH and Special Initiatives into various places where he was left out. A third that should come up this month involves sending the NAA to Bowling Green State University (go CAACURH) to sort out the NACURH Archives so that they are useable by this organization. I’m very happy that the National Board decided to pay Ann Bowers, the Archivist for the National Student Affairs Archive at BGSU.

The one thing that is making August loud is my recent decision to not invite Regional Advisors to Semis. While I still stand by the fact that I made the right choice, I am now starting to see and understand that the way I went about publicizing this decision that has caused trouble. The NBD is upset with me for not consulting with them prior to making this decision. As National Chair I have to understand and learn from my mistakes and this is my first major blunder.

Otherwise, we are now entering report season again. I should start getting my first round of quarterly reports and evaluations, which I’m quite excited about. Committee reports will start trickling in as well closer to their due date. Your Regional Directors and ADs are doing an amazing job with all their work. You should let them know how much you appreciate them.

That’s all for now. On a personal note, I start graduate school on Monday with my first class, Intro to Student Affair (yay!). I’m pretty excited because the instructor for that one is a former SWACURH Regional Advisor. Let me know if you ever have questions or concerns. Stay cool in the heat!

Ok, I promised this days ago, but settling in has taken a bit longer than I thought. I’m good now, I’m just about settled in and I’m loving my grad assistantship so far. But this post is about the journey, not the destination.

Look what I found!

I picked Jamil Malone, SWACURH Director, up at LaGuardia Airport in Queens on Thursday, July 31st. We met with Jordan Shyi at the NIC to take a look at the office and drop off some NACURH recruitment guides. He also gave me a parting gift for my journey, an old NACURH sign that they were going to throw out. We then had dinner with Jordan Peterson, 06-07 NEACURH Director and we hoped Jay Dixon, the Past NACURH Chair would be joining us, but he never made it.

On Friday August 1st, with Jamil Malone the SWACURH Director in tow, I embarked on a 1500 mile journey from the outskirts of New York City to the middle of Oklahoma. Read on as I recount the tale of this 40 hour trek across America.

We left my house at 7 AM on Friday, stopping briefly so I could get bagels to take to Oklahoma with me (just a little bit of home). We drove through New Jersey, which was mostly uneventful, and then crossed into Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a beautiful state, there’s trees and mountains everywhere. Some mountains, you even drive underneath. That was fun because I didn’t know it was customary to hold your breath in a tunnel (coming from downstate New York we have tunnels everywhere).  It also has some of the most interesting town names we saw such as Lover, PA or Eighty Four, PA.

We made a quick stop for Jamil at an old camp he used to go to near Pittsburg. Everyone was pretty excited to see him there and was sad he couldn’t stay longer. The other fun part of this area was Bob. Bob was our third man for a good portion of the trip. He’s a radio station that just plays anything and everything. We went from Funk to Classic Rock to Pop. It was fun.

Me Posing with 2 Regional Directors and a TGIF Hostess

We next passed into West Virginia. We had forgotten we drove through WV, so it was fun when we got there. We almost went to the Palace of Gold in Bethlehem, WV, but it was a 15 minute detour and we had dinner plans with Johnny B., CAACURH Director.

After our 12 minute drive across West Virginia, we came into Ohio. It started to pour for a bit in Ohio. I don’t remember much of it, I was asleep for a good portion of Ohio (I was not driving at the time). We met Johnny B. outside of Columbus for some dinner at TGI Fridays. There was a bad accident so we were both delayed a bit but it all worked out. After dinner we headed on to Indianapolis, which once again I don’t remember much of because I slept again.

We stayed at a La Quinta in Indianapolis, but there was no staff meeting (some former IACURH Execs should know what I’m talking about). Afterwards came the next part of the journey. I started out this drive, heading southwest toward St. Louis. We first passed the world’s largest ketchup bottle, in Collinsville, IL,

We crossed the Mississippi into St. Louis, where I finally realized how big that arch really is. We met Ben White, MACURH Director, at the UMSL campus. He took us to get some sandwhiches and then we posed for a picture.

Me and Ben White staring into the sun

We also passed through Rolla, MO, home of Missouri University of Science and Technology. We stopped there for gas, and then got lost trying to get back to the interstate. After passing stone henge (and not getting a picture), we finally made it back on track. Shortly after this, we switched driving rolls. I was much more energeized today and wanted to give Jamil a break after he drove so much yesterday.

From here we headed onto Springfield Missouri, where we went in search of the world’s largest fork (standing at 35 feet tall).  After posing for some pictures, and discovering I was not allowed to lay on the grass in front of it, we got back in the car to head for Oklahoma. However, just before the border, we took a slight detour to pass into Kansas. This allowed us to say we had driven through 10 states, and not whimpy North Eastern states but big midwestern states.

We finally made it to Tulsa at 7 PM and had dinner with some Reslife folk there. After saying hi to Gennie Lynn, the wonderful SWACURH Advisor, we headed out to Stillwater. At 10:00 PM, on Saturday August 2nd, I had arrived at Oklahoma State University, my new home.

I have to really thank Jamil Malone for his help and for keeping me sane on this trip. I know it sounds like I napped a lot but when you’re moving halfway across America for the first time in your life, you don’t get much sleep at night. I could never have made this trip without him. Thank you buddy And for now, I leave you with this:

Posing in front of a 35 foot tall fork

I feel like a first year, entering college again for the first time. In three days, I leave New York for Stillwater, Oklahoma. I now understand how many new undergraduates must feel, as they leave home to go further away to college. It’s quite hard to think about, leaving everything I’ve ever known behind. I’ve grown up in the shadow of New York City my entire life, it’s been a constant in my time on this earth. Leaving to move halfway across the country for the next couple of years is just harrowing.

On the bright side, I know people in the area down there. Jamil Malone, the SWACURH Regional Director will be flying up to New York to escort me to my new home. OSU just hosted NACURH 08, so I’ve got a handful of people I’ve met to interact with.

So the fun part comes now. In three days, when I leave, Jamil and I will be seeing some fun sites, meeting with some cool people along the way. I’ll be updating the blog on the trip (I booked a hotel that supposedly has free internet) so look for that.

NACURH in the meantime has undergone some big things since the Executive Retreat.  Both the NIC and the NSRO have completed transitioning to their new host schools. The NBD has now had 5 chats, which is more than it has ever normally had in 1 semester. I think that the bi-weekly chat system has been extremely beneficial to NACURH, it keeps us on our toes and facilitates a faster pace of getting work done. Committees have either started to meet or are getting set for their first meeting.

As always, keep on rocking! If anyone has any suggestions for my trip to help pass the boredom of a 1500 mile drive, let me know.

Hey NACURH! This is your friendly neighborhood National Associate for Administration updating you all on what I’ve been up to! I won’t go into great detail about what I do on a monthly basis here- for that, you’ll have to check out the NACURH forum, where all four of the National Executives post their monthly reports. 

That brings up the one thing I wanted to remind you all of- the NACURH forum! It is such a great resource to utilize, especially as a campus representative. As an NCC, I used it to gain feedback for my institution, and I returned the favor by helping others around the country. I heartily encourage you all to register for an account and post on the forum ASAP!

Last weekend, as has been written, the National Executives met at the University of South Florida for our summer retreat. First of all, I had a blast. Do you ever get that sense of overwhelming accomplishment after working on something? I had that feeling while flying back from this retreat. NACURH has so much going for it this year- I’m very excited about what is to come. The next project due to come out is the premiere of Flat Avi. I’m currently constructing a fancy memo about Flat Avi, and I’ll be sure to post more info here as well when all the details are finalized. Basically, schools around NACURH will have the opportunity to host a paper version of the National Chairperson for up to four days. We want Flat Avi to see your campus and maybe even poke his head into an RHA and/or NRHH meeting. All you have to do is take a couple pictures, record what Flat Avi did, then send him onto the next school. You can be Flat Avi’s friend on facebook and he even has his own e-mail account- flatavi@nacurh.org. 

Personally, I am preparing for my move to grad school. I will be leaving the fair region of MACURH, where I have been hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato for the past four years and going onto the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, in the land of GLACURH. In a week, the entire move will be done and I will be settling in on the banks of the Mississippi and in the scenic bluffs of La Crosse, Wisconsin. 

I would love to chat with any of you- you can e-mail me at naa@nacurh.org or IM on AOL Instant Messenger- nacurhnaa.