The University of Memphis participated in a residence hall conference this month and came home with almost half of the awards presented.
The U of M won four out of 10 program awards at the Tennessee Association of Colleges and University Residence Halls (TACURH) Conference Feb. 7-9.
The representatives are President Charles Daniels, Vice President April Foxx, Secretary Tiffany Yarbrough, Treasurer Jamica Clements, National Communication Coordinator (NCC) Marvin West, Advisor Dana Copes and Assistant Advisor Derek Lanios.
The U of M resident advisors put on a solid program called “Egyptian Blues: Remember the Times”.
April Foxx, Nicole Beamon and Marvin West came in 8th place in their program, “Rest in the Nile”; 7th place was CoCoa Simmons’s program, “Ruling in the Kingdom”; 6th place was Jamica Clements and Brenda Wynn’s program, “Relax, Relate, and Release”; and Rashawn Ray was 3rd place with his program, “Culture Mask”.
In addition, April Foxx won Student of the Year and the Iris Award, Rashawn Ray received the Outstanding Service Award, Dana Copes won Advisor of the Year and The U of M won School of the Year.
Foxx was awarded Student of the Year because she has good academic standing, works with other organizations, balances her free time and goes beyond her duties to help others.
Foxx also was awarded the Iris Award because she has impacted an executive board member’s life for the TACURH.
Foxx said she is grateful for the awards she received because it not only made her a better person but also a better leader.
Ray received the Outstanding Award for having an open-door policy for his residents, keeping his grades up and demonstrating a model student behavior.
Copes received Advisor of the Year because she took the responsibility of making sure everything went well as far as the program and the members.
The University won The School of the Year because the Residence Hall Association (RHA) has several programs, like Back to School Carnival and Casino Night, for campus residents.
As an organization, TACURH works carefully to provide membership privileges to inspire and train student leaders.
West said he and other U of M members of the RHA have learned a lot from the RHA programs to help campus residents, to make them feel comfortable and enjoy campus life.
“We learn and share different programs with other RHA members from different universities,” said West. “We bring them back to The U of M, so the residents can do various tasks in the dorms.”
By creating an atmosphere where students learn through shared experiences, TACURH hopes to empower The U of M by bringing students and other colleges together.
Daniels, president of RHA, said the RHA has changed for the better, including better leadership skills and larger group membership.
“Overall the RHA has been strengthened through leadership skills and bigger membership,” Daniels said. “When we first began this organization we had up to three members, but now it has increased up to 30 to 40 members each meeting.
“TACURAH will continue to strive toward becoming a strong and well-organized body that works for all its members.”
