Program Awards Nomination Form Bulletin Board of the Semester one bulletin board will be chosen for this

s award 1. Who was the target audience for the program/bulletin board? 2. What were the goals of the program/bulletin board? 3. How does this program/bulletin board assist in building the community in the residence hall? 4. Was there a specific focus (ie. Service Learning or Diversity) for the program/bulletin board? 5. How successful was the implemented program/bulletin board? How was the program marketed? 6. How new is the concept of the program/bulletin board in comparison with general residence hall or community programming? 7. What methods were used in developing the program/bulletin board (research, questionnaires, interviews, etc.)? 8. Would you recommend this program/bulletin board be repeated in other residence halls? Smith 1. The target audience for the bulletin board was everyone in the building! Her bulletin board was so beautiful and one could tell she went above and beyond with her creativity level! She named it "Sex on the beach" and put little Ellison cut seagulls saying safe sex tips, she actually put real sand and wrote sex on the beach as if someone wrote it in the sand, and she make different shape shells that you flip to read the information. 2. Her bulletin board was trying to teach the residents and whom ever else viewed it safe sex tips and facts. 3. It helps build a healthier community! He board is so attractive I don't think there is anyone who wouldn't stop and read her board! Once they read it they learn more about safe sex and hopefully will practice it! 4. The specific focus of the board was safe sex. 5. The bulletin board was successful because I have over heard residents talking about how wonderful her board is and how impressed they were! 6. The concept is new because she painted her whole board and didn't just use Ellison cut outs like most people do! 7.After reading her board one can tell that she performed research on the topic. 8. I would recommend this bulletin board to be repeated in other residence halls because it is truly AMAZING and eye catching! I feel like a lot of residence don't take the time to read bulletin boards, but I feel like with such an AMAZING one like Jen's anyone would want to read it! Makes you feel like you are at the beach! Fitzgerald Caitlin Higgins created a very well made and executed bulletin board for November. The target audience was anyone who may intend on engaging in sexual behaviors. The goal was to inform the residents about positive sexual communication prior to sexual contact. She used a very innovative technique to communicate this to the residents. She created a giant screen of an Iphone, which detailed a conversation between two people who could be engaging in sexual contact in the near future. Then to the side of the conversation she had arrows directed to interactive flaps to reveal why knowing information about a person before sexual contact is important. The information ranged from knowing the persons name and age to their testing history. I think the use of the Iphone was a universal way of getting peoples attention since it is familiar to people who do and dont have an Iphone. The focus of the bulletin board was to get across valuable information regarding positive sexual communication, based on the months topic requirements. I believe the bulletin board was very successful, personally when I walked by it I was intrigued enough to read it all. I think this was new because the Iphone conversations are very popular right now and she really took into account the bulletin board rubric. She used something that is popular in modern culture and used it to her advantage to create interest surrounding her bulletin board. She handmade the Iphone screen so it was very personalized to her needs. In addition, she was sustainable be not wasting background paper since the background of our bulletin boards are like a blank canvas. She used a border that could easily be re-used the rest of the year. She used her knowledge of the floor and her own

knowledge base to create a board she felt would be beneficial to our hall. I would definitely recommend this bulletin to be implemented in other buildings. I think it was a really interesting concept that would be very successful in any hall, by anyone who wanted to address the issue of sexual communication. Hayes In the first month of being in the residence halls, we noticed as a staff that there was a bit of a language problem among the residence. The target audience was the residents of Hayes Hall who were using this language inappropriately with the goal to get them to stop using this language. This bulletin board helped to build community in Hayes Hall because it helped some people realize that they were inadvertently hurting others and by stopping this language, that we could all be closer as a Hayes Hall family. As a staff we think the bulletin boards that were put up around the building to stop the language was effective because weve heard far less of the language that we heard in the beginning of September. Brittanys board in particular stands out amongst these bulletin boards because it was hand painted in theme with Halloween. Put Harsh Words To The Grave was her title and she painted a grave yard with a Haunted house. Each tomb stone was a harsh word like fag or slut and it flipped up to show the original meaning of the word. Brittany painted Frankenstein and other characters and details to give the words a touch of horror and abnormality. The words were terms that as a staff wed heard being tossed around lightly and she included an open door to the haunted house that students could write words into. The panel had a lot of words written in it by the end of October and you could tell that the more the students interacted with this board and the others to be found around the building, the less extensive the language got. If this board helped one person to stop hearing a word that really bothered them then I believe it did its job. It was full of effort and design. It was appreciated and respected by the residents and reached its goal. I would recommend that this bulletin board be repeated in other halls with different halls and with the creative touch of its own RA. Brittany brought a very creative touch to the problem of language in Hayes Hall and it deserves to be recognized and appreciated. Higgins Caiti's October birthday bulletin board was one of the best in Higgins Hall. By putting so much effort into her board, Caiti really demonstrated that she cares about the residents and that she thinks their birthdays are important. Her board's theme was "The Great Pumpkin" for Charlie Brown. He board included pumpkins with the birthdays written on them as well as ghosts who each held a tiny brown paper bag to go trick-or-treating. Her board included a 3-D tree which looked over the pumpkin patch, and it also had all of the characters from Charlie Brown and even had Linus' blanket. The main focus of this board was building community, and that is something that it did. Residents were so impressed by Caiti's board that they stopped to examine all of the intricate details rather than get their mail. I constantly receive compliments on this board and the rest of the staff is striving to create a board better than this one! Bishop Jeanie Lam's first bulletin board of the semester was interactive and fun. It was a map of New York and surrounding states and had different push pins in order to place where you are from. This bulletin board really got the residents talking and helped them make connections with each other. Each individual resident had a different push pin and a number so the other residents were able to see where they were from and then seek them out and strike up a conversation. This is why this well thought out bulletin board should receive bulletin board of the semester. Whitaker Around the World in a Semester was an interactive and creative way for all the residents to learn something new and gain a bit of a virtual experience through a bulletin board. Stephanie put tremendous effort into her bulletin board as she began with a background which portrayed the American Flag with all thirteen stripes-made of recycled paper found in the resource room, and fifty stars conveying each of the fifty states. She then proceeded to cut blue rectangle pieces of paper, where

she placed the flag of another country on one side and on the inside were facts about each individual country. Residents would stop at the bulletin board and flip open each blue piece of paper to learn facts, answer questions, or make predictions/guess about the different countries. An answer key was also offered on the lower right hand corned of the board. As Whitaker hall is one of the halls to host International students, this board did a great job in raising awareness about other countries and cultures for both the International students and the American students. The bulletin board has become very popular in our hall that when discussion was raised in tearing the bulletin board down to create a new one, residents actually complained! I still catch residents stopping to read it even though it has been requested to stay up for quite some time now. The bulletin board truly expresses diversity and shows immense efforts in learning about other cultures and values. It is evident that a lot of research and time went into making this board, and due to the positive feedback from residents, it has certainly been a huge success in the residence hall. Looks alone do not give this board justice, but if not enough, come take a look at the amount of information and open-mindness this board offers in a fun, eye-catching and interactive way. Hendrick While other resident assistants complained about assigned bulletin board topics, claiming assigning topics would hinder creativity, Dylan Gioia proved to the Hendrick Hall staff that this would not be the case when it came to his bulletin boards. Dylan Gioia has month in and month out put up the best bulletin boards in Hendrick Hall for the fall 2011 semester (winning awards at every 1st staff meeting of the month ), none so greater than his month of October, alcohol awareness board. Dylans creativity took off with a bulletin board covered in so much spray tan residents got blinded by the sight of it. Im talkin about a Jersey Shore themed board with everyones favorite Italians. Set on the Jersey Shore boardwalk, Mike the situation was of course showing off his washboard abs, which looked more like cardboard abs if you ask me. Snooki was passed out on the beach from over drinking while the other cast members, all of which wearing Ed Hardy, rode on the Shores ferris wheel; A two and a half foot, hand-made, 3D wheel, which spun if you pushed it. The wheel shimmered in the hallway light, bedazzled to perfection. Pauly D was the face of the board, screaming out the title OH Yeah, Facts Are Here Yeah! written in the same font as the opening credits to the show, Jersey Shore. Not only were the visual aspects of this board appealing, but so were the facts. Just like Pauly D said, The Facts Are Here, Yeah! Dylan researched alcohol facts from creatable sources and displayed them around the Jersey Shore boardwalk. Some of the facts had to do with personal health and safety such as Alcohol kills brain cells and drinking champagne will get you more drunk than drinking other beverages with the equivalent alcohol content because the carbon dioxide gas in the bubbles increases the absorption of alcohol from the stomach and intestines. Dylan also had random facts about alcohol like A beer flood in 1814 killed 8 people in London. The thing that makes this bulletin board unique and deserving of bulletin board of the semester is that Dylan combined an aspect of pop culture that residents basically live for, with information residents are glad to read in a displayed way that is visually pleasing as well as original. Dylans boards are the talk of the hall and whenever he puts a new board up, residents from as far as the ground floor get wind of it and run up to the third floor to check it out. Dylan puts many unseen hours into his bulletin boards, especially his Jersey Shore themed alcohol awareness board and in my eyes, should be the winner of bulletin board of the semester for SUNY Cortland, fall 2011. West Campus Caras Choose Your Own Adventure Bulletin board should be bulletin board of the semester. It targeted both Sexually Active Males and Females who may be under the influence of alcohol while having sex. The goals of the bulletin board were like a game board, you started at one spot of the board and read the story of a guy and a girl out a party having a good night of getting drunk and becoming more and more attracted to each-other. It addressed the issue of how alcohol can make you decide to do things that you normally wouldnt do. It was a catchy, fun, yet thought provoking board, that would make you think twice about having an awkward morning with someone you may or may not know, yet, if deciding to hook up with someone you may know well, while drunk to remind you to be safe about it. The background of the board was black, but it had flip up messages that you followed from a starting line to a finish, with different scenarios. It was very interactive and it not only made you laugh, but also made you think twice about your next sexual experience with alcohol. I would definitely recommend it as a program in other residence halls, especially freshman residence halls, who may want to think twice about how much alcohol they consume, before ending up in someones bed, or at least to remember to bring protection before a night out. The bulletin board was very successful because I heard a lot of residents talking about how funny it was, and telling other to read it, and I know that there

was enough educational information in there, that even though they were laughing, that it still made them think about their next future alcohol with sex experience. It was a unique way to address Sex and Alcohol without just throwing out facts, but giving a story for people to relate too, with facts sneakily put in the story. Clark Jennifer is a resident assistant at Clark hall who goes above and beyond when she makes her bulletin boards. Her boards do not simply consist of Ellison cut outs and colorful construction paper. Jennifer also puts extra thoughts in her bulletin boards and approaches themes that students are not always aware about in an informative and creative way. One particular board Jennifer did on the first floor of Clark hall was about national coming out day. Besides the title on the board students needed to be drawn into the interactiveness of the board in order to receive any knowledge from the board. This encouraged interaction between the board and residents. The board also incorporates an eye catching variety of colors and symbols to initially attract residents to the board. Jennifers board also advertises for a public event at Cortland. Clearly demonstrated from this example, Jennifer does not make her bulletin boards with the main idea of getting it over with in the quickest amount of time or just meeting the minimum requirements. Jennifer is an a superb resident assistant who excel with the amount of time, effort, thought, and knowledge she puts into each of her bulletin boards. Cheney Arianna Feliciano has always made excellent bulletin boards, but this semester she really out did herself. Arianna produced a know your limits bulletin board, which presented information about drinking alcoholic beverages and its effect on decisionmaking. It had three-dimensional elements that really caught my eye and drew me to want to read what she wrote. I was approached my several residents from various floors commenting one how much they loved Ariannas bulletin board. The information was clearly worded and organized in a way that made it easy for me to follow the points she was trying to get across to the reader. I honestly cannot think of anyone who deserves the bulletin board of the semester more than Arianna Feliciano. Thank you for taking my nominee into consideration. Randall Chris Fuscos Board called Dont Be Silly Wrap Your Willy exemplifies the perfect nomination for bulletin board of the semester. It more than satisfies every requirement outlined by the Bulletin Board rubric and in some cases surpasses a grade of 10/10. It incorporates a 3-D component (blackboard), sustainable materials (extra crumpled paper), interactive qualities (lifting cloth), and contains the three Cs: Color, Creativeness, and Catching the eye. The first thing that makes Chris board so special is the age-old saying that goes Dont Be Silly Wrap Your Willy. This made everyone of the residents and staff members alike become intrigued, immediately stop, and read. The board has a classroom setting which can be seen by two professors pointing to the blackboard and quoting popular media like Do you think my hair looks sexy pushed back? - Mean Girls and Dont be a fool, wrap your tool. These handmade and painted people further enhance the point that he was trying to get across in this bulletin board, which was practice safe sex. In the middle of the two people, there is a homemade green chalkboard that is divided into two sections: 1) Benefits of Safe Sex [ex. enhanced self-esteem, relieves stress etc] and 2) Disadvantages of sex [ex. unwanted pregnancy, STDs, etc]. The chalkboard is written in white puffy paint has all the features that a regular black board has in real scale. He has two pieces of chalk one sticking off the board and another piece of chalk sitting in the chalk holder tray. Next to the chalkboard, Chris printed out sheets of catchy sayings that residents could take away with them. Some examples of these sayings are: Dont be a fool, wrap your tool and Dont be silly, wrap your willy, etc. Around the bulletin board Chris jazzed it up with yellow wrapping ribbon and attached six guidelines to having and maintaining a healthy sex life like: scheduling sex, pillow talk, etc. One of the most educational things on this Bulletin Board is the flip up cloth portion that poses an intriguing question and makes people want to lift up the cloth: What is the number 1 sex tip advised by professionals? and as you lift up the cloth, the answer (in multicolored writing) is Communication (with a small paragraph about how communication is effective in maintaining a healthy sexual relationship). Chris showed an abundance of effort while making this board. He made the chalkboard to fit the theme of his board and became the focal point, making the lesson come across in an interesting and unique way. Using some old cloth like material and old cardboard is what also makes Chris board sustainable. This board was very well put together overall. It has all the components that you look for in a bulletin board as outlined by the rubric. It was well thought out and one of the more valuable, interactive, and educational bulletin boards in the building and campus at large. Instead of just taking the simple route of having little flip-up covers with information, he sought

further research and had extra facts that didnt appear on the board in, once again recycled, tiny sheets of paper that residents could take away. This Bulletin Board should be used as an example to new and experienced RAs to provide them with ideas and examples of how to be sustainable, creative, innovative, unique, educational and fun all at the same time. Without a doubt, this Board should win the Bulletin Board of the semester category. DeGroat What is the point of Bulletin Boards? Is it just a source of entertainment for students or an opportunity to instill some knowledge in our residents? If we are going with option two then Allison Best definitely accomplished this with her creative, informative, and interactive bulletin board. As staff members, we all witnessed residents make poor decision and are often frustrated that they cannot grasp the implications of their actions. Allison saw this problem in our hall and sought to help residents connect the dots. In creating her board, she helped students to see the bigger picture as opposed to individual acts of foolishness; how something menial as missing a class could lead them down a path of their own demise. What is unique about her board is that she is not qualifying whether choices were good or bad, she let the students make those decisions. All she emphasized was one of Newtons laws of physics. That for every action, there is an equal opposite reaction. She is empowering the students to make their own decision with no regrets; a lesson that cannot be learned in the classroom but experienced with interactions with people. There is no better place to learn that than a resident hall; I can tell you that for sure. I commend Allison for exemplifying what is the purpose of a bulletin board. Alger Jessica Greicos bulletin board Alcohol on Facebook was one that took everyone RAs and residents by surprise. Jesss bulletin board not only taught her residents to be mindful of the content of their virtual life (Facebook statuses and pictures alike), it also struck a chord in their minds that if they wanted to protect their privacy, they had to be willing to make those changes and take the steps to do so. To paint a clearer picture of what Jesss bulletin board portrayed, imagine the following; you are Jesss resident and you take the elevator to your floor on October 1st with your friends. As the elevator door opens on your floor, the first thing you see is a picture of your friends and yourself drinking from a Four Loko can. Mind you, your face and personal information are blacked out so that you can barely see the persons in the photograph, but you know thats your photo. Your friends look at you and say, JEESE! Is that us? How did that get there? Gee I dont want anyone to see that?! We gotta take down those pictures and talk to her. Well, lesson learnt! Now you as a resident would know not to post alcoholrelated pictures on Facebook simply because you had a fun night the night before. Although, Jess bulletin board was later modified, within the first few days, many residents talked about it and actively took the steps to be more aware of what they posted online for future purposes. Glass 1. Who was the target audience for the program/bulletin board? Everyones birthday that lives in the hall (during November). 2. What were the goals of the program/bulletin board? Make a fun bulletin board that would be eye catching to the residents and make them interested at whose birthday were in November. 3. How does this program/bulletin board assist in building the community in the residence hall? If the residents are interested in others, then that is community building, and if all of the residents were interested in the board then it might get them to say happy birthday to that resident. 4. Was there a specific focus (ie. Service Learning or Diversity) for the program/bulletin board? Community Building 5. How successful was the implemented program/bulletin board? How was the program marketed?

The board came out amazing. I have heard many residents say how wonderful the board is, and how impressed they are with it.

6. How new is the concept of the program/bulletin board in comparison with general residence hall or community programming? It goes with her themes of board games. Most birthday boards are themed for the month (October-Halloween, November-Thanksgiving, etc.) She was thinking outside the box and tired to make it look like the board game as much as possible, with SUNY Cortland places. 7. What methods were used in developing the program/bulletin board (research, questionnaires, interviews,etc.)? Research of the game monopoly and Creativity Making the bulletin board look like the board game, with SUNY Cortland places (instead of Jail it says UPD). 8. Would you recommend this program/bulletin board be repeated in other residence halls? YES! I believe that Emily Brown should receive bulletin board of the semester, because all of her bulletin boards have been amazing and unrecognized. She has not only put in creativity, but also most of her boards are hand done (no/few Ellison cut outs). Casey Tower Alyson's bulletin board for November was exceptional! The bulletin board theme for November was Sexual Education, and the theme for her board was "Sex On The Beach." Her board was directed to all of the residents in Casey Tower and everyone else on campus too. Alyson's board touched on multiple topic that all have to deal with sexual education. Aly's bulletin board has helped build building community by letting the students know important facts about drinking and safe sex choices. This is important for any students. The boards border was different condoms, and she left a message to "take one if you need one." This bulletin board helps build and strengthen the community's health and knowledge. I have heard of the bulletin board before but I have never witnessed it on Cortland's campus of the 3 years I have lived here. Since everyone has the same theme for bulletin boards its definitely not a new concept but perhaps a new way to look at the situation and topic. I would recommend this board theme to all. It was planned well and very creative! Shea Collin's bulletin board last semester was related to the health of various alcoholic beverages. This was no ordinary board, however. Each drink was represented with half of a red SOLO cup inside of a see through drinking cup. Inside of the red cups were the nutritional information on each drink. In order to see the nutritional information, the resident would have to turn the red cup until the information was visible. In the center of the board was a 3D replication of the SOLO cup with the title of the board. This board had many talking. Julie Jo and the rest of the staff was very impressed with the board and he earned board of the month of our staff. This board not only served both an educational and artistic message to the residents, but it was appreciated by most as well as an artistic piece. I, personally, think the board was great and deserves recognition. Chances are there are other nominations for this board but I and many others can tell you that Collin's board was excellent.