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Welcome to the Honor House Selection Process. Students who are interested in living in an Honor House for 2013-2014 must complete an application and go through an interview process. Applications are available to download from this web site.

Applications are due on Wednesday, March 13, 2013.

Below is information about the honor house system and the application process. At the end is a link to the 2013-2014 Honor House Application. Good luck!

Goals of the Honor House System
The Honor House system at St. Olaf College serves as a means of providing students with alternative opportunities to develop interests and personal relationships through a more intimate residential setting. Providing students a living/learning experience with a special focus is a major goal of the Honor House system.

Service Houses:
The main focus of these houses is to provide community service opportunities in the Northfield and surrounding communities.

These houses are selected during the Honor House Selection process coordinated through the Residence Life Office.

Examples of past Service House proposals are listed below. While it is possible that several proposals may have similar themes, each proposal submitted must be an original work. If a proposal is found to contain plagiarized material, it will not be considered for the selection process.

AIDS Awareness and Education
America Reads
American Cancer Society
Alternative Learning Center
Campus Fellowship
CATCH (Community AcTion Center House
Chemical Resource and Concerns
Environmental Concerns
GOLDEN (Getting Oles Linked with the Elders in Northfield)
Habitat for Humanity
Head Start
Healthy Lifestyles
KIDS (Kollege Interaction with Developing Students)
Northfield Food Shelf
Project Friendship
SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving)
Special Olympics
Wellness Issues
Woman's Issues

Expectations of Honor House Residents
· Develop a project with attainable goals and work together to accomplish these goals.

· Each house member must take equal responsibility for accomplishing the project goals.

· Have and attend weekly house meetings.

· Prepare a monthly calendar of project events and submit this calendar to the Director of Residence Life.

· Participate in recruitment and informational opportunities when appropriate. (Parents Weekend, Volunteer Services Fair, Activities Extravaganza, Honor House selection etc.)

· Provide information to the Assistant Director of Residence Life concerning number of participants, monthly programs, program finances and project concerns.

· Attend the Volunteer Network meeting on a bi-monthly basis.

· Complete bi-monthly house reports and program reports.

· Participate in Honor House evaluation process each semester.

· Be a responsible neighbor.

· Leave your house in a condition equal to or better than it was when you arrived.

· Abide by St. Olaf Policies as stated in the Student Handbook section of The Book.

Note:
· Honor houses that work with community agencies for their projects may work with a representative of Student Activities.

Honor House Service Project Proposal & Selection Process

Step 1
You may get an Honor House Application off the Residence Life Office homepage beginning January 15, 2013. To get to the Residence Life homepage click under Student Life on the St. Olaf homepage.

Step 2
Work as a group to complete the Honor House Application. Keep in mind the following things when filling out the proposal packet:

· There may be several proposals with the same theme. However, each proposal must be an original work. Two groups whose project proposals overlap significantly will not both be selected.

· Your proposal must contain the names of your house residents for each term. Keep in mind those members of your group who may be leaving for interim, etc. The number of house members will be taken into consideration during the selection process.

· All members of your group must sign the agreement form contained in the proposal packet.

· You will need at least one faculty or staff advisor from the St. Olaf community. Find a person who is genuinely interested in your proposal theme and who will work with you and your proposal throughout the year. Your advisor will need to submit a letter of support.

· If your proposal is a community service project (i.e. Project Friendship, Special Olympics, Northfield Food Shelf), you will need an additional advisor. This person must be someone associated with the organization your group would be serving. Your advisor will need to submit a letter of support.

· It is required that you make a copy of your proposal for your advisor(s). This will give the advisor(s) a chance to read and critique the proposal.

· Make sure your advisor(s) read and sign the advisor portion of your proposal packet.

· Your presentation team should consist of your House President and four members of your group. Only this group will be permitted into the presentation room.

· Return your completed proposal to the Residence Life Office by 12:00 Noon on March 13, 2013. You may also submit your application as an attachment to love@stolaf.edu

· You will sign up for your presentation time when you turn in your proposal to the Residence Life Office.

Step 3
Honor House proposal presentations will take place Saturday, March 16th and if needed March 18th or March 19th.

· Each group will be required to give a 10-15 minute presentation about the proposal. Following each presentation, there will be a 10-15 minute period for members of the selection committee to ask your group questions about your proposal.

· In your presentation, it is important that your group cover the main theme of your proposal and answer questions such as: what constituencies will benefit from your proposal; how will members of your group benefit from participation in the proposed project; and how will the St. Olaf community participate and benefit. These are only a few examples of questions you may want to address in your presentation. Members of the selection committee will likely ask you a number of questions concerning your proposal. For this reason, it is recommended that your presentation be will planned and that all members of your group be involved in the development of your proposal.

· Your presentations should be professional. You may want to include graphs and/or pictures. It is important to be informative and creative. You must convey your enthusiasm and commitment to your project proposal in addition to the details of your project within the 15-minute time frame.

· Your group will be responsible for obtaining any audio/visual equipment needed for your presentation. If you must rent this equipment your group is responsible for paying the necessary fees. Please consult with your on campus advisor on this matter.

Step 4
Selection Procedures:

· Results of the Honor House selection process will be delivered by email to the individual(s) listed as President(s) for first semester, for 2013-2014, no later than March 22, 2013.

· Selection (can be random draw) of specific houses for Honor House residents will take place the week after spring break. A specific roster of residents living in the house 1st semester is due April 8, 2013 - by noon.

Step 5
A required orientation for Honor House Presidents will take place in April. The president's role and responsibilities will be discussed and opening procedures for the 2013-2014 academic year will be explained.

Application
If you would like to apply for an honor house for 2013-14 please fill out the application attached below.

Honor House Application for 2013-2014

All applications are due to the residence life office by Noon on March 13, 2013.

If you have any questions about the application process please contact Jim Love, Assistant Director of Residence Life, at x3011 or at love@stolaf.edu