National Communications Coordinator Juliann Larese 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Page 2 Here at University of Oregon Page 2 My Role as National Communications Coordinator Page 3 National Communications Committee Page 5 Conclusion Page 5 Letter of Recommendation Page 6 INTRODUCTION Currently, I am a Junior majoring in Product Design and minoring in Business here at the University of Oregon. Being in the Product Design program gives me the ability to be very hands on with projects, and I've created a lot of cool things such as my own working lamp, a backpack, and lots and lots of ceramic pieces. In the little amount of free time I have at school, I enjoy watching my favorite hockey team play, eating whammies at Carson, and hanging out with my off-campus friends. When I have more free time during breaks and summer, I normally do commissions for drawings, hang out with my two dogs (Bailey and Corkie), and binge-watch Netflix. I watched every episode of How I Met Your Mother during the Winter Break of my freshman year. I'm a pretty dedicated Netflixer. An interesting fact about me is that I was on my dance team in high school, which was an all-girls Catholic high school. I danced for 15 years of my life, and had to stop after a dance injury that would continue to get worse. I did get a pretty sweet cast on my foot for graduation. HERE AT UNIVERSITY OF OREGON During my time at the University, I have done a lot of things such being a member of the Club Rowing team, being a member of Hall Government, become a member of NRHH, and working multiple jobs throughout Housing. The one true passion that I have discovered in the past three years is my dedication to the PACURH Region. I recently earned my 3-years of Dedication pin from the PACURH Region, and will earn my 4-years of Service pin at the next PACURH if elected. Being a Junior still in the halls, I have gained a lot of experience through positions I have held within Housing. Some of my experience includes: 2
Length of Positon Fall 2012 - Spring 2013 Spring 2013 - Present Fall 2013 - Spring 2014 Winter 2014 - Present Spring 2014 Summer 2014, Summer 2015 Spring 2014 - Present Summer 2014 - Fall 2014 Fall 2014 - Present Position Finance Rep for Hamilton West Hall Government Member of the National Residence Hall Honorary Housing Events Resource Office (HERO) Assitant Main Housing Front Desk Student Staff Hamilton RLC/ARLC Office Assistant University Conference Assistant Residence Hall Association Administration Coordinator Student Representative on Director of Residence Life Search Committee New Residence Hall User Group Student Represenative I have had the opportunity to represent the University of Oregon in many of these positions, such as the Conference Assistant and Main Housing Front Desk. These two jobs are one of the few positions that people outside of the University or perspective students see. Its is required for these positions to represent the school extremely well, and be professional but friendly. These opportunities that I have had have allowed me to open a whole world within Student Affairs that I did not know about when I started school at the University of Oregon. Though my experience of hold five different jobs during Spring Term my sophomore year, as well as being a part of the Residence Hall Association Executive Board, I have learned to manage my time well, and make sure that my life is balanced between school, RHA, and my social life. MY ROLE AS NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR My goals as the National Communications Coordinator next year would be to communicate to the Hall Government what is happening on the PACURH and NACURH levels through the National Communications Committee, as well as representing University of Oregon's Residence Hall Association through social media. One goal that I have for next year is to be one of the top spirited schools at a conference. Schools who have won the Most 3
Spirited School in the past have constantly been answering Tweets that the host schools put out each week. Not only would we be answering these tweets, we could have every exec member answer the question, gaining us the most amount of Spirit Points that we could win for that specific tweet. Now spirit isn't the only thing that the National Communications Coordinator is in charge of at conferences; they are also responsible for representing the University's beliefs and values when it comes to voting on legislation and bids. While being in boardroom for the entire conference may seem like a bore, I would enjoy seeing the other side of the conferences. In my three years of being involved with RHA, I have attended four conferences: PACURH 2013, NACURH 2014, PACURH 2014, and No Frills 2015. At three of these conferences, I attended sessions that were put on by delegates of the conference, and I also presented a session at PACURH 2014. Although I haven't had the opportunity to represent the University in the voting sense, I feel that I have the knowledge of what the University would think as a whole. The National Communications Coordinator position would be perfect for me because I have past experience representing the University of Oregon's Residence Hall Association at Leadership Drive-Ins with other Oregon universities, PACURH and NACURH Conferences, Residence Hall Association Summits, PACURH Finance Regional Chats, and presenting the No Frills 2016 bid with James West. All of these events have given the PACURH region a chance to know me, and I have made some good connections. Some Quick facts: 3 years of experience with PACURH Student representative for UO Campus Committees with Housing Vast knowledge about the region through Regional Chats, attending conferences, and presenting the No Frills bid Through my committee work in University Housing, I have had the opportunity to represent the students' perspective. On both the Director of Residence Life Search Committee and the Residence Hall User Group, I have been the only student, and have had the responsibility to voice the students' opinions. Through my commitment to these committees, I have gained valuable experiences of representing the students of University of Oregon that would translate to the National Communications Coordinator position very easily. 4
NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE My vision for the National Communications Committee would be that the committee would help come up with the information to put out in the newsletter that the National Communications Coordinator has to distribute each month, as well as looking at legislation that may be presented at Conferences and Regional Chats. This committee would help influence how the University of Oregon would be voting on. Although the legislation would not necessarily impact them, being involved in something larger than RHA is good motivation to be a part of this committee. The National Communications Committee will also help the planning process for the conferences. This would include brainstorming ideas for Spirit to be handed out throughout the conferences, costumes that the delegates would wear, possible video ideas, and designing the banner and display. All of these items will help the University of Oregon be recognized for our hard work and dedication to the region and NACURH. By getting the committee involved in the planning the details of the conference, they will feel more a part of the organization as a whole. The committee would also be more interested in attending these conferences if they are involved in the planning, which would give us delegates who would bring back information that they learn at the conferences. CONCLUSION Overall, I am extremely proud of the work that I have completed as Administration Coordinator this year, and would like to move on to a position that would represent the Residence Hall Association on a larger scale. I believe that I have enough knowledge about RHA and the PACURH region to successfully represent the University of Oregon at these conferences. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my bid for the National Communications Coordinator, and I will see you all at elections! 5
James West 1365 Agate St. Eugene, OR 97043 (503) 757-2442 jwest10@uoregon.edu To Whom It May Concern, Working with Juliann has been an amazing experience. Her positive spirit, incredible work ethic, and versatile skills are all reasons she epitomizes what an RHA executive member should be. Throughout the year, I have watched her not only improve RHA within her position, but improve RHA as a whole. It is with this said that I fully support and recommend her for the positions of National Communications Coordinator and Administration Coordinator. Juliann has attended more conferences than any current member of RHA. She has participated within these conferences by given presentations, writing bids, and voicing the opinions of UO within meetings. If anyone is ready to take the helm of National Communications Coordinator, it is Juliann Larese. I am fully confident that the skill set she has gained through her many roles on our university will translate well when she represents our university at the national and international level. She has excelled in her current position this year and will excel, if elected, in this position next year. Juliann has not only grown within the position of ADC but completely surpassed all expectations that one could have when entering an executive position. The substantial changes she has made to the ADC position will influence RHA for years to come. She has automized our budget, coded an entirely new website, and held efficient budget meetings. She has participated in more committees than any other member of the executive board other than myself and has influenced and shaped the look of our new Residence Hall building that will be built in the near future. Juliann will exceed expectations once again if elected into the ADC position. Working with Juliann has been a delight. She has truly been someone that I could rely upon for almost any task and she has consistently delivered in all of these tasks. Juliann s future is bright. I truly hope the voting body elects her into a position for the 2015-2016 school year. Juliann is an essential member of the RHA team. Please give Juliann your full consideration for the rolls of National Communications Coordinator and Administration Coordinator during this process. Sincerely, James West President Residence Hall Association University of Oregon