Uncw Otm Award Community International House Ras

OTM Award Month and Year: April 2009 Nominee’s School: UNC Wilmington Region: SAACURH Category: Community ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Nominee: International House RAs Nominator: Scott Busiel Address: 601 S. College Road Address: 601 S. College Road Phone: (910) 962-5901 Phone: (910) 962-5821 E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On-Campus Population: 3,100 Chapter Size: 31 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Description of Contribution: The concept of a Resident Assistant (RA) is different for the numerous universities across the country. At the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), the RAs take on a wide range of responsibilities, namely programming and community building. During the month of April, the RAs that live in the International House programmed effectively and have taken the time to build a strong community and reflect on the year. Throughout the month, these four individuals have done an amazing job creating and implementing two large-scale programs. The first one was our annual International Dinner, which brought out over 50 residents, more than half of the individuals that live within this community. At the beginning of the semester, the International House RAs met in order to delegate responsibilities for the program. In April, the RAs took on these responsibilities and cooked up an amazing event (pun intended)! Lisa Sprenger, one of the International House RAs, created recipe forms and passed them along to the residents in the building. One of the great things about the International Dinner is the fact that the RAs and other programming authorities on-campus help to provide the food and other ingredients necessary to spice up this program. Scott Busiel soon began to advertise for the event. The entire community did an amazing job talking it up with the other residents and students within the International House community. We had over 15 submissions, with foods ranging from France to South Korea. Scott and Rachel Quinby, another one of the International House RAs, bought the food for the residents, even taking the time to travel to specialty stores for many of the ingredients. A week before the event, Lisa organized a schedule and notified those in charge of the dishes. She created signs for the kitchens, indicating to students that individuals would be cooking in there throughout the day. On the day of the program, the entire International

RA Staff coordinated and cooked foods for the program. Throughout, these individuals worked cohesively and created a welcoming environment in one of the last programs of the year. In addition to the International Dinner, the group worked to bring back a tradition from three years ago: the RossCars. An International House RA named Ross created a program to recognize individuals in the house with various superlatives and awards for them to bring back home. It was something in which would remind them of their experiences abroad. The International Four brought this program back and created two separate rounds of voting for all residents to participate. Individual nomination forms were placed under the students’ doors and the voting box was located at the front desk. For a week, residents could write-in individual names for who they felt best exemplified categories, such as Most Outgoing. The top three males and females were then placed in the final voting round, and forms were once again placed under their doors. At the International Dinner, the results were announced. Everyone was cheering and having a great time, even if they did not win an award. Having everyone together for this last time made the programs what they were. These four RAs in the International House community not only programmed to the needs of their residents, but they also created a strong, close-knit community. Residents are trying to spend the last few weeks together, as they realize they will not see most of these people again. This year has been a great success, and we owe it to the individuals responsible for helping to create and maintain this community: the International House RAs. Word Count: 596 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------