What are OTMs?
An "Of The Month" award recognizes someone for their contributions to their community that month. Writing an OTM means nominating a person, organization, or program in a chosen category to be the “[blank] of the month.”
It is a short summary of outstanding accomplishments, impacts, and contributions that the nominee has made that month. These contributions can be towards the residence halls, their community, or UCSB as a whole.
- To appreciate someone’s hard work and dedication.
- To let someone know that you care about the things they do.
- To recognize a person or organization for their contributions to the community.
- To spread the word about impactful programs that deserve recognition.
- Each month, the Director of OTMs reads each OTM submitted and chooses the winners from each category.
- These OTMs are then sent off to the regional level, where they compete with other winning OTMs from schools across the Pacific region. If they win on this level, they go to be judged on the national level!
Types of OTMs:
- Recognize individuals and groups for their contributions to their campus community.
- Focus on their specific contributions and what they did this month that went above and beyond.
- Categories include: Institution faculty/staff; organization; residential community; student; executive board member; resident assistant; residence life professional staff; first year student; advisor; student staff member; spotlight.
- Recognize the achievements and impacts of specific programs as well as how their event(s) contributed to strengthening their community
- Focus on the significance of the event(s)
- Categories include: educational program; diversity program; passive program; social program; community service program.
Requirements:
- 300 to 600 words
- No set structure for how they have to be written; you decide what style works best for explaining why your nominee deserves recognition
- Goals and brief description of program: 350 word maximum
- Reflection on impact of program: 250 word maximum
- Recommendations for improvement and considerations for adaptability: 200 word maximum
If your OTM doesn’t meet these requirements, it cannot become a winner in any category!
Things to keep in mind:
- Define everything: don’t assume your reader knows what certain acronyms stand for or what certain programs are.
- Be professional: your nomination should have proper grammar and use appropriate language. It shouldn’t read like a text message to a friend!
- Tell a story: your writing will be much more impactful if the reader can become immersed in the story; an OTM that reads like a simple list of accomplishments is far less interesting.
- Be detailed: tell the reader what happened at an event. Why did it impact you and other people? What did you feel, see, and do, and how did the nominee contribute to that?
- Use time-relevant examples: If you’re nominating someone for the month of May, don’t write the whole OTM about what they did in January.
- Your OTM is sent to the person you wrote it about
Tips and Tricks:
- How has the nominee supported you and/or your community this month?
- What positive and lasting impacts have they made on you and your community?
- What qualities make this person stand out?
OTM Examples:
“Sierra Vakili is an absolutely upstanding member of the UCSB community. After witnessing an unfortunate comedy event in which the humor was based a lot in sexism, homophobia, and racism, Sierra made an effort to create a comedy event in which all people would be welcomed and safe. Through her work writing with RAAB, she's putting on a comedy event that focuses on healing through comedy with an emphasis on things like sexual assault and related traumas. I was able to talk with her about her ideas surrounding the event and the kind of comedy she wanted to share during her event. She told me about the set she wanted to put on, and it was hilarious, but also emphasized an important kind of caution in the humor. Instead of punching down and capitalizing on the trauma of other groups, she speaks and pokes fun at her own experience in a way that allows her to deal with the things that have happened to her. Throughout the month of February, she has been working on organizing this event and finding the best comedians to be able to attend and speak at her event.”
“During the month of February, Resident Director Ayanna has been a support as well as a big motivator for myself and the other Resident Assistants in Santa Rosa. When it comes to building those human bonds and connections, Ayanna embodies the meaning of a safe space. I refer to her as the Beyoncé of our residence hall as the energy she radiates gives off "that girl" vibes and is extremely admirable. Her smile lights up every room she enters and she can easily make anyone laugh even on their bad days. What I admire about Ayanna is the fact that she is confident in who she is and is here to help me grow as an individual and an RA. In the beginning I struggled with finding that balance between my life and my job. She definitely gave me great advice on how to deal with the imbalance which has allowed me to have my own personal life but also love my job without feeling as if I was becoming overwhelmed with work.”
“This program was very insightful as it allowed students to engage in personal introspection as they analyzed their perceptions of failure and success. I found it very meaningful to listen to my peers explain their own interpretations of failure. For instance, I understood failure to mean a lack of personal fulfillment, while another student viewed failure as a setback from not achieving a predetermined goal. Attendees’ different definitions of failure highlighted one
of the main ideas of the program: there are different interpretations of failure and success, and it is important to recognize from where these ideas originated. I believe that in providing a safe environment to share different perspectives, Andy and Brandon cultivated a stronger sense of self among students while simultaneously contributing to people’s open-mindedness.
Furthermore, this program helped me gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be compassionate towards others as well as myself. From hearing others share their personal “failures,” I realized the grand extent to which I resonated with others from the Santa Cruz community. Despite our differences, several of us shared similar experiences, feelings, and values. Thus, this conversation cultivated a strong bond between students who otherwise may
have not have been exposed to such vulnerability.”
On the NACURH NRHH website, you’re able to view OTMs written by people in years past. Looking at campus, regional, and national winners can also be great examples to help you write your own OTMs!
Submitting an OTM
- OTMs are due the first day of each month for the month previous. If you’re writing an OTM for the month of May, then you have until June 1st to submit it.
- OTMs are submitted on the NACURH NRHH website
- On the website, you’ll see a tab labelled “OTMs.” Under that tab, there will be another tab called “Submit and OTM”
Members of NRHH are required to write two OTMs a quarter.