Residence Hall Honorary Receives Prestigious Award

VALDOSTA -- Valdosta State University’s National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) chapter won the 2010 regional Building Block National Residence Hall Honorary of the year award. They were presented this prestigious award at the Southern Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (SAACURH) No Frills conference hosted by Mississippi State University.

The Building Block awards are presented to the Residence Hall Association and National Residence Hall Honorary chapter that displays tremendous effort and improvement from the previous year. The winner receives a plaque and a letter of support from the regional director to compete in the national competition. Last year, VSU's RHA captured the title.

In order to be considered for the award, college chapters must submit a bid to their regional affiliation of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH) organization. The regional committee selects a winner based on the chapter’s communication, support, goals and objectives, and conference attendance as well as various other criteria.

In addition to winning the award, VSU students Chad Freeman and Nontalie Morrow campaigned for SAACURH regional board member positions at the conference and were elected. Freeman will serve as the associate director for NRHH, overseeing the development of regional NRHH chapter. Morrow will serve as the Regional Communications Coordinator for Administration, distributing information to all affiliated schools, while also serving as historian and marketing developer for SAACURH.

Sarah L. VanKuiken, assistant director of Residential Education, believes that having two talented young leaders on the SAACURH executive board is a great honor.

“Chad and Nontalie are a testament to the fantastic student leadership we possess at VSU,” she said. “While there are a number of ‘big names’ in higher education that draw attention in the news and at conference meetings such as SAACURH, having two students on the regional board is a point of distinction for VSU and the amazing things that take place on our campus.”

SAACURH is one of eight regions that are a part of NACURH, the largest student-run corporation in the world. NACURH attempts to improve communities within college residence halls by providing network opportunities through conferences and other resources designed to help schools improve their residence hall organizations. For more information about VSU's Residence Hall Association or Residence Hall Association, visit: http://services.valdosta.edu/housing/ .