The 4 Pillars - wurha

Table of Contents
Table of Contents _____________________________________________________Pg. 2
Walk Through ________________________________________________________Pg. 3
Intro Letter
Statistics ____________________________________________________________Pg. 4
History
Game Plan___________________________________________________________ Pg. 4
Mission
Play Book ____________________________________________________________Pg. 4
Chapter Goals
Coaches _____________________________________________________________Pg. 5
Advisors
Captains ____________________________________________________________Pg. 5
Executive Board
Hall of Fame _________________________________________________________Pg. 5
Members
Pylons _____________________________________________________________Pg. 6-9
The Four Pillars
Pillar Points__________________________________________________________Pg. 10
Score Board__________________________________________________________Pg. 11
Budget 09-10, 10-11
MVP_______________________________________________________________Pg. 12
OTM’s
Team Work___________________________________________________________Pg. 12
Collaboration with RHA
Starting Line up _______________________________________________________Pg. 13
Induction/Recruitment
State Involvement______________________________________________________Pg. 13
WHIL Conference
Sponsors _________________________________________________________Pg. 14-
18
2

WHIL CC’s and Directorship,
This year our WHIL chapter has worked incredibly hard to improve how we
uphold the four pillars on which we were founded. We have broken down each pillar
and evaluated what we have done and how we can continue to improve within
each pillar. Specifically, we have created multiple committees to assist our growth
in each area. Each committee is lead by an executive board member and focuses on
a specific pillar. Each committee is made up of 3-5 general members and we feel
that this has been successful not only within improvements but also to give the
members a sense of ownership of their WHIL chapter.
This is just one of the many ways our chapter has flourished this year. As
you will read in the bid we have furthered our collaboration across campus, focused
on community service, and have also had better attendance at our general member
meetings. Along with many improvements our chapter also took a giant step this
year– we hosted a conference! Hosting the WHIL conference was a tremendous
honor for our chapter and we are incredibly proud of the conference chair and conference
staff. We were excited to see how much support our chapter has on campus
as volunteers were not only WHIL members but also RHA members.
With the amount of dedication that has been put into this bid we are proud to
present it to you. We appreciate your time and thank you for considering our WHIL
Outstanding Chapter of the Year Bid.
Sincerely,
The Bid Team:
Ali Baumgartner Alex Husslein
Shelby Brockmann Rachael Leek
Mindy Diedrich– Otto Emily Lorenz
Alicia Haubrich Amanda McLernon
Kimone Holtzman Jeremy Sippel
3

Chapter History
The Linda Long chapter of WHIL/NRHH was first organized at the University of
Wisconsin–Whitewater in 1978 by a small group of 15 students and their advisor,
Linda Long. The chapter grew throughout the early 1980’s with the support of the
Office of Residence Life and the chapter’s various advisors. In the later 1980’s the
chapter was renamed in the honor of its first advisor, Linda Long. The Linda Long
chapter of WHIL/NRHH has won numerous awards, including NACURH Chapter
of the Year in 1984 and WURHA Chapter of the Year in 2002. Throughout the past
and present, the four pillars have been evident in the organization and each year the
honor grows at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Mission
The purpose of this organization shall be to provide recognition for those individuals
living in and/or serving the Residence Halls and to promote leadership both on campus
and in the community.
Chapter Goals
Ensure that all members feel valued and recognized
Keep attendance high at meetings (15-20 members)
Have more structured general member meetings
Have structured, organized, and active committees
Collaborate and communicate with other organizations across campus
Find creative ways to encourage participation in WHIL
Actively support the WHIL conference chair and staff
Participate in the WHIL conference
Continue the legacy of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater WHIL Chapter
Keep accurate records
4

Coaches (Advisors)
Krista Woolever
Katy Tomlinson
Captains (Executive Board)
Ali Baumgartner, President
Katie Page, Financial Administrative Director
Angie Milkie, Co-Programming and Recognition Coordinator
Mindy Diedrich-Otto, Co-Programming and Recognition Coordinator
Rachael Leek, ―Of The Month‖ Coordinator
Alicia Haubrich, Leadership Outreach Director
I like how I’ve been
able to get more involved
on campus and
feel more connected
to Whitewater. *
The E-board has done
a fantastic job getting
our chapter to
know one another this
year. *
* Quotes from Chapter members
Hall of Fame (Members)
Tabitha Albertie
Jason Benisch
Lindsay Boesch
Joseph Christensen
Ethan Deustch
Kelsey Fitzsimons
Jessica Gritton
Rachel Haberkorn
Kimone Holtzman
Christopher Kautza
Shannon Malchow
Brent McCarthy
Amanda McLernon
Jean Molinaro
Paige Muhlenkamp
Kyle Oberstadt
Lexi Pankow
Jessica Schaewe
Kaitlyn Schaul
Kelli Schleis
Cody Schmittinger
William Simmons
Andrea Visauer
Carly Viso
Nicole Viso
Donvontae Walton
Matthew Westphal
Andrew Whaley
Alyssa Wisniski
Elizabeth Zemlicka
The people are
friendly and very welcoming,
I can be myself
and get involved
in many places in
NRHH. It is really tailored
to people’s
strengths. *
As a chapter, we fo-
cus a lot on helping
other and
Community Service. *
5

The 4 Pillars
Recognition
The recognition pillar is the one that our WHIL chapter has put the most time and effort into. As a
chapter we ensure that every member is recognized for the great work that they put into making
other’s experience in WHIL the most it can be.
To better recognize WHIL members this year, two specific programs were created. Members are
invited to write positive comments about each other and send someone a ―Blow me Away‖ or a
―Marvelous Marble‖.
­―Blow me Away‖
A ―Blow me Away‖ award comes with a certificate and a container of bubbles. The purpose
of this award is to recognize when someone has done something to their best ability.
They have gone above and beyond what was expected of them on a certain task, such as
running a program, helping with fundraising efforts or how they represented WHIL or
Residence Life.
―Marvelous Marble‖
A ―Marvelous Marble‖ award comes with a certificate and a decorated marble. The purpose
of this award is to recognize that a person in WHIL is a tenured person and
―marvelous‖ to have around. These people are recognized for doing things such as being
an RA that residents can always talk to, being an active member of WHIL and stepping up
whenever needed, or being a great friend to have around.
Another way our WHIL chapter promotes the recognition pillar is whenever a pro staff member
attends one of the meetings, the co–programmer and recognition coordinators send them a handwritten
thank you letter.
Our chapter also takes a full week each spring to recognize all supporting members of Residence
Life. Certificates, letters, balloons, and desserts, are handed out throughout the week; massages
are provided for the Resident Assistants and a breakfast is planned for the custodial staff. Recognition
Week takes a full semester to plan and a week to execute, making sure everyone receives
sincere recognition for their much appreciated contributions to Residence Life at UW–Whitewater.
6

The 4 Pillars
Leadership
Our chapter has focused on making sure that those who are inducted into our chapter are leaders dedicated
to contributing positively to the residence halls at UW-Whitewater. We encourage diversity
within our Chapter and have a vast array of leaders and leadership styles.
Our chapter is filled with:
Resident Assistants
RHA Executive board members
Diversity Advocates
Leadership Involvement Team (LIT) members
Complex Directors
Assistant Complex Directors
People who demonstrate leadership within their specific residence hall.
With all of these different leadership styles coming together at our bi-weekly meetings, we have the opportunity
to hear many different perspectives on current issues and topics discussed in the meetings.
During the fall semester this year, we made it one of our goals to work on getting our leaders involved
in WHIL events. It is often difficult to have full participation since majority of our members are involved
elsewhere on campus. We are proud to have a spike in attendance at our general member meetings,
having at least 20 members at the majority of our meetings (with a cap of 35). We even have
alumni members in attendance at a few of our meetings. This is great to see and allows the WHIL Chapter
to feel more valued as a whole.
7

The 4 Pillars
Service
As part of the Leadership Outreach Director’s duties listed in our constitution he or she must put on
―one program to enhance leadership development per semester.‖ We try and make these programs focused
on Community Service as to support the Service Pillar.
Last February a former RA, an active member in RHA and a hopeful inductee to WHIL was killed in a
tragic car accident. The residence hall where he served as an RA put on a ―Pie Your RA‖ program in
his honor, raising $300 dollars for his family. Our chapter matched dollar for dollar what was raised at
the program, and the money went toward an endowment for a scholarship for men with Eating Disorders
to pay for treatment and to renovate the Drumlin Deck, a gathering place on campus that had become
unsafe for student use.
As a chapter we have been working hard to see how we can incorporate the pillar of Community Service
into all we do. We have set up a committee to look into charities and groups in need of help. The committee
is focusing more on providing services rather than monetary donations to give a personal touch to
all those who we help. In May, to align with this goal, our chapter went to the Ronald McDonald
House, which helps families of ill children who cannot afford treatment for their child or live outside of
a 50 mile radius of their treatment center. During our visit we cooked dinner for these families during
their time of need.
Around the holidays this year, our chapter worked with Campus Ministries to assist with a food drive to
help families who could not afford to put a meal on the table. We asked members to bring nonperishables
to our meetings, programs, or office. By the end of the program, we donated enough food
for multiple families in need. The Community Service Committee saw the success of this program and
is now planning a food drive to last the rest of the semester after noticing that families are in need of
help outside of the holidays. We have asked members to bring canned and dry foods to our meetings
and office and will be ending the program by setting up tables in the dining halls and encouraging students
to spend their leftover dinning dollars to help others.
Although we have been focusing mostly on providing services, we have also provided monetary donations.
We supported the UW-Whitewater GLACURH delegation in their philanthropic efforts in conjunction
with RHA.
8

The 4 Pillars
Scholastic
This year WHIL has a specific committee that focuses on promoting the scholastic efforts of the
general members. One of the ways the chapter has done this is through a log binder that is in the
University Library. Members are invited to sign in and record their time spent studying, doing
research, completing group work, etc. at the library. After 20 hours logged they can receive Pillar
Points through our pillar point system. We elaborate on the Pillar Point System on the next page
for your full understanding. This has been accepted by members well and our WHIL Chapter
hopes to continue the program in future years.
Our chapter also has a GPA requirement of 2.5 in our constitution. This GPA requirement reassures
that our members are focused on their school work and are students first and leaders second.
Every year, our Whitewater WHIL Chapter donates to a large scholarship called the Christine
Berry-Wendy Voigt Scholarship. Both Christine Berry and Wendy Voigt were active members
within Residence Life and were both killed in a tragic car accident and an endowment fund was
created in their name. The scholarship is given out to an exceptional leader within the halls whom
is dedicated and devoted to helping extend leadership to students within the halls. Annually, the
scholarship is presented to the recipient at the Reception of Excellence, a ceremony to honor leaders
on campus, and WHIL is honored to support this scholarship year after year.
Our Chapter believes that attending conferences is a huge contribution to the learning experience
for all of the leaders in WHIL. We work hard to prepare for conferences and attend with the mindset
that we are going to have the opportunity to learn and further our leadership. This past fall of
2010, we invited our advisor to attend BLT in order to share the learning experience with other
chapter members.
Our WHIL Chapter has struggled over the past few years to fulfill the scholastic pillar. Although
we have the GPA requirement, we all recognize that more events need to be held to uphold this
pillar within our chapter. Over the past year, we have created a committee for this pillar and are
working diligently to try and better uphold the scholastic pillar.
9

Pillar Point System
The Pillar Point program was rolled out in Spring 2010 to recognize active members in UW-
Whitewater’s WHIL chapter. There is a set of point values for participating in different activities ranging
from bringing an ―Ice-Breaker‖ to a member meeting or participating in a WHIL committee. There
are different point levels members can reach with accumulative prizes at different levels. The program
went over so well that the program has continued into this year and is very popular among the members.
The program takes time and effort on the part of the Executive Board. The Financial and Administrative
director keeps track of all of the member’s point totals for all events and activities they participate in and
informs members of their levels periodically throughout the year. The board as a whole comes up with
ideas for awards, taking into consideration what the members would be interested in, while still keeping
the budget in mind. Prizes are presented at the end of year Induction Banquet, recognizing each member
individually for the effort they put into WHIL that year.
Pillar Point Values
Attending Meetings (5 points)
Writing OTM’s (minimum of 250 words) (5 points)
Attending RHA Meetings (5 points)
Attending an RHA program (5 points)
Doing an icebreaker at a meeting (5 points)
Coming up with a recognition idea (5 points)
Helping with a fundraiser (10 points per hour)
Sitting for NRHH at RHA Meeting (10 points)
Committee Work (15 points)
Winning a Regional OTM (25 points)
Attending a Conference (30 points)
Presenting a program at a meeting (40 points)
Presenting a program at a Conference (50 points)
Winning a National OTM (50 points)
Miscellaneous (E-Board Discretion)
Pillar Point Levels
Bronze– 75 points
Silver– 100 points
Gold—125 points
Diamond– 150 points
Pillar Point Prizes
Bronze– Certificate
Silver– T-Shirt
Gold– NRHH/WHIL Mug
Diamond– NRHH/WHIL Fleece Blanket
10

Budget
Presented above are two budgets; the budget on the left shows the year-end from last Spring of 2010.
The budget on the right shows our current budget to date. We felt the need to show both in order to
show transactions from WURHA 2010 through WURHA 2011. Our WHIL Chapter is dedicated to allocating
money to various campus activities, events and organizations.
11

OTMs
In the past, UW-Whitewater has not submitted OTMs to the state level. This year, these submissions
were priority! Starting September 2010, UW-Whitewater NRHH has successfully submitted
OTMs to the state for review. Our chapter has improved the process in which we eliminate bias.
Instead of one person reading through and choosing what is, in their opinion, the best OTM, there
is a committee of 4 people who vote for OTMs along with the campus coordinator.
Here are some other ways OTM’s have improved this year:
Paper copies of OTM forms were handed out at an informational Org. Fair
WHIL hosted a holiday party and OTM awards were given away
From March 2010 – December 2010 UW-Whitewater has had:
110 OTMs submitted
25 Campus Winning OTMs
4 Campus Honorable Mention OTMs
1 State Winning OTM
1 Regional Winning OTM
Collaboration with RHA
This past year, WHIL and RHA have collaborated on programs which benefit residence hall students.
Last year, WHIL and RHA put on a Sweet Service Auction to raise funds for two scholarships.
Our annual scholarship, RHA/WHIL Outstanding Student Leader, is awarded to an outstanding
leader on campus.
In September, the Executive Boards of WHIL and RHA had a combined dinner to get to know
each other and brainstorm ideas on how our organization can work together. RHA and WHIL
worked together on a Residence Life dance. Fifty people were in attendance and were exposed to
the enjoyment of being in WHIL and what the Whitewater chapter has to offer.
Continuous collaboration includes two WHIL seats on the RHA Assembly along with a line on the
RHA agenda that allows NRHH/WHIL to have a weekly update at all meetings. This is a great
opportunity for the WHIL Chapter of Whitewater, especially to advertise events and notify leaders
when applications go out to Residence Life members. This continuous collaboration allows WHIL
and RHA to have a strong bond as leaders throughout the academic year.
12

Induction and Recruitment
Within the Linda Long Chapter of WHIL/NRHH, recruitment is important in finding the top 1%
of leaders and also leaders who want to be active in the organization. We recruit through many
socials and by talking to the Leadership Involvement Teams (LIT’s), Resident Assistants (RA’s),
and the Residence Hall Association (RHA). Our professional staff on campus is also important
during this process because they are asked to invite students to become members or to give them
recommendations for their application.
After recruitment, is finished we put out applications, which we are doing differently this year by
putting them out at one of our socials at an earlier date. To select our members, a committee, outlined
by our constitution, reviews applications to select who is best qualified. This leads to the induction
ceremony that includes a banquet during which the new members are inducted and are
able to socialize with current members. The banquet is a formal event, invitation only, in which
friends and family members of inductees are invited to celebrate and share the importance of being
a WHIL member.
State Involvement
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater was privileged to host the 2010 Wisconsin Honorary of
Involved Leaders Conference. The conference, held on November 20 th , 2010, was attended by 59
delegates and advisors from nine member schools. The volunteer staff included 20 dedicated UW-
Whitewater students, who directed delegations to the appropriate facility, and served as a visible
resource for any delegates. Along with student volunteers, a delegation of eight UW-Whitewater
WHIL members attended the conference, and put on programs. According to survey results,
roughly 98 % of the attendees had a positive experience gaining new ideas to help their leadership
mature.
With a conference theme of ―Cheesy Leadership-Wisconsin Style‖ the goal was to include all
types of leaders ranging anywhere from mild to sharp. We were excited to have this opportunity
and it is our pleasure to report that our goal surpassed completion.
WHIL 2010 Delegation WHIL 2010 Program Session
13

Dear WURHA Directorship and Advisors,
It is with great pleasure that the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Residence Hall Association
(RHA) recommends to you that the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater WHIL Chapter be considered
for the 2011 WHIL Chapter of the year. Having the pleasure of sharing an office with them and working
closely together, I am confident and pleased to state that UW-Whitewater’s WHIL Chapter is deserving
of being honored with the title WHIL Chapter of the year.
College is considered to be the ―best time‖ of one’s life. It is the first glimpse of independence, and
chance to explore diverse opportunities, and to work towards one’s dream career. Along with these
perks and goals come the stress and the sense of feeling unnoticed. Students have a lot on their plate
and are involved in a plethora of activities making it easy for them to feel that their efforts and contributions
are insignificant. UW-Whitewater’s WHIL Chapter would argue otherwise, and goes out of its
way to make students feel recognized and important; they want you to know that you’re always doing a
phenomenal job even if you do not realize it. I would contest that being recognized and appreciated for
your efforts can be just as good as receiving payment because of the thought and care that goes into the
recognition.
Being a member of the UW-Whitewater WHIL Chapter and president of RHA, I see firsthand the dedication
the members put into the organization and their willingness to work together. Attending the biweekly
meetings is something I always look forward to and that can only be the result of their fantastic
executive board, other members of the chapter and the excellent contributions from the advisors. Having
had the privilege of working with Whitewater’s WHIL on various programs and events they redefine
the meaning of teamwork and recognition. In closing, it is an honor for UW-Whitewater’s Residence
Hall Association to be associated with UW-Whitewater’s WHIL Chapter and we give them our
most outmost support and recommendation that they may be considered the 2011 WHIL Chapter of the
year.
Very Sincerely,
Bill Simmons
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Residence Hall Association President