William J. Richard Chapter
National Residence Hall Honorary
----------------------------------------------------------------------------PO Box 13045 SFA Station, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
Office: (936) 468-2700
nrhh@sfasu.edu | http://www.sfasu.edu/rha
Of the Month (OTM) Guide
Basic Information
Of the Months or commonly referred to OTMs, are the National Residence Hall Honorary
number one way to recognize leadership and service on campuses across the nation. Almost can
have an OTM written including programs, leaders, students, organizations and much more.
An OTM can also be written by anyone that is a part of the SFASU Community, rather than just
specific people or organizations.
Basic Guidelines
While OTMs may seem like a complicated process they have very few guidelines when
submitting such as:
 400-600 words per OTM.
 Submit your OTM for each month no later than the 4th of the following month.
(i.e. do not submit an OTM for February no later than March 4th)
Who/What Can I Nominate?
The categories for OTMs are listed below, but keep in mind that each category is made
specifically so they do not overlap each other. In other words, an Advisor would not fall under
Faculty and Staff.
OTM Category:
The Nominees:
Organizational Advisors.
Advisor
Any Bulletin Board that is within a Residence
Bulletin Board
Hall.
Executive Board Members of National
Executive Board Member
Residence Hall Honorary or Residence Hall
Association.
Any student living on campus during their
First Year Student
first year.
Instructors, Teacher Assistants, Student
Institution Faculty/Staff
Instructors, Custodial, Dining Services or
Counselors.
Residence Hall Association, Hall Councils,
Organization
National Residence Hall Honorary, or any
Community/Academic Organization at SFA.
Community Service, Diversity, Educational,
Programs
or Social.
Assistant Hall Directors, Hall Directors
Residence Life Faculty/Staff
Graduate Assistants in Residence Life,
Directors of Residential Life, Area
Resident Assistant
Residential Community
Spotlight
Student
Coordinators, Residential Life Office
Secretaries, or Student Staff (Not Including
Community Assistants).
Only Community Assistants.
Residence Halls, Floors, Community
Assistant Staff, Executive Boards,
Delegations or Communities.
Campus Recreation, University Police,
Aramark, or any other person or initiative that
does not fit into any of the other categories.
NO Community Assistants or Students.
Any student living on campus after their first
year. NO Community Assistants.
Where to Submit an OTM
The OTM website might be a little hard to navigate once you begin to use it at
http://otms.nrhh.org/ and it is completely account free so you do not need to sign up. In the top
left corner it will either say submit general or submit program and you will click either one.
You can also click the following link to write a General OTM.
http://otms.nrhh.org/form_general.php3
You can also click the following link to write a Program OTM.
http://otms.nrhh.org/form_program.php3
Things You Will Need for an OTM
If you are writing a general OTM you will need the following:
 The full name of the candidate, their email, their number and what residence hall
they live in.
If you are writing a program OTM you will need the following:
 The name of the program, the organizers of the program, the number of attendees,
the cost of the program, the date of the program and the name of the residence
hall that the program took place in.
OTM Writing Tips
Something to always keep in mind when writing OTMs are that these are from your point of
view and you are sharing it with other people. To ensure that people understand why you are
nominating someone it would be great to do the following:
 Use specific examples of situations instead of saying they have great programs or
boards.
 Have some type of format with your OTM, rather than making a giant bunch of
words. Separate it into paragraphs with an introduction and conclusion.
 Try using a different language such as saying “They have shown exemplary
leadership techniques…” than saying “They are a great leader”.
 Spell out acronyms, rather than saying NRHH say National Residence Hall
Honorary.
OTM Guide by the National Residence Hall Honorary Association at Stephen F. Austin State University
Page 2
Last Updated: 2/22/2016






Talk about how the recipient or program has impacted you or inspired you to do
something.
Be creative, not every OTM has to be boring. Try and make your OTM stand out
by being funny or having a great catch.
Write your OTM in a Word Document first and use spell check and look at your
grammar before you submit it.
Make the OTM month specific rather than a general overview.
Magnify accomplishments and achievements.
Aspire to reach the maximum word limit.
Example of a National Winning OTM:
“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” ― Steve Maraboli
The month of October was full of ups and downs, much like any month in the year. However,
October was also filled with more love and support than any other month I can remember. The
last week of October saw an outpouring of love and support from institutions from all across the
Southwest, and the Big 12 Conference, in response to the tragedy that took place on October
24th during an Oklahoma State University (OSU) homecoming event. A crash that killed four
people, and injured 33, shocked the OSU campus and the Stillwater community. Immediately
after news of the crash had spread, universities and students from all over began showing their
love and support for the community and those affected.
The Texas Tech University Red Raiders were scheduled to play OSU in Lubbock on October
31st, exactly a week after this tragic event. To show support for their Big 12 companions, Texas
Tech Athletics issued a request the Monday before the game asking all students, alumni and
community members to refrain from using the university's tag line "Wreck 'em Tech" out of
respect for the events that had taken place the previous weekend. The request went viral
overnight, with students, university officials, and local news anchors posting it all over social
media and using the hashtag "#StillwaterStrong."
The Tech Activities Board (TAB) also wanted to show their support for OSU and the Stillwater
community. TAB created black stickers with a bright orange ribbon on them and the saying,
"Red Raiders Support #StillwaterStrong." TAB then proceeded to pass out over 8,000 stickers to
students and attendees at the entry gates of the Jone's AT&T stadium. TAB also made and
distributed orange ribbons to game attendees. Hector Aguirre, the TAB homecoming
coordinator, said that, "people were really thankful that we were doing it. A lot of students were
excited, and even a lot of the OSU fans who were here for the game were really thankful for it.”
But the showing of support went beyond just wearing a ribbon at a football game. For Texas
Tech home games the statue of Will Rodgers and his horse Soap Suds is wrapped in red crepe
paper to signify game day. However, for the weekend of the OSU game, Will and Soap Suds
were wrapped in black to morn the losses that the Stillwater community had suffered and to
show our school's solidarity with them. The Friday night before the game also saw Jone's AT&T
stadium flooded with orange light shining like a beacon in the West Texas night for our friends
in OSU.
OTM Guide by the National Residence Hall Honorary Association at Stephen F. Austin State University
Page 3
Last Updated: 2/22/2016
Finally, before kickoff, the Jone's stadium observed a moment of silence to commemorate those
affected by the tragedy in Stillwater. Once again, the stadium was flooded with bright orange
light, as the message "Red Raiders Support #Stillwater" appeared on the jumbo-tron. Thousands
of Texas Tech Red Raiders, and OSU Cowboys alike threw their "Guns UP" in unison as the
OSU marching band began to play their school song. As the band reached the end of the song,
the stadium burst into applause and cheers. After the game, the head coach for OSU, Mike
Gundy, expressed his appreciation for what Texas Tech had done, and the effort that they had put
into making his team feel welcome and supported.
As a senior, I have never been more proud to be a Red Raider. I was proud to cheer on the scarlet
and black, but I was even more proud to cheer for America's brightest orange! #StillwaterStrong
OTM Guide by the National Residence Hall Honorary Association at Stephen F. Austin State University
Page 4
Last Updated: 2/22/2016