USU residency leaders receive top awards
Individuals in the USU Housing services won top honors at the Intermountain Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls Conference held Nov. 9 through Nov. 12 at Arizona State University.
Kathy Handberg, advocacy and public relations vice president for the Residence Hall Association, said USU won two of the four bids that were placed, including Student of the Year and the Lifetime Service Award, in addition to placing top in programming.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Handberg, who received Student of the Year. “A few years ago, RHA was almost non-existent, and now we’ve become a strong competitor.”
In order to be nominated for the awards, Erika Kingery, who won the Lifetime Service Award, said bids are placed to nominate contenders for the various awards. After that, members of the RHA get together and spend about 100 hours discussing the nominees, take a vote and conduct interviews.
“We usually pull a couple of all-nighters,” said Kingery, RHA president.
In addition to placing the bids, Handberg said a theme is chosen for each nominee as a way to personalize the award.
“We like to have a theme for every individual,” Handberg said. “For example, Erika (Kingery)’s was turtles. There is a meaning behind all of them though.”
Kingery, who started working with the RHA three years ago, said she has enjoyed being involved with everything that goes on in the housing department. As the RHA president, Kingery is in charge of overseeing a council, made up of six different advisers from all sections of housing, and putting together area council meetings.
“My favorite part of it has been the leadership experience,” Kingery said. “I have grown as a leader, and I don’t think I could have gotten this experience anywhere else.”
Kingery said she has been involved in service through various organizations like Key Club, Circle K and National Residence Hall Honorary. Through these organizations, Kingery said she has had the opportunity to write letters to soldiers, create ABC books for children in Tonga and travel to Boston to work with underprivileged children.
“Service has always been a part of my life,” Kingery said. “And I sought out organizations where service is in the mission statement.”
Resident assistant Ammon Torres, who placed in the top 10 in programming and received one of the four Stone Creek Leadership Scholarships, said the IACURH awards can be a nice way to receive recognition for what can often be a thankless job.
“It’s fun to be able to recharge your batteries and realize why you do it,” said Torres, senior majoring in public relations.
Torres said there are workshops every year at the IACURH Conference on programs that RAs are involved with. Torres received top 10 in programming because of his presentation on how to advertise activities and programs to residents.
“It was mainly about awareness,” Torres said. “A lot of times RAs get busy and think there’s not enough time. I’m guilty of it, but I wanted to show that you can spend the same amount of time and instead of having a boring 8-by-5 flier, you can have a fun announcement.”
Torres also received a three-year service pin for his work as an RA. Torres said he continues to be an RA, not because of the free housing, but because he loves meeting and interacting with students.
“Yeah, we get housing, but that’s not why I do it,” Torres said. “I love getting to know everyone on an individual basis and meeting so many different people.”
Kingery said although she is “still recovering” from the IACURH Conference, she is looking forward to gearing up to start organizing for the No Frills Conference, another residential halls conference, at the University of Wyoming in February.
-amanda.m@aggiemail.usu.edu