 |
National Residence Hall Honorary |
| Truman State University |
| Bess Truman Chapter |
| nrhh@truman.edu |
|
OTM Writing Tips
Quality OTM Writing Tips
Determining A Nominee:
We have a variety of categories in which someone can be nominated, but who and what really makes a good nominee for an OTM. Well, the answer is easier than you may think, anyone and everyone...anything and everything. The purpose of an OTM is not to win an award, it is to recognize someone or something for their great contributions to on campus living during a certain month. It can be something as simple as a student doing great on their academics or a program that was presented by a student to as complex as a week of programs or a resident assistant who did a program everyday of the month. The possibilities are endless. When looking at writing an OTM, take into consideration some of these questions when looking for a nominee in a category:
- Has someone had a positive influence on your campus?
- Has a student helped to better the on campus living environment they live in?
- Did the nominee do something that had never been done before on your campus?
- Was a new and creative program presented on your campus?
- Did someone continually go out of their way to do things to present a program or help out a fellow student?
- Did the nominee create a new found excitement on your campus?
- Did the nominee go above and beyond what is normally expected as a student, staff member, or advisor?
- Is there someone outside of your on campus environment that has had a positive impact on the students?
Who Can Submit an OTM:
It’s really a very interesting question because the actual answer is anyone and everyone. The only catch is that our Truman State University NRHH Chapter can only submit one winner from campus to the regional level each month, and same from the regional level to the national level. NRHH opens the doors for anyone and everyone to do a little bit of recognition no matter how large or small it is. There’s no wrong way to submit an OTM unless you don’t submit one at all!
Writing a Quality OTM:
- Explaining how the student, staff member, or program goes outside of what is normally done makes an OTM great. Be descriptive, creative, and inventive when talking about people and events. Those reading the nominations probably won’t know anything about specific schools besides what is in the nomination. Paint a picture that is so vivid that those who read the OTM really wish they could have been at the program or met the person being talked about. If it’s not in the OTM, then the readers don’t know about it.
- Write OTM’s immediately following the program for which they are written. It will be easier to remember all of the details and events that occurred. If you are not writing it directly after the event, take some notes to make the OTM writing process easier. Look at all the criteria for writing the OTM and interview the person/people involved, if applicable. This will help make the OTM detailed and informative. Also, presentation is the key! Proofread the OTM to make sure you are clearly saying what you mean to say and that everything is spelled correctly. Also, it’s helpful to put spaces in between paragraphs, as it makes the OTM easy to read for everyone.
- Define Acronyms...they aren't always universal! State what you are talking about, put the acronym in parenthesis, then you can use it later in the OTM. For instance, the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) encourages the use of an acronym. We at NRHH feel that it’s an important part in an OTM. Without that knowledge, some won’t know what the OTM is about. Be specific and cover all your bases.
- Make sure a nomination is MONTH SPECIFIC! This month specification is very important to highlight the outstanding things that the nominee did during the specific month of nomination. Use phrases like "in the month of ____ they did...”. Maintain this consistency throughout the nomination. If the OTM is not month specific, it could be disqualified when being graded on the regional level.
- Have fun! Realize you are doing this to honor someone else. Try and imagine their face when out of the blue they receive an award congratulating them for a job well done!
Criteria and Questions to Think About:
Advisor
- How has the individual contributed to the profession?
- What outstanding accomplishments merit recognition of this individual this month?
- How has the individual gone above and beyond their duties as an advisor? (give specific examples)
Community
- What brings the group of people together? Examples include, but are not limited to: hall, floor, wing, house, suite, and communities.
- What positive contributions did this community make to enhance the lives of the group members or those around them?
- How does the community interact with other communities?
- What makes the community different from other communities? Examples include participation and enthusiasm as a group, fewer discipline problems, etc.
- What accomplishments has the community made this month?
Executive Board Member
- How had the individual exceeded his/her job responsibilities this month?
- How has the individual grown as a result of his/her work this month?
- Is the nominee an executive offericer of a campus-wide residence hall governing body? Examples include RHA executive, NRHH executives, and other on campus living student governing body executives.
- Did the nominee make outstanding contributions to the organization during the month of nomination?
- What contributions did the nominee make to other campus groups?
- What has been the nominee's use of NACURH and campus resources?
- What contributions has the nominee made to your region during the month of nomination?
Resident Assistant/Student Advisor
- How well does the nominee work with residents and what impact has he/she had during the month of nomination?
- How has the nominee fulfilled and gone above his/her job responsibility during the month of nomination?
- Are there any specific projects in support of hall government or committees that they have participated in?
- What outstanding contributions has the individual made for the hall they work in during the month of nomination?
- What other activities does the nominee participate in?
- What difficult situations has the nominee dealt with during the month?
Spotlight
- Does the nominee fit only into this category?
- How does the individual or group interact with on campus students?
- How did the nominee impact the students they worked with during the month of nomination?
- What interaction did the nominee have with an on campus government or individual organization during the month of nomination?
- What other outstanding accomplishments merit recognition of this individual this month?
Student
- What organizations and activities has the nominee been involved with during the month of nomination?
- What interaction did the nominee have with their on campus government or organization during the month of nomination?
- Does the student work well with and motivate others?
- What contributions has the nominee made to your region during the month of nomination?
- What other outstanding contributions were made by the individual during the month of nomination?
- How has the individual been important to on campus living this month?
Program
- What makes the program unique from what is done at other schools and what has been done in the past?
- Is the program creative? If it is not a new program, what new twists were added to make the program different from previous years?
- What percent of your target group showed up?
- Is the cost per person feasible in terms of adaptability to other schools?
- What lasting effect did the program have on residents?
- What were the goals of the program and how were they met?
- What was the overall quality of the program (evaluation)?
- Was the diversity program a program that focuses on a particular aspect of diversity which may include, but not limited to, sexuality, spirituality, nationality, or gender?
- Did the social program encourage the interaction between students?
- How was the community affected by the program?
- What did the students learn from the program?