Of the Month Awards
OTMs are a premiere recognition tool that come in the form of essays in which the writer nominates a person, group, or program to be considered for campus, regional, or NACURH-wide (National Association of College and University Residence Halls) recognition. OTMs are submitted via the database on the OTM NACURH Website to campus-level administrators who oversee the voting process. Through the voting process, a winner will be selected from each category and recognized on the campus level. At UGA, the NRHH Executive Board reviews submissions and votes for winners. OTMs recognized on the campus level can be submitted to the Regional and NACURH levels to let other institutions know how great the individuals, groups, or programs are on your campus.
Recognizing the accomplishments of those around you can help to live out the value of recognition while also making strides to educate members on new and exciting initiatives happening at institutions across the world.
Campuses can submit OTMs in a variety of categories that are customizable to the unique needs of the campus. However, NACURH only recognizes 16 Categories: Advisor, Community Service Program, Diversity Program, Educational Program, Executive Board Member, First-Year Student, Institution Faculty or Staff Member, Organization, Passive Program, Residential Community, Residence Life Professional Staff Member, Resident Assistant, Student, Student Staff Member, Social Program, Spotlight, and Student.
To submit an OTM, go to the NRHH OTM submission page here: https://www.nrhh.nacurh.org/submit-an-otm.
OTM Requirements
- Minimum of 300 words; Max of 600. OTMs that are under 300 words are disqualified and not considered in the vote.
- Be sure to read the descriptions of these categories to ensure you are submitting OTMs in the proper category. Submissions that are in the wrong category can also result in a disqualification.
- OTMs are due every month on the 2nd at 11:59 pm. OTMs submitted at midnight on the 3rd or later will be accepted, but not for the month in which it was likely intended.
- (For example: February OTMs are due on March 2nd, but if submitted on March 3rd, it will be considered for March OTMs after the April 2nd deadline and so forth.)
Of the Year Awards
OTYs help to recognize hard-working individuals who continually stand out and enhance the on-campus experience at the University of Georgia. Is there an organization, a staff member, or a few students who you find yourself repeatedly wanting to recognize for an OTM? These people/organizations/groups may be more than deserving for an OTY award!
The recipients of these awards are chosen by a group of volunteer judges who are typically members of University Housing Staff with the exception of advisors. There are 17 categories that an individual can make a submission to and that the judges will choose winners for. There are 3 additional awards – The Alan Goodno, the Mendenhall, and the Diana Fruth Awards – whose winners are chosen by the RHA and NRHH Executive Boards.
OTY Requirements
Below is a quick overview of what is required for OTYs.
- Minimum of 300 words; Maximum of 600 words. OTYs that don’t meet the 300-word count are disqualified and not submitted to judges for review.
- The Community Council of the Year Award is the one OTY that has additional formatting requirements and topics to be covered in the submission. Be sure to read over the requirements thoroughly.
We always encourage that OTYs are written and designed in “bid style” to encourage creativity and make the process of writing OTYs a fun team effort for community councils. See examples of “bid style” OTYs here. However, judges are urged to score OTYs by the content and not the aesthetic or design of the submission, so submitting a document that meets the word count and additional requirements will still be eligible for review by the judges.
Winners of OTYs are announced at the End of Year, Recognition Banquet hosted by the NRHH Executive Board and the Banquet Planning Committee.