Advisor OTM

A nominee for the Advisor OTM can be the advisor of any hall government organization or program that in
some way contributes to life in the residence halls. Try to answer these questions:

• Did the individual recognize the students they work with during the month of nomination?
• Did the individual impact the students they work with during the month of nomination?
• Is the individual being nominated for their professional contributions or for work with students during the month of nomination?
• What outstanding accomplishments merit recognition of this individual this month?

Unfortunately this is the most intangible category, and advisors need to create a supportive environment for the leaders they work with over a long period of time, so we recognize this is a hard nomination to submit. The focus should be on the advisory roles the person fulfills rather than professional or supervisory roles. The nomination should display how the advisor was instrumental in helping the leaders grow, learn, develop, and mature. When the individual serves on committees and does work for an organization, they are not in the role of an advisor. This type of information is considered secondary to advisory capacities. Personal examples are often the best way to express the intangible contributions of an advisor. Talking about some of the problems or conflicts the advisor helped students sort out are also great approaches. Ask yourself why you chose this month above all others to nominate the individual. Please be sure to include the nominator's relationship to the nominee.

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Community OTM

The Community OTM may be awarded to any wing, floor, hall executive board, or any other team that comes together as a community.

This local award is intended to recognize outstanding communities since their is currently no other formal way of doing so. The nomination should focus both on what the members of the community have done within their wing, floor, hall, as well as the communities contribution to the residence halls as a whole.

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Executive Board Member OTM

Any member of the RHA or NRHH executive board can be nominated for the Executive Board Member OTM. Try to answer these questions:

• What contributions did the nominee make to the campus-wide residence hall government during the month of nomination?
• What contributions did the nominee make to other campus groups?
• What has been the nominee's use of Purdue's resources?
• Campus resources?
• Has the nominee made any contribution to your region during the month of nomination?
• What outstanding contributions were made by the individual during the month?

Be sure the person you are nominating is eligible for the award. The nominee needs to be a member of the executive board member of RHA or NRHH. If the person fills more than one role which would make him/her eligible for more than one award, the nomination needs to focus on the contributions he/she has made in the role in which he/she is being nominated. This category should be approached similarly to the Student Of The Month category. We are looking for those special efforts, not just fulfilling the job requirements of the position.

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Organization OTM

Any hall club that is affiliated with RHA can be nominated for the Organization OTM. Try to answer these questions

• Is the nomination month specific?
• What is the focus of the organization? (i.e. programming, advocacy, recognition, etc.)
• How did the organization contribute to the residential community and the general community of the institution?
• How did the organization interact with the other hall clubs and with RHA and NRHH?
• What set this month apart from other months?

This category is to recognize an outstanding residence life organization not an outstanding member. Nominations should be organization specific and not concentrate on the efforts of a few individuals. Review the purpose and goals of the organization before writing the nomination.

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Resident Assistant OTM

At Purdue University any RA (Resident Assistant) may be nominated for the RA OTM. Try to answer these questions:

• How well does the nominee work with residents and what impact has he/she had during the month of nomination?
• Does the nominee suport and advise student leaders?
• Does the nominee motivate others?
• Has the nominee fulfilled and gone above his/he r job responsibility during the month of nomination?
• Are there any specific projects in support of hall government of committees?

This is another category in which nominations have been found to be not month specific, so watch for the tendency to include extraneous information. We look for unique contributions to the position, so you might include any difficult confrontations the RA had to deal with or crisis situations with which he/she managed to make a difference. Besides programming, you also could include any bulletin boards he/she's created, how he/she might have promoted an advocacy month or week, how he/she has supported his/her fellow staff members, etc. Please be sure to include your relationship to the nominee.

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Spotlight OTM

The Spotlight OTM may be awarded to anyone that doesn't fit into any of the other categories. Possibilities include professors, food service personnel, public safety officers, housekeepers, maintainance personnel, groups, and any others who do not fall underneath the guidelines of any of the other OTM category's criteria.

This award is intended to recognize outstanding OTMs that don't fit into any set category, such as graduate assistants, food service personnel, night security, etc.

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Student OTM

Any student that lives in on-campus housing at Purdue University may be nominated for the Student OTM award. Try to answer these questions:

• What organizations and outside activities has the nominee been involved with during the month of nomination?
• What interaction did the nominee have with their residence hall government or individual hall during the month of nomination?
• How well does the student motivate and work with others?
• What outstanding contributions were made by the individual during the month of nomination?

This category is intended for the new or average student leader who puts forth special effort during the month of nomination. We are looking for a special effort or growth on the part of the nominee. We want to know what made this individual extraordinary that month and how they have contributed to making the residence hall system better on our campus. The nominator has much lattitude with this category, so take it away! Please note that Resident Assistants, National Communications Coordinators, Advisors, and RHA, or NRHH executive board members are not eligible for this award.

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First Year Student

Any student that lives in on-campus housing at Purdue University may be nominated for the First Year Student award. Try to answer these questions:

• What organizations and outside activities has the nominee been involved with during the month of nomination?
• What interaction did the nominee have with their residence hall government or individual hall during the month of nomination?
• How well does the student motivate and work with others?
• What outstanding contributions were made by the individual during the month of nomination?

A student who has lived in on-campus housing for less than one year can be specifically nominated for a First Year Student Award. First year students may not have had the opportunity to obtain title positions, but contribute to our communities in many ways.

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Program OTM

Any program that a student, RA, or any organization or department organizes or sponsors can be nominated for the Program OTM. There are four types of Program OTMs. The four categories are Community Service, Diversity, Educational, and Social. When nominating a program chose the category that most closely fits. Try to answer these questions:

• What makes your program unique from what is done at other schools?
• What percent of your target group showed up? Is the cost per person feasible in terms of adaptability to other schools?
• Did the program have a long lasting effect on residents ?
• Did the program meet all the goals that were set?
• What was the quality of the program (evaluation)?

For both educational and social programs, the judging committees look for creativity, originality, financial feasibility, percent of attendance, and adaptability to other campuses. If the nomination is in conjunctions with a nationally recognized week or holiday, the nomination needs to display how our campus has approached the program in a new or different way. Expanding on the adaptability questions is always helpful; try to list resources used, etc. These nominations are not only giving recognition to a group of leaders having done a super job on programming, but it becomes a resource and a guide for leaders on other campuses. With an educational program nominee, some consideration is given to the relevance of the issue on our campus, so mention if the program addresses a certain problem or circumstance. Timeliness of response to an issue is also a favorable quality in an original program. Nominations for a community service program should list resources contacted, expand on the purpose of the program. and describe the success of the program.

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