In This Issue

Brain Teaser pg. 2

Winter Reading Challenge Win-

ners pg. 2

Around COCM... pg. 3

Pet Spotlight pg. 4

Employee Spotlight pg. 5

Capstone Movie Club pg. 6

Ten Insightful Interview Ques-

tions pg. 7

Smoking Facts pg. 7

Quitting Smoking Success Story

pg. 8

Grace Hill Updates pg. 8-9

TV Club pg. 9

Featured Smoking Cessation

Program pg. 10

Positivity from Emotional Well-

ness pg. 10

What is a Social Smoker? pg. 11

To continue to excel as specialists in the management of student housing owned by non -profits.

Site director to Katie Brannan, Home Office: “Shoutout to Katie! She has

gone above and beyond in helping us with our budget template. Our owner

has very specific requests of how he would like to see the information pre-

sented and Katie has worked with us to get it to a place where he likes it and

is discussing approving earlier than we’ve ever had.”

Howard University Vice President of Student Affairs after meeting Jere-

my Biddy & Tonya Neumeier at COCM booth at NASPA: “Kern those are

some solid people. It’s clear that they value you as a professional and care

about you as a person.”

Florida Atlantic Staff to COCM employee: Joe Tirado

“I wanted to give a really good endorsement of Joe. In the short amount of

time that he’s been here Joe has been simply incredible. He’s friendly, knowl-

edgeable, and ridiculously helpful. Joe has shared information on the build-

ing and the way things work that I haven’t had before. His knowledge and

insight allows me to better communicate with our students and families. He

was an outstanding hire and I really appreciate having him in the building.”

Erica Blake, Assistant Director of Residence Life for Edgewood Com-

mons

Erica Blake is a recent graduate from Bowie State University with her M.Ed

in School Counseling. Her past experiences in housing include a Resident

Assistant and Community Assistant at Kean University in Union, NJ and a

Graduate Assistant for Residence Life at Bowie State University in Bowie,

MD. She enjoys being in the field of higher education and having an impact

on the quality of student life and development. During her down time she

loves spending time with loved ones, playing video games such as NBA 2K

and Call of Duty, writing, working out, reading, and binge watching televi-

sion shows.

iPromise

Welcome New Team Members!

2

Unscramble the letters to form a Summer themed word!

1. y t r e f t l b u

2. g a s l e s n u s s

3. v n o a c t a i

4. d l u y a s g b

5. m w i n g m i s

6. n c i i p c

7. w r n i a b o

Answers on page 9!

Brain Teaser

Around COCM...

Right: Assistant Director for Residence Life, Richard Scibetti, Leas-

ing Coordinator, Talia Hewan, and Housing Services Coordinator,

Brandon Gardner represented COCM at one of the many University

of Maryland Off-Campus Housing Fairs. Each fair allows various Off

-Campus Housing to showcase their greatness. So, it should be no

surprise that COCM would be there attracting the best students

possible. #GOTEAM

Winter Reading Challenge WINNERS

First Place: Kelly P Francis from U W Platteville with 510 pts. Kelly read a total of 23 books! She receives the Grand Prize of a $75 gift card and a Starbucks Gift Card for $10 Second Place: Jennifer Juliano from Mass. College of Art and Design with 225 pts. Jennifer read a total of 9 books! She receives a gift from the Popcorn Factory and a Starbucks gift card for $10 Third Place: Karen Partridge from Marshall University with 55 pts. Karen read a total of 5 books! She receives a gift from Cheryl’s cookies and a Starbucks Gift Card for $10.

Congratulations!

Check out our book lists on GoodReads.com. We will include some of our favorites in future newsletters. Look out for the next challenge, coming soon!!

3

Around COCM...

Right: (L-R) RA Yitzhak , RA Khamysse , Oscar Isaac, Oscar’s bother RA Yitzhak and RA Khamysse defeated famous actor Oscar Isaac and his brother in an epic ping pong battle. Oscar Isaac was on location at the Summit -QUC, filming “Life, Itself “ Oscar Isaac’s most notable roles to name a few : Star Wars – The Force Awaken, Last Jedi (Poe) The Bourne legacy Inside Llewyn Davis All about the Benjmins Body of Lies X-Men : Apocalypse

Left: The Heights at Montclair State University

recently recognized Years of Service Award and

On Target Award recipients. Pictured are "The

Originals" - team members who joined COCM for

the opening of The Heights five years ago.

Left to right: Keir Brooks, Dan Zaros, Pat Sha-

nahan, Jose Gonzalez, Pat Coleman & Giovanny

Ramirez

Left: The Continuum held a Chopped-style cooking competition, where the residents were also the judges, and chose Elle and Karla as the Continu-um's Chopped Champions! Continuum Residents gathered near the pool to enjoy a S'Mores Night!

Right: COCM-University of Maryland, College Park enjoys when our

staff takes those additional steps towards their personal development. Hir-

ing Manager, Lynette Carthens, was awarded her certificate of successful

completion within the study of Human Resource Management from the

University of Maryland, University College. We commend Lynette on a

job well done.

4

Meet Kim Paratto and her pups Emma & Chloe Employee Name and Pet Name: Arielle Diggs (TCNJ)-King & Neco

Type/Breed & Age of Pet: King is a 13 year old orange tabby. Neco is 2.5 years old but his breed is a

bit of a mystery. I think he is a Korat.

Does your pet have any fun nicknames? The Overweight Lover for King, Slim Jim for Neco

Does your pet have any unique personality traits/quirks? King will wake me up by either biting my foot or licking my ear. Neco, on the other hand, is a very picky eater and does not tolerate having his belly touched.

Do they do any fun tricks? Even at the old age of 13, King is still quite agile. And believe it or not,

he LOVES baths. Neco is very smart and obeys commands like “Go Down” and “Time to Eat”. He can

also perform multiple mid-air backflips while chasing his favorite toy.

What is your pet’s favorite treat? Both King and Neco are addicted to Temptations treats and

Greenies.

What is your favorite thing about your pet? King is such a sweetheart! I love it when he snuggles on the bed with me. Neco is the true definition of a party animal: fun and spunky.

What is your favorite story about your pet?

When we first adopted Neco, he was so frightened that he refused to leave his carrier. But once he no-ticed King, his demeanor began to change. Over the next few weeks, Neco became more comfortable around me, my family, and King. Neco is now a fearless cat who often wants to play much to King’s an-noyance. Overall, they get along very well.

What is the best part about having a pet? Although King and Neco have vastly different personali-

ties, they’re still my babies! They lift my spirits and are a great form of entertainment.

Interested in seeing you and your pet in the spotlight? Email Jamie Mancine at

jmancine@cocm.com

The Capstone Emotional Wellness Committee supports having high self-esteem, confidence, satisfying relation-

ships, a support network and staying optimistic and enthusiastic about life.

Pet Spotlight: Arielle Diggs By Emotional Wellness

Left: King

Right: Neco

5

Employee Spotlight

Raf Cordwell, Director of University Affiliated Housing,

Towson University

What are your hobbies?

Reading, working out, and playing soccer.

If you had a magic power, what would it be?

All of Superman’s powers.

What is a fun fact that no one in COCM knows about you?

I have a first degree black belt in Ko-rean Tang Soo Do.

What do you do in your spare time?

Homework because I am in school!

What keeps you motivated?

The idea of helping others be the best versions of themselves has al-ways been one of my biggest moti-vations.

Brought to you by the Social Wellness Committee

Social Wellness is having a supportive social network, contributing to society, valuing cultural diversity and having positive

interactions with those around you.

What is your favorite profes-sional memory?

I have successfully recruited several of my past student employees into student affairs/higher education and know I can call them col-leagues.

6

Capstone Movie Club

Question, Comment, Idea?

The Occupational Wellness Committee is excited to offer our employees a formal way to share ideas

and comments. Capstone On-Campus understands our greatest asset is our employees and those em-

ployees have awesome perspective and comments! If you have a company wide initiative or comment to

share, please send it to:

Comment@cocm.com

The Occupational Committee will shepherd the idea to consideration, explanation, or resolution.

Appreciation Day Reminder!

COCM’s AD/AGM Appreciation Day will be on Friday, May 26th.

Please share any photos from various appreciation days with either Heather Walker at Marshall or (walker137@marshall.edu) or Debbie Daniels at Frostburg (ddaniels@cocm.com). The Capstone Occupational Wellness Committee supports finding personal fulfillment and satisfaction from our

jobs or our chosen career fields while maintaining balance in our lives. Positively impacting the organization we

work in and society as a whole through our careers.

7

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9322-insightful-job-interview-questions.html

In searching for oddball or intriguing interview questions I came across an article I found insightful, and while

I may not ask some of these questions due to my own style, it is still something to ponder at the possibilities.

See the article’s suggestions below:

1. "Tell me about the three most pivotal leadership experiences in your career. What did you learn? How do you apply that today?"

2. "How do you approach someone who is not cooperative?" 3. "Tell me about the opportunity/event/etc. that made you grow the most as a leader." 4. "What is your personal professional brand? How would your current or former co-workers describe you,

and what is a piece of constructive feedback you receive consistently? What have you done to improve on that?"

5. "Tell me about a time when you overcame internal resistance and successfully accomplished an important business objective."

6. "Who is your hero and why?" 7. "What excites you about this job?" 8. "Tell me about a time when you received negative feedback from a customer or stakeholder. How did you

address this feedback, and what was the final outcome?" 9. "Describe a workplace challenge/issue/problem and how you overcame it." 10. "How would you handle a problem we are currently facing?" Then provide a specific real-world example of

a problem being faced. Regardless of your style, I feel one of the initial objectives to attempt is uncovering the real person on the oth-er side of the table. Almost every interviewee will put on their “interview persona,” which is most likely not the person who would show up to work every day. Asking deep questions is one avenue to pulling out the real personality. Another tactic might be the unexpected question.

Ten Insightful Interview Questions By Jeff Kirkpatrick, East Stroudsburg

Smoking Facts from Smoking Cessation Committee

8

I have been smoke free for at least 4 years

now. I smoked roughly 2-3 packs a week. I

was a routine smoker, meaning I had all of

the times in my head when I thought I need-

ed to smoke. For example: after eating, cer-

tain times in the car, on the phone, with al-

cohol, etc.

Before quitting, I started to realize how dif-

ficult it was for me to walk up four flights of

stairs at my job (previously The RIDGE/

ESU) and building inspections were part of

my job. I wasn’t ready to quit until I finally

had enough, I couldn’t do the steps and it

was negatively affecting my wallet as well! I

had a great support system that helped me

quit cold turkey. Jeff (director), Luke

(assistant director), my husband and daugh-

ter, and office assistants at the time all were

a great giving me the courage to do this! Every time I wanted to smoke I would suck on a jolly ranch-

er, eventually the sensation of wanting a cigarette in my mouth subsided.

I think that you can’t quit until you absolutely have it in your mind that you are ready to do it and hav-

ing a great supporting system is huge!

Quit Smoking Success Story, By Amy Famighetti, QUAD San Marcos

COCM has 589 full-time, part-time and student employees taking courses.

3,861 courses have been successfully completed with passing scores. 674 courses have been completed with a Super Star Score of 100%.

87.19% is the average score per site. 97.53% compliance by each region.

12,288 hours have been spent training our team to be prepared to work in our industry.

Thank you for your patience with two Grace Hill transitions. We have been successful in navigating many of the obstacles that have been put in front of us.

What’s Happened in the 1st Year with Grace Hill?

9

You can now submit a work ticket to Grace Hill if you have trouble with a course not completing or not registering in your transcript after you complete the course. Click on the Support icon in your Learning Center and then click Send us an Email. If you need additional assistance you can e-mail gracehill@cocm.com. Don’t forget to work with your supervisor to add three electives to your Book Bag (in your learning center) each year. Keep up the great work!

Some Grace Hill News

The Social Wellness committee would like to sponsor a TV club! We know lots of COCM folks enjoy

a variety of shows, and we’d love to know your interest in a club. The club would meet either weekly

or biweekly to discuss the show. We may even do some prizes or other treats for members! Here are

the possible shows:

Scandal

House of Cards

So You Think You Can Dance

America’s Got Talent.

We are open to other show options, too! Please email social@cocm.com if you are interested. Let us know the show(s) you would be interested in watching and discussing by Wednesday, May 10th.

The Capstone Social Wellness Committee assists to provide a supportive social network, contributing to society,

valuing cultural diversity and having positive interactions with those around you.

TV Club

CALLING ALL WRITERS!

Interested in contributing to the newsletter? Have a great story to tell? Want to praise your staff? Share fun photos of

your site?

Email Tara Wilkinson (twilkinson@cocm.com) by the 15th of the month for your information to be featured in the

COCM Newsletter!

Contribute to the Newsletter

Answers:

1. butterfly 2.sunglasses 3. vacation 4. ladybugs 5. swimming 6. picnic 7. rainbow

Source: http://www.bigactivities.com/word_scrambles/summer

Brain Teaser Answers

10

The Capstone Emotional Wellness Committee supports having high self-esteem, confidence, satisfying relation-

ships, a support network and staying optimistic and enthusiastic about life.

Positivity from Emotional Wellness

Don’t forget to let the Physical Wellness Committee know if you or someone else in the company is going to or has par-

ticipated in some sort of race, dance competition, or other physical challenge. We want to recognize them for their par-

ticipation. Please send submissions to Joe Cantona, jcantona@cocm.com.

The Capstone Physical Wellness Committee promotes achieving physical wellness by eating well, exercising, avoiding harmful habits, getting

enough sleep, recognizing signs of disease, getting regular physical exams and taking steps to prevent injury/illness.

Good Luck Cards, By Physical Wellness

Cal State University-San Marcos is hosting its 6th Annual Cigarette Butt Cleanup on Friday, April 14th.

The campus staff recruits volunteers to pick up cigarette butts on campus. Volunteers receive a free

tee-shirt and free lunch for only an hour of participation. The COCM staff joins in the event. There is

also a friendly competition with prizes for the group that picks up the most cigarette butts.

We are considering hosting a similar competition for COCM communities in the future. We know

some sites are smoke-free, so we encourage you to consider spots in your community where your staff

might be able to do the event!

Featured Smoking Cessation Program: Kick Butt Campaign

11

Note: portions of this article are from “Social Smokers Aren’t Hooked on Nicotine, Just

Smoking.” You can read the full article here: http://www.health.com/health/condition-

article/0,,20213458,00.html.

There’s a species of smoker among us that is common yet poorly understood. Their habitat con-sists of parties, barbecues, and the sidewalks outside bars and restaurants. They prefer to scrounge for their cigarettes, and if they do buy a pack, they’re apt to nurse it for a week or more. You may hear them say, "I’m not a smoker," or "Only on weekends." While some of these so-called nondaily smokers smoke regularly but sparingly, up to 30% likely fall into the social-smoker category. Hard numbers are difficult to come by, in part because the definition of a social smoker is so vague. A 2007 study of social smoking among college stu-dents—one of very few that have been published on the subject—found the term was used "loosely and inconsistently," even among researchers. But most people know a social smoker when they see one. They smoke occasionally, almost always in groups, and often while drinking alcohol. By definition, they do not consider themselves addicted to nicotine. Many started smok-ing casually in high school or college but never graduated to a daily habit. Lacey, 23, a recent college grad in Athens, Ga., was a "real" smoker for four years; she traded daily smoking for social smoking when she was 20. She didn’t have any trouble scaling back—she smoked more out of boredom and habit than nicotine addiction, she says—but she has found her social smoking at bars surprisingly hard to kick. "It’s been difficult," she says. "It’s a really big habit, but I do think the nicotine has something to do with it. When you’re drinking, smok-ing a cigarette is one of the best feelings in the world." So how do you help a social smoker? 1. Connect with non-smoking peers and groups: Find a friend and quit together. 2. Join a smoking cessation group: this is a great chance to connect with COCM colleagues to

review our resources and work together. 3. Remove the triggers to smoking: Avoid social situations, like parties and bars, where others

will be smoking. 4. Jump into new hobbies: Substitute social smoking venues with other healthier activities, like

hiking. If you would like to learn more about the Smoking Cessation group, please contact Abreonia Webster at AWebster@cocm.com or 205-414-6442

What is a Social Smoker?