Congratulations to all of the Block 3 Award Winners!
Resident Assistant of the Block: Nominees for RA should have demonstrated outstanding work in the position and can be considered role models to both their residents and other RAs. By going above and beyond others' expectations of them, these RAs deserve to be recognized for their commitment and excellence in the position!
Block 3 OTB Award Winner: Sara Spizzirri (CA)
Nominated by: Brandon Barile (Circles RD)
"This resident assistant has been a motivating force for community development in this apartment area. While we have struggled with building community as a whole, this RA has also taken on the commitment to building community within her specific cluster of buildings as well as building a personal connection to her 125 residents.
"First, this RA has chosen to sit in the Community Building -- which is definitely not a requirement -- one night a week as a resource to her residents. She has communicated via e-mail to each resident about this additional availability and it is also posted in our community newsletter. While she has not received numerous 'stop-in' meetings, her broadcast of this availability and dedication to her residents is worthy of praise.
"In addition, this resident assistant recently packaged and delivered to Mail Services Valentine's Day gifts for each resident. Instead of going door-to-door, she felt residents would be more inclined to check their mail. She went through the correct channels to have these items delivered and the response from her residents has been great. I feel these small personal outreach efforts have helped her residents feel more comfortable with her.
"Lastly, this RA recently also joined a new committee and facilitated a group process with short notice. Based on feedback, I have heard her sessions ran smoothly and professionally. Kudos to this RA for being dedicated to new ideas and to her position."
Staff Member of the Block: Nominees for this category should include any person who has been a team player and consistently done good work on their staff. This one outstanding member of the staff sets the standard for everyone and provides critical motivation to the rest of the staff. Up to 10 RAs will receive this award (one per staff).
Block 3 OTB Winner: Josh Roaf (3HE)
Nominated by: Phil Truex (3HE)
"This staff member has been a sincere motivator for our entire staff, not only for this block, but through the entire year. He has consistently shown up to every meeting and commitment not only prepared but energized and willing to help -- and with a smile to boot.
"His willingness to do work with other staff members and to connect with RHA has gone above and beyond what is simply required from the RA position -- yet he does so without thinking twice. His preparedness and willingness to pick up slack is also admirable. On many occasions he has brought programming funding requests to RHA on the behalf of others, and is the optimal 'team player' on our staff -- filling any necessary role requested.
"It is truly a pleasure to know him as a resident assistant, let alone have him on our staff."
Block 3 OTB Winner: Chuchu Munie (EmGar)
Nominated by: Dan Fisher (EmGar)
"Chuchu has been a fantastic person to work with all along through the year. She is always willing to help out someone with duties and other commitments. She has certainly made life for the staff a lot easier on many different people and she always does it with a smile and laugh. This person is the quintessential team player and has been a pleasure to be around.
"Another reason for why I feel she deserves to be recognized for her work in the cluster is that, despite all of her tasks that she is involved in with school work, she does not complain about being overloaded and certainly is poised for success at the graduate institution of her choice. This person has a wonderful outlook on life that has translated into really helping our staff culture develop."
Block 3 OTB Winner: Shanique Edwards(T9-12)
Nominated by: Natalie Hernandez-Pachon (T9-12) and Gina Evers (T9-12 RD)
"This staff member never ceases to amaze me. She is always, always willing to step up and take one for the team. Whether it's covering spring break closing responsibilities when a staff member has to leave town for a funeral, covering duty shifts, volunteering to attend a social, or working with another staff member to get the glass cases in the area ready for residents -- this staffer is always there when her teammates need her!
"She makes sure that the other RAs on staff are doing mentally and emotionally well. Whenever there is an RA in need, she is usually the first to step in and help them ease the stress in their life. She also can keep conversations light-hearted but remain serious at the same time.
"Finally, she is always there to answer or give advice when asked for or needed on any situation: school life, RA life (including residents), work life, and personal life."
Block 3 OTB Winner: Brianne Sullivan (T5-8)
Nominated by: Anna Yahner (T5-8)
"Brianne has been a vital member of the staff with her dedication, leadership qualities, and great sense of humor. She is very organized and responsible, which are two of the many reasons she is looked up to as a role model.
"Some members of our staff have even nicknamed her 'Mom' -- though they quickly clarified that she would be one of those young 'cool moms,' stressing the fact that this term of endearment was a compliment and not in any way related to her being the oldest on our staff.
"Recently, this staff member organized a program that involved almost half of our staff. We were all given our own tasks, but she was the one who contacted the facilitator to present the program and then allocated various jobs to the rest of us. She was also the one who had to reschedule the program twice and keep in touch with the facilitator, who proved to have a very busy schedule.
"Not only does this staff member help keep our staff on track, she also demonstrates her excellent RA talents through creative bulletin boards and great programming ideas. This staff member has all the characteristics of a great RA and I feel very fortunate that I have been given the opportunity to work with her and get to know her as a person."
Block 3 OTB Winner: Steve Marks (WT)
Nominated by: Andrew Kosinuk (WT RD)
"I'm not sure I've ever seen an RA who is more universally liked on staff than this one. From his constant willingness to help others to his positive attitude toward work, to his always genial mood, he represents an ideal approach to the RA position. I think it's one thing for an RD to nominate someone as staff member of the block. However, the fact is, I'll bet every other member of the staff would agree with this choice; it tells you all you need to know about this RA."
Block 3 OTB Winner: Heather Fields (BRT)
Nominated by: Ericka Smith (BRT RD)
"This staff member has recently taken on the task of being the organizer for a large, areawide program. She works hard to keep everyone on track and motivated. She works to do programs in the group and in her building. This RA critically evaluates many of our group decisions, providing important feedback! This RA improves our staff team!"
Program of the Block: Nominees for Program should consist of the most creative, fun, well-attended, and purposeful programs that have taken place this block. These programs should demonstrate the time and effort put in to plan them and a strong reception from attendees.
Block 3 OTB Winners: Ashley Morris and James Grander (WT)
Nominated by: Rachel Paige (WT)
"These two RAs put on a wonderful program instructing students how to salsa dance. First, they all collected as a group and went for a big 'family dinner' at Terraces, one that I observed while dining there myself that night. They looked like they were having a wonderful time, and this was just dinner!
"The two floors really got along well together, and it was nice to see residents from both mingling with each other. When dinner was finished, they returned back to have an instructor teach them the basics of salsa dancing. I heard from multiple residents, and even another RA not involved in the program, that it was successful and that everyone had a wonderful time.
"There is talk of another program that will be the 'follow-up' to this one, in which the instructor returns to teach them the fundamentals of another style of dance. I know if this program does happen in the future, the turnout for it will be even better, just due to the success of the first one!
Bulletin Board of the Block: Nominees for bulletin board should include any bulletin board on campus that clearly shows the creators' ingenuity, creativity, and effort. These boards may provide crucial information for residents, or may be the entertainment that brightens their day. (Please include a photo of your nomination.)
Block 3 OTB Award Winner: Chris Burt (CA)
Nominated by: Brandon Barile (CA RD)
"This resident assistant consistently illustrates the educational purpose of bulletin boards and utilizes his creativity and dedication towards passive education in his bulletin boards.
"While he consistently shines in this area, this month, due to the outlandishly cold weather, this RA sought me out to find out what problems specifically apartment residents face in the winter relating to heating their apartments.
"His goal was to educate students on how to stop heating-related problems before they begin. In our specific area, heat-related issues could cause pipes to freeze and cost Ithaca College thousands of dollars in repairs.
"This RA first asked his peers whether this bulletin board concept was feasible and would be educational. He then researched possible problems and came up with a creative, attractive bulletin board that graphically pinpoints problem areas of apartments and describes corrective/preemptive measures. Kudos to this individual for another great bulletin board.
"Over and over, this resident assistant consistently utilizes our bulletin boards to provide passive educational messages. This RA created a 3-D bulletin board that hopefully will prepare our residents for our upcoming health and safety checks. In this area over January, over 200 violations were found and fined.
"This RA teamed up with the RD to brainstorm ways in which we can educate our students on potential violations BEFORE health and safety inspections as a way to prevent violations and fines. This board was the amazing result.
"In addition, the board will contain a raffle incentive. The board will be equipped with raffle tickets. After a resident views the board, they can take a raffle ticket and submit it to the front desk. If their apartment is pulled, they can win one of three prizes. However, if they have a H&S violation over spring break, they are automatically disqualified.
"Kudos to this RA for his creativity and passion towards creating passive-educational boards that truly will make a difference to our residents."
Doortag of the Block: Nominees for Door Tag should consist of the most creative, attractive, and useful door tags on campus. It should be clear that the creator put a great deal of time and effort into them and that residents enjoy them. (Blocks 1 & 3 only; please include a photo of your nomination.)
Block 3 OTB Award Winner: Ann Struck (BRT)
Nominated by: Don Spacht (BRT) and Ericka Smith (BRT RD)
"This RA came in halfway through the year and blew everyone away with her creativity and artistic talent! Rather than create the same decoration for everyone and changing just the name, she hand-drew completely unique 'fantastic' or 'mythical' creature (she made up many of them) door tags for every resident, and even the other RAs in the building.
"I've never seen door decorations like these -- she clearly put a ton of time and effort into these, and everyone walking through the building really appreciates the work she did! This is a huge creative effort. The doortags were amazing!"
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Want to nominate your RA for an "Of the Block" Award? All you have to do is e-mail Gina Evers at gevers@ithaca.edu with a maximum of 250 words explaining why you think your RA should win a particular award. All of the criteria for each category is listed above!
