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Summary:SUNY Cortland Residence Hall Association and National Residence Hall

Honorary have individually grown and improved rapidly over the past twoyears. RHA has established annual programs and also have started to

initiate advocacy issues in the residence halls and around campus to makethe living community a better place. NRHH has also made great strides intheir organization. They have had a full chapter for the past two years and

continue to equally use each of the four pillars in their organization. At theend of the year RHA and NRHH met to discuss how things could be betterfor the year to come. We realized that we had to work together like thesister organizations we are. Starting with the executive boards we knew wehad separate organizations but working together side by side would benefit

both RHA and NRHH. The main goal of both organizations was to instillleadership in each one of their members. After revamping old leadershiptraining and implementing new ones, RHA and NRHH wanted to ensure that

the members of each organization became effective leaders and wanted to

ke di erence on our c us. ost i ort nt we w nted t e to

RHA and NRHH run on leadership!


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State University of New York

Residence Hall Association:


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NRHH Rho Delta Chapter:The National Residence Hall Honorary on the SUNY

Cortland campus all started from one OTM. Afterbeing recognized with an OTM for Resident Assistant of

the month by her hall director, Ashley Hudson decided

she wanted to implement a NRHH chapter on our

campus, because she loved getting recognized and

wanted to share that feeling with the entire campus.

Cheri Skipworth and Ashley started a committee in the

Spring of 2007 to see if we wanted to bring a chapter

to campus. After finishing the constitution, they started

recruiting members at the beginning of Fall 2007. In

October 2007, they inducted the Alpha class of about 30

members. The new NRHH wanted to recognize those leaders

who do things outside their jobs and

whats required of them while also excelling at school

(scholarship). They also wanted the programming focused

more on service. The organization has continued to grow

and expand over the past few years, expanding beyond just

student staff members to other leaders on campus.

Instilling

the four pillars in the organization has been a constant

goal of

History of Leadership Training on Campus:

RHA and NRHH have historically had separate trainings for theirorganizations. RHA hosts a Leadership Night at the first general

body meeting of the semester. At Leadership Night each person

learns and understands their roles on hall council, while bonding

with the general body. This year NRHH decided to try a different

form of leadership training and take their chapter to Raquette

Lake for a retreat weekend. Usually, executive boards of each

group would go through separate trainings during the summer.

However, this year we decided to have an Executive Board retreat

including both RHA and NRHH executive boards and go on a

leadership retreat at Adams Eden Camp.


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Unify: Get familiar with all

traits of each board

member, including

strengths and

weaknesses.

Form a better

Educate: Read through our

constitutions.

Understand what eachexecutive board position

does for both of our

or anizations.

Transition: Work hard at planning

ahead and setting

expectations to make a

smooth transition from

one semesters executive

board to the next

LeadershipTraining:

Challenge ourselves on

the ropes course to useour communication skills

as effectively as

possible.

Quickly learn thedifferences between

effective and

Understand the roleof RHA:

Advocacy to allresidents as we strive

to improve our campus

for everyone.

Programming to enrichthe residents awareness

and experiences while

living on campus.

Recognition put forthfor every deserving

Understand the roleof NRHH:

Implementing all fourpillars equally on our

campus

Put on service programsto benefit the Cortland

campus and community

Have members learndifferent leadership

opportunities

Understand our rolein NEACURH/NACURH

Realize our RHA and NRHH

are just one smallnumber out of many

across the nation who

are all associated with

NACURH.

Know that we can turn tothese organizations for


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Leadershipand growth

Makiung adifferenceon campus

Know YourHallCouncilposition

Familliarwith NRHH

Have Fun

Know your hall councilposition:During leadershipnight, each hall council member

attended our RHA meeting to learn

the specifics of their position.

This qualifies them to run an

Making a difference oncampus:All of thesectivities gave these

ttendees ideas to use in

heir hall or even on a

ampus wide level. This

Leadership and Growth:During all of ourtraining sessions and retreats there were

many activities for everyone to take charge

and escape their comfort zone. From a high

ropes course at the executive board retreat

to ice breakers during leadership night,

Familiar with NRHH:Duringthe NRHH retreat the members

familiarized themselves with

the organization as well as

many other activities. This

allows the members to gain the

Have Fun:

Throughoutplanning of the

retreats and

leadership night,

each executive

board wanted to

make these

activities fun

and enjoyable for

their members.

This will make


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Plannin

The advisors informed the new

E-boards of the dates for the

retreat in the spring

semester of 2011. They

gathered information to

present during the training,

made reservations at Adams

Eden, and planned team

building and leadershipactivities. The E-board

members were also past down a

Location

The retreat was held at Adams

Eden Camp in LaFayette, NY

about 45 minutes away from SUNY

Cortland. Adams Eden is a

family run Camp, which has a

high and low ropes course on

site. TEAM Adventure partners

with Adams Eden Camp to

At TEAM Adventure it is our mission to lead

quality adventure based learning experiences that

help people: become better leaders, become highly

functioning teams, communicate more effectively,


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Schedule

Bud et

We created a budget for the

retreat, using money from both RHA

ad NRHH. It included:

Retreat

Location

(Adams Eden)

$572

Ropes Course

(Team

$950


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Activities

Da 1

With TEAM Adventure

facilitating, we started off the

day with our whole group

blindfolded, being led through

obstacles by one member of our

group to the location of our

next activity. After we

completed it, we were asked howwhat we may have gained from

this activity could be applied

back at SUNY Cortland. This is

when the sister organizations

started to really work together

as a teamNext we did a very risky exercise. At

first we had a mouse trap to

ourselves, had to set it, then put

our own hand over it, then release

it. This got us to trust ourselves.Then we got with a partner and did

the same thing, to trust one other

person. Then as a group in a circle

we all had to trust each other and

We then moved on to two different low ropes

courses. The first one got us all talking and

we realized the importance of communication

and making sure everyone is heard, but also

that sometimes too many conflicting opinions

can harm the group and relationships. The

second of the low ropes courses tested us

physically and mentally. We encouraged each

We briefly broke for lunch, and lots of water! We then returned

and went on to the high ropes course. There we broke up into two

groups. One went through an obstacle course, and the other went

on a zip line. Then the groups switched. Within each group there

were some who stood out and easily conquered the challenges, but

then they helped, coaxed and encouraged the others through it.

Most of us were very tired and went to bed early that night!


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Activities

Da 2

After a good nights sleep in a

cabin at Adams Eden, we woke up and

got down to business. We had a day

full of learning ahead of us. After

breakfast we each picked a random

motivational quote to get the day

started out right. Then we addressed

time management. We looked at it

from a healthy stand point. We

filled out a questionnaire to create

an accurate wellness wheel to see

what areas of our lives need a

little help. After filling that out

After this we moved onto policies and procedures, and then NRHH

created their budget, while RHA had a continued discussion ofpolicies and procedures as well as bonding and time to work on

their E-board buddy craft project (RHA had already created

their budget over the summer).

After lunch we discussed effective ways to run a meeting, which

was a good chance for the sister organizations to share the

different ways we do things, but how it may be effective in

either organization. Also effective and creative new ways of

advertising was discussed.

The E-boards separated to create E-board expectations for the

year and go over our constitution and by-laws.After dinner the E-boards worked

together to do a picture scavenger hunt

(And since there were two birthdays to

be celebrated it was a good chance to

get us out of the cabin so the advisors

could decorate!). This was a relaxing

time for us to go out on an adventure


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We learned more about each individual through team building

activities, but we were also able to concentrate on collective

goals for the upcoming year. We were able to create

expectations of ourselves to maintain for the year, which we

still look back on now to make sure we are staying on track.

This creates motivation for us to live up our leadership

roles.

This retreat also brought out leaders within the group that

may not have normally been recognized. People were able to

show their strengths and help the others who may have

struggled, specifically with the physical challenges. This

gave a chance for them to shine, gave them confidence and

This trip allowed us to bond within our E-boards, RHA

and NRHH, but also allowed for communication

between the two groups. Between RHA and NRHH, weoffered each other advice about what has worked in

within our specific organizations and how it

translates to the other organization.

Our E-boards may have known each other before this

retreat, it gave us a chance to relax away from SUNY

Cortland and focus on each individual. It allowed us to

recognize strengths and weakness and offer support. This

retreat was crucial for the E-boards work together in an

effective manner. Even during unscheduled time, like before

bed, the sleeping arrangements allowed us to stay up, talk,

and get to know each other better. Knowing the E-board

members on a personal and not just business level lets us

work more cohesively.


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Purpose: The SUNY Cortland ResidenceHall Association annually holds an event

the third week into the semester called

Leadership Night. This event presents an

opportunity for the entire campus hall

councils to come together, meet new

people, and most of all learn their

position requirements on hall council.

The event is held on the third week of

Planning Progress: Decided whether or not the E-board believed Leadership

night was a beneficial for the general body.

o We decided that leadership night was essential forthe general body to learn their position and gain

more information about RHA.

They created nametags for themselves.o People got to know each other on a personal level.

Icebreakerso Break the ice, feeling of security.

Designated positions met to understand their roles.

The RHA E-board ran their positions meeting.

Budget: Because Leadership Night is more of a learning toolSUNY Cortland uses than an actual program the budget isactually quiet low. Leadership Night is an inexpensive way for

the hall councils to come together and better learn what their

new founded responsibilities are. With a proposed budget of

merely $100 our entire schools 16 Residence Halls, minimally 4

hall council members gathered for one night to pick up the

Location & Schedule: Our General Body has alwaysmet once a week on Tuesdays at 7pm to 9pm in our conference

room called the Fireplace Lounge. In order for the amount of

information to be covered during Leadership Night this one

meeting was forced to be slightly longer than usual. We

understand that our General Body is made up of busy students

so we allocated an additional 30 minutes, maximum, for this

meeting. The meeting began at exactly 7pm. From 7-7:10 each

executive board member introduced himself or herself. From

7:10-7:30 the General Body quietly talked to each other and

made name tags. From 7:30- 7:45 a variety of ice breakers

were played, where groups were often split up so there was an

opportunity to get to know someone knew. From 7:45- 8:05 the


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Programs and Activities Done: To some, icebreakersseem unimportant and a waste of time. That is the complete

opposite ideology of SUNY Cortland. We believe that in order for

one to be able to run with leadership they must first be able to

walk. In order for one to be able to walk with leadership they

first must feel comfortable with the idea of being a leader and

rusting their peers. Icebreakers provide a unique opportunity for

everyone to express themselves any way they want. Through just

taking a few minutes and allowing everyone to relax and get to

know each other the RHA team began to take shape. The constant

switching of groups provided every member present the opportunityto get to know anyone and everyone they wanted. Our next activity

was making the name tags. Being personal with the General Body is

an important component to having a successful RHA. The name tags

provided a second opportunity for the RHA members to express

he Overall Effect:This years Leadership Night was age success! Some General Body members walked into this event with

prior knowledge of RHA. Some werent even aware of what the

ronym RHA stood for. Leadership Night completed its purpose and

s even more successful than we could have hoped. The General Bodyw feels comfortable not only with their responsibilities, but

th their ability to depend on each other as well as the executive

ard. Everyone left the Fireplace Lounge feeling more personable,

perienced, and less stressed than when entered only an hour and

lf earlier. Friends were made and progress was accomplished. It

s during this meeting that our executive board got word of some

mbers of the General Body being interested in taking on the empty


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Purpose: Every fall, the members ofSUNY Cortlands chapter of NRHH go on a

retreat. The time is meant to allow new

and returning members to get to know each

other, for all members to bond, and for

the organization to take care of some

business. After not being able to go the

previous year, this years fall retreat

was up in the Adirondack Mountains,

located on the colle e owned ro ert ofPlanning Process:After having previous difficulties in attempting to book a

trip to Raquette Lake, last years executive board took stepsto make sure that would not be a problem again. The planning

process for this years retreat began at the end of the

spring semester, with the decision of where the retreat was

to be held, what weekend it would be held, and that we would

be participating in the low elements challenge course. The

planning process continued into the fall semester, as this

years executive board worked to plan out the itinerary for

the retreat. Since this years retreat fell later in the

semester, the usual business that is typically taken care of

at the retreat in regards to committees had already been done


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Road Trips:Raquette Lake is located in the

heart of the AdirondackMountains, and is the only

National Historic Landmark in

the SUNY system, receiving its

designation on August 18, 2004.

There are two main facilities,

Antlers and Camp Huntington, as

well as a third site, Kirby

Camp. We stayed across the lake

at Camp Huntington. As much as

you plan a retreat, or anything

for that matter, there willalways be something that throws

a monkey wrench into your

schedule. For our group, that

was getting caught in standstill

traffic for an hour for a car

fire, and a meal stop that took

much longer than anticipated. No

worries, our group used the stop

along the highway as the perfect

chance to practice their hacky

sack skills and get in somecompetitive Bop-It. Our original

Budget:In comparison to our RHA,

NRHH has a fairly small

operating budget for the

year. However with that being

said the executive board felt

it was necessary and

appropriate to allocate as

much funding as we did for

the fall retreat. The retreat

ended up costing around

$4,000; however the benefit

to our organization has no

price. That amount covered


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Activities:

Friday night provided an opportunityfor members to bond. With four

people to a small room, no cell

phone service, and not much else to do, we

entertained ourselves and had the chance to get

to know each other better. Saturday morning

we reconvened with our facilitators

where we went over trust falls and

safety procedures for the challenge

course. We then trekked out in the cold

rain where we split into two smaller groups. While we all

ended up participating in the same activities, we got the chanceto work in a closer group. As a group we did the Whale Watch,

Spiders Web, and one part of the Mohawk Walk. The Whale

Watch was essentially a large wooden see-saw, and we had to

balance the board while shifting different people around the

board. We had a goal for the maximum number of hits (to the

ground) that we wanted and worked to try and not surpass that.

Spiders Web had every member of the group blindfolded and in

the middle of a maze, working together to find our way out. This

activity really involved trust as we used each other for

guidance. After working our way out of the maze, we headed over

to the Mohawk Walk which is a low ropes course. The one

element we participated in was a cable strung between two trees,

and we had to use only a crutch to get across, and we had to

hold on to at least one other person as we went across.

Saturday afternoon had a two hour window of free time, where

some members went and tried the high ropes course, while others

just hung around the cabin and socialized. The group then

reconvened where we reviewed changes made to our constitution,

created expectations for both the general body and the executive

board, and also came up with slogan ideas for our chapter

shirts. After business was taken care of, we had a little fun.

Memories/Overall Effects:I can say with great certainty that the weekend retreat at

Raquette Lake provided an incredible opportunity for members

to bond, as well as to experience Raquette Lake. While some

programs at Cortland go up to Raquette Lake as a requirement,

many of our members had never been up there before, and this

would be the only opportunity they would have. New members

had the opportunity to get to know returning members, and get

a better feel for what NRHH is all about. The low elements

challenge course allowed members to stretch their comfort

zones, and let their leadership voice be heard, while most


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