Residence Hall Organization wins recognition

Allie Bedell
Equinox Staff

In only its third year as an organization on Keene State College’s campus, the Residence Hall Organization received North East Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls’ highest award, “School of the Year,” at the Mini No-Frills Conference at New York University March 11-13.
“It’s a great honor, it really is,” senior RHO President Sean O’Toole said. “Even though that sounds cliché.”
The award was presented Saturday night to a team of ten students in RHO who were sent to the conference to present KSC’s bid for the award, as well as RHO advisor Jana Jacobson.

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“Our organization bid for the highest honor a school can attain as part of NEACURH (North East Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls),” sophomore Kate Chimienti, RHO vice president and chair of the bidding process, said. “This award is School of the Year, which specifically recognizes outstanding achievements on the campus level by a Residence Hall Organization and associated groups, as well as contributions from these groups on regional and national levels.”
Each school attending the conference places a bid on various awards. The bidding process includes an extensive 20-page report outlining the school’s program and events that RHO coordinates as well as write ups, recommendations, and other testimonials from various members of the KSC community.
“Writing a bid is a very long process, and it is no walk in the park,” Chimienti said. “It is extremely time consuming and you have to put in a lot of energy to make it the best you can. At our first executive board meeting in August we decided that we should bid for the award.”
At the conference, schools have their bids evaluated and deliver a 10-minute presentation. They then spend 50 minutes in a question and answer session before National Communication Coordinators, a position held by students from each school, vote.
“Understanding that piece alone is really important because this is all students recognizing students,” Jacobson said.
KSC’s RHO will attend the national conference, National Association of College University Residence Halls, at Western Illinois University at the end of May. They will be the Northeast’s candidate for the national bid for “School of the Year.” Schools who won the NEACURH award previously include NYU and Sacred Heart University, most of them being much larger than KSC and with larger budgets.
“We’re a small school and a small program, and that is unique,” Jacobson said. “We need to figure out, especially on a national scale, how we can achieve what larger schools can.”
Before the national bid, RHO will have a chance to revamp their report and add any events that occur between the two conferences.
“We have the opportunity to rework the physical document,” Jacobson said. “We have feedback so we know things that need to be addressed.”
RHO sent ten students to NYU, nine of whom were selected to present. The national trip is going to be more expensive, and it is unlikely that RHO will be able to send the previous team in its entirety. They’ve decided that a minimum of four is possible, including top executive board members as well as a Resident Assistant and a National Residential Hall Honorary to speak about their respective positions.
Last year was RHO’s first year as a competing and accredited school. They took home the “Building Block Award,” granted to schools developing their programs, and “Advisor of the Year.” They were pleased to have come so far in just a single year.
“We went from, ‘Good work, keep it up’ to, ‘You’re the best,’” Jacobson said.
RHO hopes to continue their success as they prepare for the national bid. Not only is the award an example of RHO’s hard work, but according to some members, it demonstrates the KSC community in its entirety.
“This honor stretches beyond RHO because the award is for the school as a whole and not just our organization,” senior Bryanna Brown, RHO secretary, said.
“Obviously, it’s a recognition piece for us, one that says we’re doing wonderful things,” Jacobson said. “It definitely gives us a little ‘street cred.’”

Allie Bedell can be contacted at abedell@keeneequinox.com