Grand Illumination Service Project - Christmas Cards for the Elderly

This Wednesday (the 20th of November) the ladies of Humes Hall, led by Chelsea Sipp and others, were outside in the Presidential Courtyard. Their purpose? To recruit students to make a Christmas Card for the Elderly. These cards will be distributed to a nursing home very soon. Each student that participated gained a Grand Illumination candle, which will be lit in unison on December 3rd as part of the Soldier's Night Out in the Courtyard from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. Take a look at the creativity some students had!

West Area Wolf Pack RA of the Month - October

The west area wolf pack is pleased to announce the RA of the Month recipient for the month of October:

Tucker Hunley!

Below is Michael Banks' nomination letter: 

"Tucker Hunley is a spectacular Resident Assistant, and demonstrated this time and again during the month of October. With October being sustainability month, Tucker made an effort to promote this on this floor through his entirely recycled bulletin board and door decorations. He demonstrated his commitment to his floor community when an unknown vandal tore his door decorations down while Tucker was away on an alternative fall break trip in Birmingham Alabama. Rather than getting angry, Tucker approached his community with a level of tolerance and patience not often seen. He addressed his community about respect both for him and each other.

October was a big month in our building as we put on an annual haunted house even in our basement. This event is a fundraiser for the local Habitat for Humanity chapter and goes towards the University Housing department's house that they build each year. Tucker was appointed to a leadership role in planning the haunted house by his fellow staff members. This is one staff member said about Tucker's involvement with the haunted house, "We voted him a leader for haunted house and he has done great helping us try and make this goal. Balancing all of that with actual school and work seems deserving to me." His hard work and diligence in planning for the haunted house made it the most successful year yet with over two thousand dollars raised for habitat for humanity.

When polling the Resident Assistants to determine who should be selected as the RA of the month, Tucker was chosen unanimously. One of his fellow RAs had this to say about Tucker, "Basically Tuck is the man who stays driven and gets the job done at all cost. No matter the situation, you cannot crack his demeanor because that man was made to be uplifting for everyone he interacts with."

It was very apparent to me that Tucker has the respect and appreciation of both his residents and his fellow staff members. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of Resident Assistant Of The Month."

Congratulations, Tucker! The West Area is certainly well-represented with this outstanding individual! Please join us in congratulating Tucker by giving this guy some deserved kudos.

N Carrick - Guest Speaker

On Thursday night, the men of N. Carrick were joined by a special guest speaker: Dr. Lee Martin. Doc. Martin spoke to the men about how to balance their lives and how technology was playing a huge factor in current economics. The program had a fantastic turnout and everyone took home some valuable information.

If you are considering having a guest speaker, talk with Mitchell Shope over in N. Carrick!

N Carrick - Mario Kart Drunk (Simulation) Driving

Also on Thursday night, the men of N Carrick were joined by UTPD to simulate driving under the influence with Mario Kart and drunk-goggles. The program was only made better by attempting to drive the "Rainbow World" course with psychedelic colors and random pit-falls. The message was clear: if you are under the influence, DO NOT get behind the wheel--it's just not worth it.

Nick Nagy and Yhazmyne Hawkins RAs of the Month for September

Here's the nomination letter from Josh Boehm:

"Nick and Yhaz picked a unifying floor theme of "Community" based on the TV show. Nick and Yhaz have done a great job building community on the 12th floor. They frequently have residents hanging out in the floor lobby talking about successes and struggles of the day. They coordinated a rock painting program with the Compass Coordinators to help new students experience a Rocky Top tradition and become more connected with UT. They have also been doing well handling the unknown we have asked them to take on. Furthermore, both Nick and Yhaz have been active unifiers on the new larger Morrill Staff. Both brought great energy and excitement to training and opening."

A well-deserving pair! Congrats to you both for your outstanding devotion!

NRHH, Morrill, Humes, and more - Trunk or Treat!

The National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) held its annual Trunk or Treat celebration this Wednesday! This annual event allows the Knoxville community to interact with various organizations on UT's campus, all while providing a safe, fun environment for the youngsters. Many of the Residence Halls were in attendance to volunteer for the event. The young monsters and heroes were lined up in circle park and certainly scored a generous candy payload after the event. Kudos to NRHH and the Residence Halls for a truly spectacular Community Builder!
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N and S Carrick - Paint the Rock Joint Program

The men of N. Carrick and women of S. Carrick combined efforts to pain the rock! It was a very exciting program which had a great turn out. The two populations loved working together, and who doesn't like participating in legal-vandalism?!

Tannen Smith: West Area RA of the Month, August

Congratulations to Tannen Smith from Hess Hall for being chosen our RA of the Month for August in the West Area! Please send Tannen some props, and take some time to read his nomination letter below from his Hall Director, Bethany Tognocchi.

Bethany's nomination:

Throughout the course of move-in, Tannen made every effort possible to provide residents, parents, and fellow staff members as much support as needed. Tannen, like every other RA in Hess, was required to be in the building during move-in performing the necessary tasks to get our residents checked in. Going above and beyond, Tannen spent multiple hours at the front desk assisting residents with their clearance forms and developing a systematic approach to the check-in process. When RAs brought all of their materials down to the front desk from their individual floors, Tannen was there to help me sort through the various papers and organize it in a fashion that was seamless for those checking-in. His customer service skills were outstanding, even when he was asked similar questions multiple times. He never once complained about the amount of time he was spending at the desk and instead, offered to stay longer.

With his major being supply chain management, Tannen seemed more than willing to step up to the plate and develop new ways to working that fit the needs of the team. He worked tirelessly throughout the first week to create a item check-out log through Google Docs that allows residents to easily check out movies, cleaning supplies, and cooking equipment. Instead of inputting resident information by hand, it was instantly populated into the google spreadsheet with the swipe of a VolCard. I was incredibly impressed with his work and had him share his new program with the Hess staff. He has continued to work on the system to improve it's functionality and to ensure his fellow staff members aren't having any issues.

I am thrilled with Tannen's performance thus far as a returning RA and know he will continue to do big things throughout the course of the year.

A huge congratulations to Tannen, again, for doing an outstanding job!

West Area August Highlights

The West Area Wolf Pack opened their doors to the floods of young men and women, and the RAs, Head Staff, Central Staff and Directors were hard at work. The Wolf Pack started the academic year off with a bang--be it with intricate door decorations or interactive bulletin boards. 

Below is a collage of various halls highlighting everyone's hard work. Stay strong Wolf Pack! Community Building Programs are on the agenda for the next few weeks, and the RAs are gearing up for the second half of their 6-week challenge!

See something you like? Want your Community Builder, Bulletin Board, or Door Decoration highlighted in the Wolfpack Press? Email Winston with pictures and descriptions!